Fun and Original Character Cakes. Maisie Parrish

15ml (1tbsp) gum tragacanth

      * 10ml (2tsp) white vegetable fat (shortening)

      * 1 egg white (or the equivalent made up from dried egg albumen)

      This hippo’s glamorous long eyelashes are made from sugar flower paste, which can be rolled out much thinner than sugarpaste and dries hard so that they don’t flop over.

       Method

      1 Mix the water and gelatin in a small heatproof bowl and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Then sift the icing (confectioners’) sugar and gum tragacanth into the bowl of an electric mixer and fit the bowl to the machine.

      2 Place the bowl with the gelatin mixture over a saucepan of hot water. Stir until all the ingredients have melted.

      3 Add the dissolved gelatin mixture to the icing (confectioners’) sugar with the egg white. Turn the machine on at its lowest speed. Beat until mixed and then increase the speed to maximum and continue beating until the paste is white and stringy.

      4 Empty the paste out, then roll tightly in a polythene bag. Store it in an airtight container until required. It will keep for several weeks if stored correctly.

       Edible Glue

      This is the glue that holds sugarpaste pieces together, used in every project in this book. Always make sure your glue is edible before applying it to your cake.

       Tip

       Should you require stronger glue, use gum tragacanth as the base. Mix 5ml (1tsp) gum tragacanth powder with a few drops of water to make a thick paste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

       Ingredients

      * 1.25ml (¼tsp) CMC (Tylose) powder

      * 30ml (2tbsp) boiled water, still warm

      * A few drops of white vinegar

       Method

      1 Mix the CMC (Tylose) powder with the warm boiled water and leave it to stand until the powder has fully dissolved. The glue should be smooth and to a dropping consistency. If the glue thickens after a few days, add a few more drops of warm water.

      2 To prevent contamination or mould, add a few drops of white vinegar.

      3 Store the glue in an airtight container in the fridge and use within one week.

       Buttercream

      A generous coating of buttercream precedes the covering of sugarpaste on all sponge cakes. The classic version is flavoured with a few drops of vanilla essence, but you could substitute this for cocoa powder or grated lemon/orange zest to suit your particular taste.

       Ingredients

       To make 480g (1lb) of buttercream

      * 110g (4oz) butter

      * 30ml (2tbsp) milk

      * 350g (12oz) sifted icing (confectioners’) sugar

       Method

      1 Place the butter into a mixing bowl and add the milk and any flavouring required.

      2 Sift the icing (confectioners’) sugar into a bowl a little at a time. Beat it after each addition until all the sugar has been incorporated. The buttercream should be light and creamy in texture.

      3 Store in an airtight container for no more than one week.

      Sweet and delicious, buttercream is simple to make and is the ideal covering for both large and mini sponge cakes before they are covered in sugarpaste.

      Gum tragacanth, CMC (Tylose) powder, apricot glaze and confectioners’ glaze are essential products that you will need to purchase before you begin sugarcrafting (see Suppliers, pages 126–7).

      Essential Purchases

      A visit to your local cake decorating or sugarcraft shop is a must – not only can you buy all the necessary products there, you will also come away very inspired! These products cannot be made at home with any great ease, and therefore need to be purchased.

      * Gum tragacanth This is a natural gum, which comes in the form of fine white powder used for thickening and strengthening sugarpaste for modelling (see page 9).

      * CMC (Tylose) powder Carboxymethylcellulose is a synthetic and less expensive substitute for gum tragacanth. It is used as a thickening agent when added to sugarpaste, and also used for edible glue.

      * Apricot glaze This glaze is painted on to fruit cakes before adding a layer of marzipan (see page 28). It is made from apricot jam, water and lemon juice, which is boiled then sieved. Although it would be possible to make your own, I don’t know anyone who does, as it is so easy to use straight from the jar.

      * Confectioners’ glaze This product is used to highlight the eyes, shoes, or anything you want to shine on your model. It is particularly useful if you want to photograph your cake, as it will really add sparkle. Apply a thin coat and let it dry, then apply a second and even a third to give a really deep shine. It is best kept in a small bottle with brush on the lid – this way the brush is submerged in the glaze and doesn’t go hard. If you use your paintbrush to apply it, then you will have to clean it with special glaze cleaner.

       Covering Cakes

      Most beginners can successfully cover a cake with sugarpaste. However, a professional finish – a glossy surface free of cracks and air bubbles with smooth rounded corners – will only result from practise.

      1 Prepare the cake with a layer of buttercream (see page 24) or apricot glaze and marzipan (see page 28) depending on whether it is a sponge or a fruit cake.

      2 Take sufficient sugarpaste to cover the complete cake. The quantity required for each of the cakes in this book is given at the start of each project. Work the paste until it is quite soft and smooth, then place it on to a surface lightly dusted with icing (confectioners’) sugar.

      3 Roll out the paste with a non-stick rolling pin – spacing rods can be used to maintain a uniform thickness (A). The depth of the paste should be approximately 4mm (⅛in). As you roll the paste, move it regularly to ensure it has not stuck to the surface.

      4 Measure the cake by taking a measuring tape up one side, over the top and down the other side. The sugarpaste should be rolled out in the shape of the cake to be covered (round for a round cake, square for a square cake and so on), and rolled out a little larger than the measurement just made.

       Tip