Cake Decorating Basics. Rachel Brown

and times)

      Glacé (candied) cherries, chopped

      Currants

      Sultanas (golden raisins)

      Raisins

      Mixed fruit peel

      Lemon rind, grated

      Plain (all-purpose) flour

      Almonds, chopped

      Ground cinnamon

      Nutmeg

      Mixed (pumpkin pie) spice

      Butter or margarine

      Brown sugar

      Eggs

      Black treacle (molasses)

      METHOD

      1.Put the cherries in a mixing bowl with the currants, sultanas (golden raisins), raisins, mixed fruit peel and lemon rind.

      2.In a separate bowl, blend the plain (allpurpose) flour, almonds, ground cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed (pumpkin pie) spice.

3.Cream the butter/margarine until it is light, fluffy and white in colour. Add the brown sugar and mix a little further.

      4.Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter, with a little of the flour mixture.

      5.Stir in the remaining flour mixture and the dried fruit.

      6.Add the black treacle (molasses) and blend.

      7.Spoon the mixture into a lined tin (pan) and make a slight depression in the centre of the mixture. This helps to keep the cake level as it bakes.

      8.After baking, feed the cake and either freeze it for 24 hours (see Timesaving Tip) for immediate use, or wrap it in two layers of greaseproof (waxed) paper and store it in a plastic bag or airtight container for three months (see Fruit Cake).

Sponge cake

      Quick to make, sponge cake is the ideal option if you need to make a cake with little advance notice. It has a short shelf life, so it should only be covered and decorated a few days before it is going to be eaten. (Thinking Ahead, above, offers a way around this, however.)

      It is possible to extend the life of a sponge cake by adding a small amount of glycerine to the recipe. You could also substitute part of the self-raising (selfrising) flour with ground almonds. A good rule of thumb is to substitute approximately 25g (1oz) of every 225g (8oz/2 cups) of flour with ground almonds. Whichever method you use, bear in mind that the cake’s life will be extended by only a few days, depending on the season (its shelf life is much shorter in the summer) and where it is stored. Cakes always last longer if they are kept in a cool, dark place.

      Thinking Ahead

      Though a sponge cake must be covered and decorated just before it is going to be eaten, the cake itself can be made and frozen up to a month in advance. When you are ready to use it, defrost the cake at room temperature, which should take a couple of hours, then wrap it in greaseproof (waxed) paper until you are able to begin decorating.

      Making a Sponge Cake

      INGREDIENTS

       (see Sponge Cake, page 115, for specific amounts and recommended baking temperature and times)

      Butter or margarine

      Caster (superfine) sugar

      Eggs

      Self-raising (self-rising) flour

      Milk or water

      METHOD

      1.In a mixing bowl, blend together the butter/margarine and the caster (superfine) sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.

      2.Break the eggs into a separate mixing bowl and whisk them with a fork.

      3.Alternately pour the eggs and the selfraising (self-rising) flour into the butter mixture, then fold it together with a spoon.

      4.Gradually add the milk/water to the mixture to soften its consistency.

      5.Spoon the mixture into a lined tin (pan) and make a slight depression in the centre of the mixture. This helps to keep the cake level as it bakes.

      6.After baking, use the cake immediately or freeze it either plain or buttercreamed for up to one month (see Thinking Ahead, page 23).

      Levelling Sponge Cakes

      Cakes are always covered with a sheet of sugarpaste (rolled fondant or ready- to-roll icing) before they are decorated. Unfortunately, any bumps or gaps in the cake will be highlighted by the covering, so it is essential that the top of the cake is perfectly smooth.

      The easiest way to achieve this is to turn the tin (pan) upside down onto a clean board (see Cutting Sponge Cakes in Half, opposite) to release the cake. This prevents you from having to ‘lever’ the cake out of the tin, potentially damaging it, and gives you a nice, smooth top to decorate later. But what do you do if the top of the cake (now the bottom) is uneven and the cake will not sit flat on the board?

      1.Place the cake back in the tin, with the uneven surface facing upwards.

      2.Slide a sharp knife across the top of the tin, frame or novelty tin (Figs 1, 2 and 3). When you turn out the cake, it will be level on both the top and the bottom.

      If the cake does not rise to the top of the tin, put a small drum inside the tin and set the cake on top of this. The cake should now sit high enough for you to level it.

      Cutting Sponge Cakes in Half

      Classic sponge cakes are sliced in half, then filled with buttercream and a jam (jelly) glaze, which is essentially watered-down jam that is then reduced to a glaze (see recipe, page 30). Many novices saw through the cake with a knife, more often than not ending up with two halves that resemble steeply angled ski slopes.

      You can avoid this by following either of the two methods outlined below. Before you get started, place the cake on a board that has been thoroughly cleaned with kitchen paper (paper towels) and Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) (Fig. 1), which you can find at any sugarcraft or cook shop. This cleans away dirt particles or bacteria that may have gathered on the board and prevents the growth of mould between the cake and the board. If you cannot find IPA, use any white alcohol, gin or vodka. Warm, previously boiled water will also do.

       Method One

      Position the cake and board on a turntable. Horizontally embed the knife midway up the cake with one hand and place your other hand on top of the cake to hold it in position. Keeping the point of the knife in the same position all the time, use the hand that is holding the top of the cake to gently rotate the turntable. You will be able to see what you are doing and will know where the point of the knife is at all times (Fig. 2). Slip a thin, 4-mm (¼-in) board beneath the top half of the cake, ease the cake onto it (Fig. 3), then set it aside.