Cake Decorating Heaven 2016-12

cake decorating heaven NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

cake 39 decorating

CREATE BEAUTIFUL CAKES FOR EVERY OCCASION

techniques & PROJECTS

xE citingok o l W e N

Now with photo step-by-step instructions

d lert TrenA

CREATE MARBLE EFFECTS IN SUGARPASTE

NEW SKILLS

Model a cute Christmas tree character topper

WIN!

A Colour Splash Airbrush Set, worth £116

Top techniques ✓Hand painting ✓Gravity defying cakes ✓Airbrushing ✓Royal icing ✓Modelling

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55 55 9 772050 122025 9 772050 122025

NOV/DEC 16 PRICE £5.99

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Festive fun... CHRISTMAS! Designs to impress for every skill level

CUPCAKES

Have fun decorating fairy cupcakes with the kids

EXCLUSIVE

Even beginners can make this trendy geode cake 20/10/2016 13:16

Couture is the new Great British sugarpaste everyone is talking about Made in the UK using ultra-fine icing sugar and the finest gum tragacanth to create a flawless, satin smooth finish for those special cakes

Hundreds of busy cake makers have already switched to Couture as their preferred brand and we think you will too, so why not give it a try?

Available in white and ivory in 2½kg and 5kg packs, Couture offers luxury quality at an everyday price

We’re so confident you’ll fall in love with Couture that if you try it and still prefer your old brand, we’ll give you your money back*

cake-stuff.com/couture

Try 5kg Couture for only

£12.50

**

£19.95 RRP

*see website for full product information and T&C’s **trial price of £12.50 for 5kg white / ivory applies until 31.12.16 No limit to how many you can order at this price. Even lower prices available to Trade / Wholesale customers – see website for full details

Couture sugarpaste is made exclusively for Cake Stuff. Over 7,500 top baking, cake decorating and sugarcraft products in stock at fantastic prices, ready to be delivered straight to your door.

cake-stuff.com facebook.com/CakeStuff.Ltd

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WELCOME

“Pick one of our Christmas designs and decorate your best cake yet!” GET IN TOUCH

Senior Editor Sally FitzGerald [email protected] Creative Director Jenny Cook Art Editor Martin Davies Production Editor Bob Wade Printed by William Gibbons & Sons cake decorating heaven NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

cake decorating 39

CREATE BEAUTIFUL CAKES FOR EVERY OCCASION

techniques & PROJECTS

Excitinlogok NeW

Now with photo step-by-step instructions

TrendAlert

CREATE MARBLE EFFECTS IN SUGARPASTE

NEW SKILLS

Model a cute Christmas tree character topper

WIN!

A Colour Splash Airbrush Set, worth £116

Top techniques ✓Hand painting ✓Gravity defying cakes ✓Airbrushing ✓Royal icing ✓Modelling

55 55 9 772050 122025 9 772050 122025

CD18.cover.md3.indd 1

NOV/DEC 16 PRICE £5.99

WWW.FOODHEAVENMAG.COM

Festive fun... CHRISTMAS! Designs to impress for every skill level

CUPCAKES

Have fun decorating fairy cupcakes with the kids

EXCLUSIVE

Even beginners can make this trendy geode cake 20/10/2016 13:16

Cover image photography © istockPhoto

Cake Decorating Heaven Find us at www.facebook.com/ CakeDecoratingHeaven and search for @CakeDecHeaven on Twitter. Also keep up-to-date with all the latest decorating news at www.foodheavenmag.com

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Christmas is the perfect time of year for cake decorating fans. There are endless opportunities to get out our sugarpaste, favourite cutters and tools, and get to work creating modern masterpieces not just for the main Christmas cake, but for cupcakes to take to parties and fun biscuits to have ready for those inevitable unexpected guests. If you’re struggling for inspiration on how to make this year’s creation even better than last year’s, we’ve got plenty of ideas coming your way over the next 121 pages. From our snowman cover star, which is perfect for beginners to try out (page 12), to the adorable Christmas tree sugar wobbly topper on page 70 and the striking deer silhouette cake on page 18, you should find something to get those creative juices flowing. I’m also very excited about two new techniques we’re bringing you this issue. I’ve absolutely fallen in love with the geode cake trend – quite simply it appeals to my fascination with everything shiny! And now you can create it yourself with Charlotte White’s fantastic tutorial on page 30, which is easy enough for beginners to give a go. The second technique is marbling. Britt Whyatt shares two methods for creating this look, which again is simple to achieve but looks really impressive. Enjoy the issue, have a fantastic Christmas and New Year, and I’ll see you in 2017!

SALLY FITZGERALD SENIOR EDITOR

3 2 1

SKILL LEVEL

Guide to skill levels 1 – Beginner 2 – Intermediate 3 – Advanced

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Turn to page 24 for our very special subscription offer to cake decorating heaven. Get a free Joseph Joseph Utensil Set, plus save 25% on the shop price.

JOIN US NEXT ISSUE!

The January/ February issue of cake decorating heaven goes on sale 5 January – don’t miss it.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER cake decorating heaven

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cake decorating WEDDING

34

55

84

★ COVER CAKE

12 Features 8

DECORATE IT! NEWS

10

GIFT GUIDE

24

SUBSCRIBE

28

LOOK WHAT I MADE!

62

COFFEE & CAKE WITH...

CHRISTMAS

KIDS

18

88

READER GALLERY RACHAEL TEUFEL 118 TEMPLATES 119 CLASSIC RECIPES – PEPPERMINT STICK MUFFINS, GINGER BISCUITS, 18TH-CENTURY PEPPER CAKE 122 WIN! £116 COLOUR SPLASH AIRBRUSH KIT

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FESTIVE

WEDDING

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CONTENTS

62

52

BIRTHDAY

82

FESTIVE

30

22

40

BIRTHDAY

KIDS

90

116

TECHNIQUE

44 TREND ALERT!

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WEDDING

TECHNIQUE

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER cake decorating heaven

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PROJECT FINDER

Project finder Christmas

26 Poppy cake 40 Confetti layer cake 43 Pretty pearls cupcake 55 Dalmation 58 Timeless pocket watch 64 Open rose 81 Elegant orchids cupcakes 88 Back and forth ruffles 93 Tree stump cake 97 Vintage gerbera cake 101 Supersize cupcake 109 Cascade of flowers 111 Prize-winning rosettes

12 Snowman fun 18 Christmas deer cake 33 Champagne cake 34 Mrs Claus cake 46 Polar bear topper 50 Cosy Christmas 70 Christmas tree 82 Father Christmas 99 Snow globe biscuits 107 Christmas gingerbread house 116 Christmas robin

Wedding

Kids

38 Christmas wedding cake 57 Gingerbread wedding cake 67 Ornate stencil cake 78 Flamboyant fleur-de-lis 91 Cascades of brooches 103 Prescious ring mini cake 115 Lace appliques and leaves

SENIOR EDITOR Sally FitzGerald [email protected] ART EDITOR Martin Davies PRODUCTION EDITOR Bob Wade SENIOR ADVERTISING MANAGER Darren Gratton [email protected] JUNIOR ADVERTISING SALES EXECUTIVE Ines Botto [email protected]

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jon Bickley [email protected] CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jenny Cook [email protected]

Basic recipes 119 Peppermint stick muffins 120 Ginger biscuits 121 Pepper cake

14 Fabulous fringes

Anthem Publishing Ltd, Suite 6, Piccadilly House, London Road, Bath BA1 6PL Tel +44 (0) 1225 489985 Fax +44 (0) 1225 489980

HEAD OF MARKETING & PRODUCTION Verity Travers [email protected]

22 Fabulous fairies 52 Hot dog cake 73 Moon cake 84 The big top

Birthday

Branding and content, © Anthem Publishing Limited, 2016. The name cake decorating heaven® is a registered trade mark of Anthem Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.

Top techniques

MANAGING DIRECTOR Simon Lewis [email protected] PRINT William Gibbons & Sons Ltd Tel +44 (0) 1902 730011 DISTRIBUTION Marketforce (UK) Ltd, The Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU Tel +44 (0)1582 678900 LICENSING ENQUIRIES Regina Erak [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Website: anthem.subscribeonline.co.uk, ☎ UK 0844 848 8423 or +44 (0) 3337777009, Europe & World +44 1795 592 848, USA – Call Toll Free 800.428.3003, Email: [email protected]. Calls cost 7p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge. COMPETITION RULES

Geode cake

Marbling

Royal icing

p30-32

p44-45

p76-77

Airbrushing cakes

Cake lace

p72-74

p114-115

Modelling sugarpaste p70-71

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By entering a competition you are bound by these rules. Late or incomplete entries will be disqualified. Only one entry per person will be accepted. The company reserves the right to substitute any prize with cash, or a prize of comparable value. Competitions are open to UK residents over 18 only, except employees of Anthem Publishing and any party involved in the competition or their households. By entering a competition you give permission to use personal information in connection with the competition, for promotional purposes. If you do not want your information to be shared, please tick ‘no offers’ on your entry. Entries become the property of the company upon receipt and will not be returned. If you are a winner, receipt of prize is conditional upon complying with the competition rules.

All content copyright Anthem Publishing Ltd, 2016, all rights reserved. While we make every effort to ensure that the factual content of Cake Decorating Heaven is correct we cannot take any responsibility nor be held accountable for any factual errors printed. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or resold without the prior consent of Anthem Publishing Ltd. Anthem Publishing recognises all copyrights contained within this issue. Where possible we acknowledge the copyright holder. Cake Decorating Heaven is a trade mark owned by Anthem Publishing.

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Festive Decorating

Ar t is

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La ce – in White &

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l Go

t Paints – in

o ol c 7

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it t

Make an impact with your cake decorating this festive period with Cake Décor’s Craft Range. From delicate Cake Lace to sparkly Glitter Spray and Bright Edible Cake Artist Paint, there is everything you need to give your showstoppers the wow factor!

With Cake Décor it couldn’t be easier.

ld

...Made Easy!

o

G er & r Spr e ay - in Silv

Decorate it!

WE CATCH UP WITH ALL THE LATEST CAKE DECORATING NEWS, PRODUCTS AND EVENTS

Develop your skills at the new academy The experts behind leading brand Renshaw have opened the new Renshaw Academy to help expert cake decorators and enthusiastic beginners alike take their skills to a new level. The academy will feature classes by sugarcraft experts from around the world – two tutors appearing in December are Carol Haycox from FMM cutters (2-3 December) and Georgie Godbold, the creator of the gorgeous Sugar Wobblies (8-9 December), with many more experts lined up to impart their knowledge at the school next

year. Facilities are state of the art too, kitted out with custom-built marble top work benches, Neff Slide&Hide ovens and KitchenAid Artisan stand mixers. To find out more about the academy, head online to www.renshawacademy.com

Win a bauble cookie set

Looking for a great gift idea for friends and family this year? Why not bake and decorate your own

cookies? Peggy Porschen has brought out a gorgeous new Christmas Bauble Cookie Cutter Set featuring four different designs, which come nestled in a beautiful pink window box. Available at the Peggy Porshen parlour in London or online at www.peggy porschen.com, it costs £24.95. This issue we have one set up for grabs – enter online at www.foodheavenmag.com

Do you love decorating cakes, but not have time for the baking? Sweet Success has the answer with its range of readymade cakes. The latest addition to their delicious selection is the Red Velvet cake, which is available in round, square and cupcake options. Prices start from just £8.30, take a look online at sweetsuccess.uk.com

Competition closes 2 December 2016.

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Readymade red velvet

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C A K E D E C O R AT I N G N E W S

A high end finish Time for tea What goes together better than tea and cake?! Particularly if the tea tastes as good as the new collection of Dessert Teas that have just been launched by Ahmad Tea. Available in six different dessert-inspired flavours, with three black tea varieties: Strawberry Velvet Cake, Pear & Cinnamon Strudel, Moroccan Orange Slice, and three green tea varieties: Citrus & Mint Sorbet, Strawberry Basil Coulis and Mango & Lychee Soufflé. Each sophisticated recipe has an exquisite taste and stirring aroma. With an RRP of £4 per pack, Ahmad Tea’s Dessert Teas, along with the full range of Loose Leaf Pyramids, are now available from Ocado and www.ahmadtea.co.uk

Couture is the new Great British luxury sugarpaste everyone is talking about – made in the UK using ultra-fine icing sugar and the finest gum tragacanth to create a flawless, satin smooth finish. It is the perfect sugarpaste for wedding and high-end celebration cakes, where quality of finish means everything. Available in white and ivory in 2½kg and 5kg packs, Couture offers luxury quality at an everyday price. Couture is made exclusively for Cake Stuff and is available at the special introductory price of only £12.50 (£19.95 RRP) for 5kg until the end of the year. Cake Stuff are so confident that you will love it, if you try it and still prefer your old brand, they’ll give you your money back. For more information on Couture and their Money Back Guarantee, visit cake-stuff.com/couture

GET SET TO SPARKLE The makers of Magic Sparkles and Magic Twinkles fully edible flakes and glitter describe them as the sparkliest glitter on the planet and they certainly do lend a shine to your cakes! Made from maltodextrin, modified starch and food colourings, they were one of the first truly edible glitters on the market and have a unique appeal, ideal for Christmas. Available at www.magicsparkles.com, or Lakeland and Amazon.com

Perfect paints Cake Décor has launched an exciting new range of Cake Artist Paints. The range comprises seven colours including Rose Red, Pink, Blue, Yellow, Green and Gold and Silver. Create perfect painted cakes by gently squeezing the tube to fill the brush tip with edible paint and decorate directly onto your cakes. Use freehand to create your own personalised designs or use with stencils for intricate paintings. These striking paint-filled brushes are great for beginners and experienced decorators alike. Cake Artist Paints are now available from Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Asda. To find out more, head to mycakedecor.co.uk

Bake your best cupcakes With The Great British Bake Off inspiring us to take our creations to new heights, we are extremely excited about Purple Cupcakes’ new range of Pastel Coloured Cupcake Cases. They’re the first pastel coloured cases of professional quality that promise not to fade when baked. The Purple Cupcakes website shows them off in a beautiful assortment of colours, from Baby Blue and Pastel Grey to Lilac and Mint Green. Visit the Purple Cupcakes stand at Cake International, or pop onto www.purplecupcakes.co.uk and grab yourself a set of these today for just £3.25.

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Get creative with new Nifty Nozzles November’s Cake International at Birmingham NEC sees Sugar and Crumbs celebrate its third birthday. Its Natural Flavoured Icing Sugar is fast becoming a cupboard staple for home bakers, with an extensive range of over 30 flavours. Sugar and Crumbs also launched the Nifty Nozzles™ brand in 2015, which has met with unprecendented success. Sales have been bolstered by the investment made in the EUIPO Design Rights, which has

helped reduce the number of counterfeits available – so you can be sure when you’re buying from Sugar and Crumbs they’re the real deal! These piping nozzles allow you to pipe a whole buttercream flower in one swift, easy movement, achieving beautiful, professional results. There’s a new collection of exciting designs such as the Christmas Tree and the Romance Rose – see them at www.sugarandcrumbs.co.uk

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£4.00 £15.9

Strawberry Velvet Cake Pyramid Teabags from the new Dessert Tea Collection Available from www.ahmadtea.co.uk and Ocado

Christmas Gift Guide Luxury Cake Decorating Kit Cake Craft World www.cakecraftworld.co.uk

Winter Wreath Mould Karen Davies Moulds www.karendaviescakes.co.uk

£6.37 Cake Décor’s Cake Lace Kit Available at Morrisons. www.mycakedecor.co.uk

£135

5

Kitchen Craft Edible Lace Mat Buy online from www.bathcakecompany.co.uk

£ 3.8

4 Cake Star Push Easy Flower Cutter set craftcompany.co.uk

£17.99

£8.99 5 Piece Dusting Brush Set Lakeland www.lakeland.co.uk

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NE W PRODUCTS

£2.75 CUPCAKE BOUQUET BOXES Purple Cupcakes www.purplecupcakes.co.uk

£3.95

£9.50

Christmas Book Rainbow Dust Colours www.rainbowdust.co.uk

9

£5.9

Metallic Food Paint – Metallic Holly Green Rainbow Dust Colours www.rainbowdust.co.uk

£19.99

Letterpress Cookie Set Tala www.talacooking.com

Make Your Own Minions Cake Frame Kit Lakeland www.lakeland.co.uk

£14.99

Tilting Icing Turntable Tala www.talacooking.com

Vintage Apple Cake Carrier Available from www.dotcomgiftshop.com

Carnival Time Cupcake Kit Buy online from www.dotcomgiftshop.com

£29.95 £5.95

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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER cake decorating heaven

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3

techniques

2

Levelling, crumb coating and covering, modelling sugarpaste

1

Skill level

Snowman fun! This snowman isn't walking in the air, but it is standing on the sugarpaste and won't melt when out of the fridge! It's a quick and easy cake topper to create and makes the perfect cake for the festive season. You will need

For the cake • 15cm (6in) round cake To Decorate • buttercream • white sugarpaste • brown modelling paste • red sugarpaste • black sugarpaste • orange sugarpaste • black edible food pen • edible glue or royal icing Equipment • 15cm (6in) cake board • smoother • cocktail stick • ribbon

shaping the cake

1 Start by levelling the top of the cake until it’s flat. Place the cake on the cake board, then crumb coat the whole cake with buttercream. Place in the fridge to firm up. 2 Once the cake is firm, roll out the white sugarpaste on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar to around 5mm (¼in). Using the rolling pin, lift the sugarpaste and use to cover the cake. Smooth over with an icing smoother for a crisp finish and trim any excess paste from the bottom of the cake.

Creating the snowman 3 Now it’s time to make the snowman. Take a large piece of white paste and divide into three. The balls can be roughly the same size, they’ll just be a different shape. For the bottom part of the snowman, roll one piece into a ball, then flatten with the palm of your hand. Attach to the middle of the cake with water, edible glue or royal icing. 4 Take the second piece of sugarpaste, roll into a ball and flatten again, but slightly less than the first so it’s not quite as wide, but a little bit taller. Stick on top of the bottom body piece. Roll the final piece into a ball and stick on the snowman to make the head. 5 For the arms, take a piece of brown modelling paste and use your fingers to roll the paste into a long, thin sausage. Cut in half to form the arms. Make two short twigs of brown paste in the same way and stick to the top of the arms at an angle. Use the main photo for guidance on placement. Leave to harden a little. 6 Take a cocktail stick and make two small holes in the middle tier of the body where the arms will go. Coat the bottom ends of the twig arms with a little edible glue and insert into the

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holes in the body. You may need to hold in position for a little time while the glue dries. THE F INI S HIN G TOUCHE S

7 For the scarf, roll out some red sugarpaste and cut a long thin piece. Make tiny cuts in each end for the frills, then wrap around the snowman’s neck and stick in place with edible glue. 8 For the hat, roll out some black sugarpaste and cut out a circle. Form more sugarpaste into a thick log and cut a piece about 2cm (¾in) thick for the top of the hat. Make marks around the circumference of the log for detail, then stick onto the black circle with edible glue. Stick onto the snowman’s head. 9 Make a small carrot cone from orange sugarpaste and attach to the snowman for the nose. Draw on eyes, a smile and buttons with a black edible pen. 10 Roll balls of white sugarpaste of different sizes to make snowballs, then attach to the base of the snowman. 11 Attach a length of red and white ribbon around the middle of the cake and finish off with a bow, if desired.

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christmas

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november / december cake decorating heaven

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3 2 1

techniques

piping with a sugar shaper, moulding modelling paste, using cake lace, dowelling and stacking

Fabulous Fringes Combine elegant modern style with a retro vintage influence and make Lindy Smith’s fabulous cake with fringes galore. 14 cake decorating heaven NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

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You will need

For the Cake • bake, layer and stack your choice of cakes to create the following four tier sizes – base tier 25cm (10in) round, 9cm (3½in) deep; second tier 20cm (8in) round, 5.5cm (2¼in) deep; third tier 15cm (6in) round, 14.5cm (5¾in) deep; top tier 10cm (4in) round, 9cm (3½in) deep to decorate • sugarpaste – 500g (1lb 2oz) pale aqua, 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) aqua, 550g (1lb 4oz) brilliant white, 800g (1lb 12oz) pale green • gum tragacanth or CMC (tylose) • 120g (4½oz) bright aqua modelling paste • royal icing • white vegetable fat (shortening) • sugar glue • white hundreds and thousands (nonpareils) • edible lace mix • basic punched flower • piping gel • colours – all the colours used on the cake have been created using vine and hydrangea paste colours • white edible wafer (rice) paper EQUIPMENT • round hardboard cake boards – 15cm (6in), plus ones the same size as each of the cakes • polystyrene cake spacers – 15cm (6in) round, 4cm (1½in) deep; or three 15cm (6in) round, 12mm (½in) deep cake drums • scriber • sugar shaper • no.2 piping tip • Dresden tool • set square • palette and craft knives • 1mm spacers • cutters – eight petal microflower; set of four blossom plunger cutters; small Moroccan tile cutter • foam pad • ball tool • paintbrush • 1.4cm (5 ⁄8in) daisy centre stamp • lace mats – dentelle, leaf • side scraper • pearl-headed dressmakers’ pin • dowels – at least 15cm (6in) in length

Project and photography taken from Simply Modern Wedding Cakes by Lindy Smith, published by David & Charles, £19.99

Skill level

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b i r t h d ay

c o v e r i n g t h e c a k e s a n d S P ACER

1 Cover each of the cakes in turn. Cover the base tier with aqua sugarpaste and the second tier with brilliant white sugarpaste, covering the sides first and then the top. Cover the sides of the polystyrene spacer with aqua sugarpaste. Cover the third tier with pale green sugarpaste. Finally, cover the top tier with pale aqua sugarpaste.

Making the modelling paste 1 Use the sugarpaste trimmings to make 300g (10½oz) aqua, 15g (½oz) pale aqua, 30g (1oz) pale green and 15g (½oz) brilliant white modelling paste by kneading in 1 tsp of gum tragacanth or CMC to every 225g (8oz). THE B ASE TIER

The fringing 1 Use a scriber to mark placement lines around the cake at 4cm (1½in) and 7.5cm (3in) heights. 2 Use royal icing to attach the covered polystyrene cake separator centrally to the underside of the base tier. 3 To make the loops for the fringe you will first need to soften some aqua modelling paste. Add a little white vegetable fat (shortening) to the paste to prevent it from getting too sticky, then dunk the paste into a container of cooled boiled water and knead to incorporate. Repeat until the modelling paste feels soft and stretchy. When you’re ready to make the loops, insert the softened paste into the barrel of the sugar shaper and add the piping tip.

4 Push the plunger down to remove any air and then pump the handle to squeeze out 8cm (3¼in) loops of soft paste onto your work surface. Continue until the barrel is empty.

5 To make the loops more uniformly shaped

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and to prepare them for hanging, pinch the open ends together with your fingers, while using a Dresden tool to gently pull the looped ends away.

6 Create a placement guide by folding a piece of card or other support to 2cm (3 ⁄4in) in height and sliding it in under the base of the cake, so that your loops can dangle below the base. This makes it easy to ensure that when you attach them, all of your loops hang at approximately the same height. Paint some sugar glue 1cm (3 ⁄ 8in) above and below the lower marked line on the cake, then start attaching the loops to the cake as shown in the photo above. Use a set square to gently push the loops closer together, and also so you can check that they are all hanging vertically.

7 Once you have attached the first batch of loops, use a palette knife to cut away the ends at an angle above the lower marked line. Repeat the process until the first row of loops is complete.

8 To make the second row of overlapping loops, make a 6cm (23 ⁄8in) placement guide and repeat steps 3-7, this time using the upper marked line.

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b i r t h d ay

Making the floral band

3 Use a large blossom plunger cutter to cut out five petal blossoms from thinly rolled-out aqua modelling paste – you will need about 20 of these. Roll a ball of white modelling paste and press it firmly into the daisy centre stamp. By pressing your finger against the mould the paste should come away cleanly. Repeat with the white and pale green modelling paste to make a centre for each of the flowers and attach them in place using sugar glue.

THE SECOND TIER

The ribbons

When using the stamp, add just enough paste to fill the mould, but without the paste spilling out over the edges.

top tip

1 To create the small eight petal flowers, roll out some aqua modelling paste between 1mm spacers. Press the eight-petal micro flower cutter into the paste and give it a little wiggle before removing the cutter and excess paste. Repeat the process to make about 30 flowers. If any modelling paste remains in your cutter when it is lifted, wipe over the cutting edge with a finger, then push out the paste shape using a paintbrush.

top tip

1 Thinly roll out some bright aqua modelling paste between 1mm spacers. Using a straight edge and a craft knife, cut strips measuring approximately 8mm (1 ⁄ 3in) wide.

4 Use the smallest blossom cutter to cut out a selection of brilliant white and bright aqua blossoms, then cup each one using a ball tool. Use the remaining cutters to create a selection of slightly larger blossoms, as shown in the photos.

2 Place the cut-out flowers on a foam pad by gently stroking each petal with a ball tool to curve. Place one cupped flower inside another, add a small white or aqua paste ball into the centre of each flower.

5 Using sugar glue and a paintbrush, attach the flowers to the top edge of the cake, as desired, to create an attractive floral band. To finish, add white hundreds and thousands (nonpareils) with a little sugar glue.

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2 Gently fold a strip of paste in half lengthways and repeat for the remaining strips. 3 Paint sugar glue around the lower quarter of the covered cake. Starting at the base, secure the folded sugar ribbons in lines around the cake. Use a Dresden tool to aid placement of the ribbons and encourage movement in the paste.

4 Continue cutting, folding and attaching the sugar ribbons, working up the cake until it is completely covered. Use a finger and a Dresden tool to make any necessary final adjustments to the pattern.

top tip

Disguise the joins in the ribbons by either pinching the ends of the strips together and tucking them

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b i r t h d ay

3 Cut 12 ribbon strips 3mm (1⁄ 8in) wide from white edible paper (rice) sheets. Make the paper ribbons longer by joining two strips together with a little water. With the smooth, shiny side uppermost, wrap a paper ribbon around the base of the third tier (the lace tier), secure with piping gel and cut to size with a craft knife. Wrap another paper ribbon around the base of the top tier, then add a further four above. For these ribbons, start at the join and wrap the paper ribbons at increasing angles to the horizontal, leaving a small gap between each one to create the pattern shown on the finished cake.

under the strip below, or opening them up and allowing the ribbon above to cover them. THE THIRD TIER

mats. Arrange the lace leaves in natural curved shapes on some scrunched-up kitchen paper and leave to dry further.

The lace

1 Mix up approximately 35g (1¼oz) of the edible lace mix, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Use a side scraper to carefully spread the mixture over the dentelle and leaf lace mats. Dry in a cool oven or leave to air dry in a warm place.

3 Turn one section of the dried dentelle lace over and slightly dampen the underside of the lace. Using a dressmakers’ pin to help hold the lace in place, wrap the lace centrally around the middle of the cake. Cut to fit with scissors and then secure the edges of the lace using a damp paintbrush and applying a little pressure. 4 Use the small Moroccan tile cutter to cut tiles from thinly rolled out green modelling paste and attach at regular intervals to the central lace band, as shown. Add aqua and white flowers to the centre of each tile in the same way as before (see ‘The floral band’). To finish, use sugar glue to randomly add a scattering of white hundreds and thousands (nonpareils) between the tiles. THE TOP TIER

Assembling the cake

2 Once the lace has dried sufficiently, carefully peel it away from the two lace

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1 Dowel all the cakes, except the top tier. 2 Stack the cakes using royal icing to secure the tiers and referring to the finished cake for reference. Check the alignment and levels as you work.

Making the edible paper flower 1 Following the instructions supplied with the basic punched flower for making it. 2 Roll a ball of white sugarpaste, attach it to the back of the edible paper flower and secure the flower onto the cake at the point where the paper ribbons meet. 3 Insert a few lace leaves into the ball of sugarpaste to help frame the flower.

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techniques

2

covering a cake, tracing, shading, painting

1

Skill level

Christmas deer cake Laura Dodimead from Cakey Bakes Cakes (www.cakeybakescakes.co.uk)

guides us step-by-step through how to create this stylish design featuring silhouettes of deer on white icing. You will need

All photography © Christine Jordan

For the cake • 3 x 15cm (6in) square sponges To decorate • 500g (1lb 2oz) buttercream • 1 large fresh orange • ground ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg • 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) white sugarpaste • black food dust • 100g (3½oz) white flower paste • royal icing • ethanol • Trex Equipment • 20cm (8in) square cake drum • greaseproof paper • Dresden tool • rolling pin • palette knife • cake scraper • pizza cutting wheel • Bellissimo smoothers • craft knife • wooden skewer • no.00 paintbrush • paint palette • 1m of white ribbon • a pin

1 After baking your sponges – use your favourite recipe with a little Christmas spice – and allowing them to cool, make the buttercream as you normally would. (Alternatively, place 100g (3½oz) of unsalted butter in to a bowl with 400g (14oz) of icing sugar. Mix and combine the two ingredients, adding a little cooled boiled water to loosen slightly.) Grate the zest of a large orange into the buttercream and also mix in the juice of the orange. 2 Fill a piping bag with the orange flavoured buttercream and pipe onto the top of the first sponge. Lay the next sponge on top of the buttercream and pipe another layer of buttercream. Finish by placing the third layer onto the top. 3 Crumb coat the entire cake around the sides and top with a palette knife. Go over again with a cake scraper to remove any excess and to ensure the edges are sharp. 4 Place into the fridge for an hour until the buttercream has hardened.

around your rolling pin and draping it over the top of the cake.

4 Smooth down the top edges with the palms of your hand and continue to smooth down the sides, so the paste is flat against the cake.

COVERING THE B OARD

1 To cover the board, roll out a small amount of the white sugarpaste. 2 Paint glue around the edges of the cake drum and lay the sugarpaste over the drum. 3 Cut off any excess paste around the board and smooth over with a smoother. 4 Set aside to dry.

5 Take a pizza cutter wheel and trim off the excess at the base of the cake.

COVERING THE CAKE

1 Roll out 1.3kg (2lb 14oz) of white sugarpaste to a thickness of 3mm. 2 Remove the cake from the fridge. 3 Lift the paste onto the cake by rolling it

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6 Use two flexi-smoothers to rub the edges of the cake together to create a sharp edge. Repeat this all the way around the cake. 7 Use a little royal icing on the covered

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Christmas

cake drum to stick the cake in the centre and allow to set. PA I N T I N G T H E C A K E

1 Draw the deer at the front onto a piece of greaseproof paper and turn the cake on its side, facing up.

2 Place the drawing onto the top of the cake and draw around the sketch with a Dresden tool to make an indentation.

3 Remove the paper and add some black food dust to the paint palette, along with a few drops of ethanol.

4 Take a no.00 paintbrush and begin to paint the outline of the deer. Continue by painting the deer's antlers.

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all facing in the same direction to give the illusion of the sun casting its shadow. 11 Set the cake aside and allow to dry. DEER HEAD TOPPER

greaseproof paper in the same manner as for the deer head. 2 Roll out the remaining white flower paste to 2mm thick.

1 Draw the deer head onto some greaseproof paper. 2 Roll out 40g (1½oz) of white flower paste to a 2mm thickness. 5 Next, fill in the whole deer in black, using a bigger brush to speed things up. 6 Once the first deer is complete, repeat the same process of transferring a second deer image onto the cake with a sketch and the Dresden tool.

3 Place the sketch onto the paste and draw over the outline with a Dresden tool.

3 Place the greaseproof paper onto the flower paste and draw around the outline with a Dresden tool – this will leave the deer silhouette impression in the paste.

4 Rub a little Trex onto the blade of the knife and run it along the outline in the paste. 5 Smooth the edges with your fingers and allow to dry.

7 Outline the second deer as before with the black paint.

8 Continue to paint the antlers and then the deer's entire body.

9 The trees are painted free-hand, so paint different thickness lines to give the illusion of depth to the painting. 10 Dip the brush into the paint, remove the majority of the paint from the brush and then paint smudged lines at the base of the trees,

4 Take a craft knife and cut along the indentation lines. (Rub a little Trex onto the blade carefully to allow the knife to glide through the paste more easily). 5 Once cut out, smooth the edges down with your finger. 6 Leave the deer to dry flat. 7 When dry, turn it around so the back is facing upwards. Mix up a little royal icing and spread it in the centre of the deer head, then place a wooden skewer onto the royal icing and set aside to dry. 8 Mix some black food dust with a few drops of ethanol and, when the skewer is fixed and dry, paint the deer head all over. 9 Push the skewer into the centre of the top of the cake, so that the base of the deer touches the top of the cake and you cake no longer see the skewer. (If the skewer is too long, simply cut it to size before pushing into the cake.) SEASONS GREETINGS SCROLL

1 Draw the outline of the scroll onto

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6 When dry, mix up a little black dust and use a no.00 paintbrush to write the words “Season's Greetings”.

7 Continue to paint a black outline around the scroll, to give definition and depth. 8 When it's dry, place and glue the scroll in the centre of the top of the cake in front of the deer head. FINISHING TOUCHES

1 Take a metre of 15mm gold satin ribbon and wrap it around the edge of the cake drum. Secure at the back with a pin. 2 Serve and eat!

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applying frosting, using sugarpaste, using sugarcraft gun, using cutters

1

Skill level

fabulous fairies You can tell that these are no ordinary fairies, with silver crowns studded with precious pearls and magic wands. There’s lots of fun to be had trying different hairstyles on Carolyn White's fairy cupcakes. You will need

For the FAIRy cupcakes • 9 cupcakes piped with frosting swirls • sugarpaste with CMC – 150g (5½oz) each of flesh colour and pale yellow, 10g (¼oz) bright pink, 20g (¾oz) white, 100g (3½oz) grey • silver pearl dragees • silver lustre dust mixed with water • 1.5 piping tip • mini heart plunger cutter • edible pens – blue, black • sugarcraft gun with hair disc • no 6 circle cutter • sugar glue For the wand cupcakes • 6 mini cakes piped with frosting swirls • sugarpaste with CMC – 50g (1¾oz) lilac, 30g (1oz) each of yellow and pink • 2.5cm (1in) star cutter • edible glitter

The hair can be plaited or left flowing and a fringe added. 5 For the crown, use your palette knife to cut a crown shape with three points from grey paste. Paint with the silver lustre dust solution. Glue three pearl dragees to the base of the crown, then attach to the fairy. 6 For the wand cakes, roll out lilac sugarpaste to 3mm thick using spacers and

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use a circle cutter to cut six discs to fit the mini cakes. Set aside to firm. 7 For the wands, use the star cutter to cut stars from yellow paste. For the shafts, roll a long, narrow sausage of pink paste, then cut into lengths. Glue a shaft to each star onto each lilac disc. Dust with glitter.

Project and photography taken from Bake me I’m Yours... Cupcake Fun by Carolyn White, published by David & Charles, £9.99

1 For the faces, roll out the flesh-coloured paste to 3mm thick using spacers. Use a no.6 circle cutter to cut nine discs. 2 While soft, impress a smile on each face using the open end of the piping tip and indent at either end with a cocktail stick (toothpick). Use the mini heart plunger cutter to cut tiny bright pink paste hearts. Attach one to each fairy’s smile. 3 For the eyes, roll small balls of white paste and flatten slightly. Use a blue edible pen to add irises and a black edible pen to add the pupils. Attach in place. Use the black edible pen to add eyelashes. 4 For the hair, knead the yellow paste and add a little sugar glue and white vegetable fat until very soft. Push some paste into the sugarcraft gun and, using the handle, ease out tendrils of hair. Lift sections on a palette knife and attach with a touch of sugar glue.

d e c o r at i n g t h e c a k e

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Skill level

Poppy Cake Poppies are always a favourite, and the bright, vibrant colours against white icing create stunning results in Stephanie Weightman's design. Finish it off with a decorative border punched out of sugar sheet. You will need

For the cake • 25.4cm (10in) oval cake covered with sugarpaste To decorate • 25.4cm (10in) square iced cake board • edible powder food colours in cherry red, burgundy, dark green, citrus green, black • edible varnish Equipment • paintbrushes – 10mm (3/8in) flat, size 5 round brush, 6mm (¼in) flat • red and green ribbon • 3 green leaf hat pins • sugar sheet • craft border punch • edible glue

3 Paint the buds with little flat leaf shapes, with the burgundy at the top.

6 Complete the second side of the poppy leaf using the same colours.

4 Without cleaning the brush, pick up dark green and white and paint the main stems. Again, without cleaning the brush, use citrus green and white to paint the stems to the buds.

7 Use a size 5 round brush, cut for stippling, to stipple the black poppy centres in the main flowers.

MAIN F L O W ERS

1 Paint the top petals of the main poppy flowers as you would a scalloped leaf, with the 10mm (3/8 in) brush loaded with cherry red and burgundy. The darker burgundy should go towards the centres.

2 Paint the side and lower petals in the same way.

5 Paint poppy leaves with dark green and citrus green.

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8 Pick up grains of yellow edible powder and stipple on to create pollen. Add small filler leaves in dark green and white with the 6mm (¼in) flat brush.

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b i r t h d ay

A poppy leaf

1 Wiggle the brush as for painting a scalloped leaf.

This project is taken from Painting Flowers On Cakes by Stephanie Weightman, published by Search Press, RRP £8.99. www.searchpress.com

2 Continue the wiggle through several curves, then slide the brush out to create a point.

Stems and tendrils

3 Pick up more paint and repeat to paint the other side of the leaf.

1 Use the no.1 brush double-loaded with green and white. Start with a fairly thick stroke and pull it out, tapering to a point.

3 Use the no.1 brush with green and paint a curling shape, tapering and allowing the colour to fade towards the end. Add several tendrils to the stems and leaves. 4 Finish the cake off with a decorative border punched out of sugar sheet with a craft border punch, and a flamboyant ribbon with an added bow. To decorate the bow, push in three green leaf hat pins. Trim the cake board with green ribbon.

4 Slide the brush out to a point.

5 Use the straight edge of the brush to paint a stem and you have a finished leaf.

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2 Continue painting stems from the same point, then change to the no.10 flat brush and begin to add flat leaves.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER cake decorating heaven

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Look what I made! It’s over to you for our brand new reader gallery. Do you have a cake you’re really proud of decorating? Send a high resolution photo to sally.fitzgerald@ anthem-publishing.com and be in with a chance of winning a bumper hamper from the lovely people at Rainbow Dust Colours Ltd…

★ STAR BAKER

Lisa Bobby from EL's Little Cupcakery

“This cake was created for a friend who I’ve known since secondary school, so holds a great deal of sentimental value for me personally. The bride and groom chose to have a rustic/vintage themed wedding, which was held in a family run converted barn in Capel le Ferne in Kent. The flowers were chosen by the bride.” www.elslittlecupcakery.co.uk

Elaine Wat ts

“I make cakes for friends and family as a pleasant hobby. Only this month I was tested to my limit with a seriously large cake. The castle cake was a vanilla sponge with a black

Jeanette Hodkinson cherry filling, buttercream and white chocolate ganache – it was for my daughter who was 30. I had made a much more basic one for her at three and she remembers it!”

28 cake decorating heaven NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

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“Here’s a cake I made for my god daughter on her 18th birthday. She’s off to uni to study art and she is very interested in portraiture. Around her birthday she was studying the artist Fin DAC and so I wanted to paint my god daughter’s portrait on the cake with the same theme. On the back of the cake I painted some abstract art with her age in the forefront.”

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CAKE DECORATING NEWS READER GALLERY

Sue Oakshott

Perin Ghadially

Mike Knight

“This cake was definitely a challenge! Everything is handmade and hand painted by me and the hat is modelled using Rice Krispie Treats. I am completely self taught and started out as a hobby baker.”

“This cake was for a Halloween themed party, it consisted of three tiers: salted caramel (skull), pumpkin spice (pumpkin) and chocolate (graveyard). All handmade using sugarpaste – made my own moulds for the skulls and gravestones – and detail was added with an airbrush.”

“Here’s a cake I made for a friend’s daughter. It was my first time making a teapot and the roses were all handmade as well. The cake is an Italian chocolate and almond cake, which is very dense and moist.”

Send us your photos!

Jackie O'Sullivans

“I made my first wedding cake this weekend. It is unusual and different. It is autumn/ Halloween theme. The couple wanted something different and were in awe of it when they saw it. The cats represent the happy couple.”

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CD18.Reader_Gallery.v3bw.indd 29

Amy Wilkins

“I wanted to share my first attempt at figure cake toppers using modelling chocolate. I am completely self taught, and love making characters. Here’s the cake toppers I made for my nephew’s christening. These are particularly special to me as they were something to focus on after I lost my job in February. I’ve discovered a new passion and talent!”

Every issue our star baker will win a gorgeous cake decorating hamper packed with goodies from Rainbow Dust Colours (www.rainbowdust. co.uk). If you’d like us to feature your decorated cake in the Look What I Made! section of the next cake decorating heaven, just send your high-resolution photos to sally. fitzgerald@anthem-publishing. com. Please include your name and a few details about the cake you’ve made.

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER cake decorating heaven

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20/10/2016 15:59

d n e r T Alert!

© www.restorationcake.com

WITH CHARLOTTE WHITE Hello there, you gorgeous lot! Welcome to our second shiny issue of the relaunched cake decorating heaven. I am back once again to guide you through the hottest and tastiest new trends in cake design – this time geode cakes!

GEODE CAKE – FOOL’S GOLD AND ROSE QUARTZ 30 cake decorating heaven NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

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trend alert!

2

ASSEMBLING AND COVERING THE CAKE 1

I

f you have not noticed the current trend for geode cakes, you must have been living underneath your own rock formation for the last few months! The trend was started by a bakery in Colorado, whose stunning wedding cake designs went viral – inspiring countless other cake designers and attracting mainstream press attention. As a result of this, professional cake designers can be fairly certain that they will receive an order for a geode wedding cake at some point in the next few years. Remember that, while trends in the cake decorating world may come and go fairly quickly, the gestation period in the wedding world is much longer. Think about it, someone may have just seen their dream wedding cake on a tabloid website... but that does not mean that they are getting married in the immediate future. Get on top of these trends now and consider your own little spin on them ahead of the order! I am currently working on another take on this trend, as you can tell from this recipe. This is the quick version, but a more intricate and time-consuming take on it is coming for the ambitious baker to tackle. This version uses ready-made candy sugar crystals – I found that the

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best price I could find for these was on Amazon UK. There is an element of carving required for this cake. I recommend using sturdy sponge cakes for this. A Victoria sponge or my lemon drizzle cake both work well for this, but something like a carrot cake, with all its sultanas and carrot, would be more problematic. Nothing is impossible, but make your life easier if you can.

1 The 15cm (6in) and 25cm (10in) tiers should be covered with sugarpaste as normal and set aside while you work on the middle tier. This 20cm (8in) tier should be double-height to allow the space to work in. Split, fill, crumbcoat and then chill the cake for at least 1 hour to enable you to carve effectively. I took a simple slice out of my cake – cut a triangle so the geode formation is deeper in the middle. 2 Spread a small amount of buttercream over the cut cake that is now exposed and cover the tier in white sugarpaste. If there are to be any creases in the sugarpaste (this is a tricky job!), make sure that they go into the carved-out area, as this will be covered in crystals and completely disguised.

You will need

For the Cake • 15cm (6in) and 25cm (10in) cake tiers, covered in white sugarpaste • 20cm (8in) double-height cake, filled and chilled To decorate • 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) white sugarpaste • 100g (3½oz) royal icing • 100g (3½oz) each of blush and grey coloured sugarpaste • small non-stick rolling pin • piping gel • craft knife • granulated sugar • 500g (1lb 2oz) candy sugar crystals • airbrush colours • gold lustre dust • bronze lustre dust

3 Leave your covered cake tiers to dry overnight. The next day, dowel and stack the cake tiers, using a little royal icing to secure each tier in place.

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d n e r T Alert! DECORATe the cake

5 Brush the blush/grey sugarpaste with a scant amount of piping gel and gently press granulated sugar into the paste. You are starting to create your geode!

content in your colour, so that they will dry quickly and not start to dissolve your sugar crystals. Mix any blossom tint colour with plenty of vodka for a quick paint. Airbrush colours work well and I used pop pink with a little sunburst orange by Squires Kitchen. Always start from the centre to concentrate the deepest colour there and, with a scarcely loaded brush, stroke out towards the edges.

FINISHING TOUCHES 4 Roughly mix together blush coloured (made using pink and a little orange colouring) and grey sugarpaste, so that they are blended unevenly with a marbled look. Roll into long strips of around 5cm (2in) width and use these to create the outline of your geode, fixing them to the edges of your carved out area and to points on the tiers above and below. I used piping gel to stick my paste, but you can use cool boiled water for this. If you have any paste that is sticking out too far from the surface of your cake, trim this down with a craft knife. Press your fingers into the outside areas of this paste to give it an organic finish.

8 Because I love pyrite (or fool’s gold) and think it is quite festive, I have added a small detail of this. Naturally occurring in rose quartz, these pops of sparkle feel rather festive to me! I have achieved this by dabbing a scant amount of gold lustre dust at random points inside my geode. The lustre will adhere to the painted crystals.

6 You're now ready to begin assembling the geode – spread the carved out area of your cake with a thin layer of piping gel and begin building a covering of sugar crystals from the bottom to the top of the shape. If you find that a crystal is refusing to stick, you may need a tiny bit more piping gel or to select a smaller crystal. The packet will contain a small variation in sizes. Leave the crystals to dry for 30 minutes.

9 I have edged my geode with a little bronze lustre mixed with piping gel to make a nice thick paint. By dabbing this paint into the very edges of my blush/grey sugarpaste, the whole Geode is given a lovely outline.

7 Once the crystals have been set, you are ready to paint. Choose any colour that you like, but ensure that you have a high alcohol

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3

New Year

2 1

Skill level techniques

Anti-gravity cake kit, using moulding paste, piping royal icing

top tip

For a stronger gold colour on the bubbles, brush them 2-3 times.

Welcome the New Year in with some bubbly and a gravity defying Champagne cake to match by Lakeland (www.lakeland.co.uk) You will need

For the cake • 250g (9oz) butter, softened • 250g (9oz) caster sugar • 4 free-range eggs • 300g (10½oz) self-raising flour, sieved • 150ml (5fl oz) natural yoghurt • ½ tsp baking powder • 100g (3½oz) white chocolate, finely chopped For the royal icing • 1 free-range egg white • 225g (8oz) icing sugar, sieved To decorate • 200g (7oz) Renshaw Flower and Moulding Paste • 350g (12½oz) Lakeland Classic White Frosting • Renshaw Ready-to-Roll White Icing • 1 empty 20cl prosecco or Champagne bottle • 2m of 1.5cm black ribbon • 1m of 1.5cm gold ribbon • Edible Silk Metallic Gold Treasure • Edible Gold Stars (optional) Equipment • Lakeland Anti-Gravity Pouring Cake Kit 1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. Grease a 23cm (9in) pushpan with Cake Release or softened butter. 2 In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until soft with an electric whisk. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a spoonful of the flour between each addition. Add the yoghurt and beat for a few seconds until combined, then fold in the remaining flour, baking powder and white chocolate. 3 Spoon the cake mixture into the tin, level with the back of the spoon, then bake for

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New Year

CHAMPAGNE CAKE 55-60 minutes until well risen and firm to touch. To check that the cake is cooked, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake, it should come out clean. Allow the cake to stand in the tin for 10 minutes, then push out and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. 4 Meanwhile, make the royal icing. Whisk the egg white in a bowl until frothy, then add the icing sugar a spoonful at a time, beating until the mixture is firm. Set aside. 5 To make the bubbles, use your fingertips to roll all of the moulding paste into tiny balls, the largest the size of a garden pea. Place on a tray lined with parchment paper to dry. 6 Slice the cake horizontally using a serrated knife. Spread half of the frosting on the flat surface of one cake and sandwich together. Add one of the rods to the base plate of the anti-gravity kit, gently lower the cake down over it, then add the second rod and a corner piece. Cover the cake in the remaining frosting and use a palette knife to smooth the top and sides.

7 Roll out the white icing on a flat surface lightly dusted with icing sugar until you have a 36cm (14in) circle. Make a small incision with a knife to help it fit over the rod, then lower over the cake. Use your hands to smooth the top and sides, then remove any excess icing with a sharp knife. 8 Take the empty bottle, gently push it onto the angled rod and secure with royal icing. 9 Use some more royal icing to build up a shape that resembles the flow of champagne on top of the cake. Place the remaining royal icing into a piping bag and use small beads to attach the bubbles to the rod and the surface of the cake. 10 Secure two evenly spaced strips of black ribbon round the cake with royal icing. Attach the gold ribbon to the edge of the base plate. 11 Dust the bubbles with Edible Silk Metallic Gold Treasure using a food-safe brush and, if desired, sprinkle edible gold stars over the surface to finish. We chose a star decoration to top our cake off.

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3

techniques

2

Stacking and carving, covering with sugarpaste, moulding sugarpaste

1

Skill level

MRS CLAUS CAKE Santa usually gets all the attention at Christmas, so this year why not give Mrs Claus her moment in the festive spotlight with this fabulous cake by Laura Loukaides (www.lauraloukaidescakes.co.uk) C OV E R I N G & A S S E M B L I N G t h e ca k e

4 Place a 10cm (4in) round cake card in the centre of the cakes. This will be your guide to ensure the head will sit central.

You will need

For the Cake • two 15cm (6in) cakes • one 10cm (4in) cake to decorate • 25cm (10in) round cake drum • 10cm (4in) cake card • 12.5cm (5in) cake card • 4 bubble tea straws or dowels • ganache or buttercream • white sugarpaste • black sugarpaste Equipment • carving knife • small knife • ball tool • flat paintbrush • soft dry brush • Dresden tool • cocktail stick or scriber • clear alcohol or water • edible glue • red food gel • yellow food gel • brown food gel • ivory food gel • pink petal dust For a larger version of the cake, you need three 20cm (8in) round cakes for the base, and two 15cm (6in) round cakes for the head. You also need a 12.5cm (5in) cake card, a 20cm (8in) cake card and a 30cm (12in) cake drum along with larger portions of sugarpaste and cake filling.

top tip

S H A P I N G & D E C O R A T I N G TH E ca k e

1 Cover the cake drum in a layer of white sugarpaste. Use a cocktail stick or scriber to mark uneven lines for a wooden floor effect.

1 Using a sharp knife, carve the cake as shown. You need to make sure your cake is completely level at this stage or the entire cake could begin leaning later on. Be sure to keep any cake scraps, as you may need these later.

2 Mix a little brown and yellow food gel with clear alcohol to make a light brown paint. Using a flat paintbrush, paint all over the board. Set aside to dry completely. 2 Push four bubble tea straws or dowels into the top of the cake, this will help support the head. If you do not add the straws, the cake can easily sink due to the weight.

3 Level and fill the two larger cakes with your chosen filling. Place the cake on the 12.5cm (5in) cake card, so it's easier to move the cake to the drum later on. I've used a card that won't be seen once the cake is carved.

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christmas

3 Using a clean pair of scissors, cut away the straws level with the top of the cake.

4 Coat the entire cake in buttercream or ganache and set aside.

5 Take the 10cm (4in) cake and place on the 10cm (4in) cake card.

6 Round the top edge of the cake using a sharp knife. If the cake isn’t high enough, add a few carved off cake scraps to the top to create a dome shape.

7 Coat the cake in buttercream or ganache. Set aside the cakes and colour a large portion of white sugarpaste with red food gel.

8 Cover the base section of the cake in red sugarpaste and mark a few lines to add texture to the dress. Place the cake on the finished cake drum.

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If you do not want to add a wooden effect to your board, you can use any other festive colour you like!

top tip

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christmas

AUTHOR BIO For the head and face

9 Colour a smaller portion of white sugarpaste with ivory food gel mixed with a tiny amount of red to create a skin tone. Cover the smaller cake in the ivory paste and place on top of the base cake. Apply with a little ganache, buttercream or royal icing.

10 Mark two eyes using a ball tool, a mouth using the Dresden tool (or cocktail stick) and add a nose by rolling a small oval shape and apply to the face as shown.

For the apron

1 Make an apron by rolling a thin piece of white sugarpaste and cutting to the shape shown. Add a stitch mark and apply to the cake with a little water. Roll a thin belt using black sugarpaste and place above the apron. Make a little buckle by cutting a tiny square, with a smaller square cut out of the centre. Add a tiny piece in the centre to finish the buckle.

For the arms

1 To make the arms, form a piece of red sugarpaste into a sleeve shape, use a ball tool to open up the end so the hand will sit

inside. To make the hand, flatten a ball of ivory sugarpaste and mark fingers using a Dresden tool. For the cuff detail, flatten a rope of white sugarpaste and wrap around the sleeve. Apply with a little water.

2 Attach the arms to the body using edible glue. Add one arm at a time, carefully holding the arm in place until it holds. This can take a few minutes. Be sure not to add too much edible glue or it will take longer to hold. If the arms do not stick quick enough, push a few cocktail sticks just underneath the heaviest part of the arms to hold them up until they dry. THE FINISHING TOUCHES

1 Add a white ruffle around the neck, applying with a little water. Also, add detail to the bottom of the dress using a flattened rope of white sugarpaste.

2 Using a very small amount of pink petal dust, add rosy cheeks to the face with a dry soft brush.

3 Roll two small balls of black sugarpaste and place in the eye sockets, then add two thin eye lashes to each eye. Apply with a little water.

4 Roll a thick circle of white sugarpaste and place over the head. Next, using a ball tool, make waves to create the effect of curly hair.

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Laura Loukaides Laura Loukaides is a self-taught, multi gold awardwinning Cake Artist from Hertfordshire, UK. She made her first cake in 2012 for her 19th birthday and hasn’t looked back since! Her work has been featured in many international newspapers, blogs and cake magazines including American Cake Decorating and the Daily Mail Online.  LAURA LOUKAIDES CAKES www.lauraloukaidescakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/LauraLoukaidesCakes www.instagram.com/LauraLoukaides

5 Roll two tiny balls of red sugarpaste and apply to the top of the head. Cut two small holly leaves and apply behind the berries. 6 The cake is done! If you like, why not add additional details to the board, such as candy canes, presents, holly leaves or some festive sprinkles. 7 If you want to take your Mrs Claus cake one step further, add some shading using either an airbrush or a light dusting of black petal dust. If you're using petal dust, be sure to work very lightly and to build it up gradually.

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COME A S EE U S N D AT

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20/10/2016 15:06

techniques

3

covering and stacking, moulding sugarpaste,

2

Christmas Wedding Cake

1

Skill level

Make it a double celebration with a triple-tier cake by Sherry Hostler from Sherry Hostler Cake Artistry (sherryhostlercakeartistry.com). It's a white wedding and a white Christmas all rolled into one elegant cake. You will need

For the Cake • 15cm (6in), 20.5cm (8in) and 25.5cm (10in) round sponge cakes, all filled with buttercream and crumb coated. To decorate • 4kg (8lb 13oz) white sugarpaste • royal icing • edible glue • 200g (7oz) white 4mm dragee balls • 200g (7oz) white 8mm dragee balls • edible pearl spray • buttercream Equipment • 3 round cake cards – 15cm (6in), 20.5cm (8in), 25.5cm (10in) • kitchen roll • 30.5cm (12in) round cake board • non-stick rolling pin • smoother • small paint brush • sharp knife • small palette knife • piping bag • length of white ribbon to go around the board and the base of each cake

covering the cake

1 Roll out 850g (1lb 13oz) of the white sugarpaste, on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, to approximately 3mm thickness. Brush your cake drum with a little water and cover it with the sugarpaste. Use the smoother to create an even surface. Cut off any excess and allow to dry overnight. 2 Adhere each cake to the corresponding size cake card using a little buttercream. 3 Dust a surface with icing sugar and roll out 1.25kg (2lb 12oz) of the white sugarpaste to a 3mm thickness, so that it is large enough to cover the largest cake. Lift the sugarpaste over the cake and smooth down with your hands. Use the smoother to create an even surface and cut off any excess. 4 Repeat step 3 for the remaining two cakes using 1kg (2lb 3¼oz) of sugarpaste to cover the 20.5cm (8in) cake and 500g (1lb 1¾oz) to cover the 15cm (6in) cake. 5 Leave the cakes to set for about 24 hours. d e c o r at i n g t h e c a k e

Adding the bows 6 Start off by cutting out 30 strips of kitchen roll and roll these up to become ‘formers’ for the bows to dry on. Roll out the sugarpaste thinly and cut strips of approximately 2.5x8cm (1x3¼in). You will need approximately 30 of these, but don’t cut them out all at the same time as they will dry and crack. 7 Start off with about 10 strips. Take each one and fold over a ‘former’, using edible glue to adhere the ends together, and giving a little squeeze. Arrange the first 10 into a circle shape, with the bow loop on the outside. It is important to do this before the sugarpaste has time to dry, so that it is still malleable. Repeat this process for the next layer with approximately eight loops, positioning them so that the centres dip

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slightly, and sticking them down with edible glue. Repeat again with approximately six loops, and then position the final one right on top. This can then be left to dry for 24 hours and, once dry, the kitchen roll formers can be carefully removed. 8 Place the 25.5cm (10in) cake onto the cake board, sticking it down with some royal icing. Dowel the bottom two tiers of the cake and then stack the tiers one by one, starting at the bottom and working your way up. Use royal icing to stick each tier down to the next. 9 Add the ribbon around the base of each tier and fix at the back with a dab of royal icing. 10 Roll out the white sugarpaste thinly and cut four strips of approximately 2.5x12cm (1x5in). Cut a small inverted triangle into the end of each. Adhere these to the top of the cake at equidistant points, and stick down with edible glue.

The top tier 11 Carefully lift the bow and affix to the top of the cake using a small amount of royal icing. 12 Use a palette knife to smear a little royal icing around the top of each tier, covering a small segment at a time so that it doesn’t dry out too quickly. While it is still wet, stick on the dragee balls in a haphazard pattern. THE F INI S HING TO U CHE S

13 Put a little royal icing into a piping bag, and use this to pipe dots of royal icing around the bow on the top tier, and a few around the edges of the other two tiers. Affix dragee balls to the royal icing. This allows for a little more precision than using the palette knife. 14 Add the ribbon around the side of the cake drum to add a nice finish. 15 Spray the entire cake with edible pearl spray to create the glistening effect of snow.

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WEDDING

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3

techniques

2

Building gravity defying cakes, stacking and layering, icing with buttercream

1

Skill level

CONFETTI LAYER CAKE with pouring sprinkles illusion

Gravity defying illusions are real show-stoppers on cakes and this confetti cake by Elise Strachan is a brilliant design for a birthday or any celebration party – everyone loves the look and then tucks into the cake too! You will need

For the vanilla cake batter makes one batch

• 250g (9oz) salted butter, at room temp • 225g (8oz) caster sugar • 3 extra-large free-range eggs, at room temperature • ½ vanilla pod (halved crosswise), split lengthwise, or 1 tsp vanilla extract • 2 tbsp vegetable oil • 260g (9¼oz) plain flour, sifted • 3 tsp baking powder • 110ml (4fl oz) whole milk For the Cake • 2 batches of vanilla cake batter • 175g 6oz) rainbow sprinkles • 140g (5oz) white compound chocolate • 25cm (10in) cake board • balloon stick with cup • 2kg (4lb 6oz) vanilla buttercream • 115g (4oz) round confetti sprinkles • 1 tsp glucose 1 Preheat oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 2½. Grease and flour two 20x7.5cm (8x3in) round cake tins. Line the bottoms with rounds of baking parchment. 2 For the batter, in a stand mixer with the whisk or paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar and eggs on high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 3 Using the tip of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the mixer bowl (or add the vanilla extract, if using). Add the oil to the creamed mixture and combine. 4 In a small bowl, whisk the flour and baking powder together. Add the flour mixture and milk to the creamed mix. Beat on high speed until the flour is mixed, 30-60 seconds. Fold

A

the rainbow sprinkles in gently. Don't mix too much, as the colours run. Spoon the batter into the tins and bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the cake centre comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes and, if the top is browning too much, tent with foil. Cool the cakes in the tins for 15 minutes, then run a metal spatula around the edge and turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 5 Melt the white chocolate and add a tablespoon to the centre of the cake board.

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Place the cup for the balloon stick face down on top of the chocolate and use a paintbrush to paint the remaining visible parts of the balloon stick cup with melted chocolate, leaving the small hole free and clear. Insert the balloon stick into the cup. 6 Carve and level the layers, then slice each layer horizontally in half to make four layers. 7 Position the centre of the first layer over the balloon stick and thread the cake down onto the board, so that the stick pokes

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b i r t h d ay

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B I R T H D AY

B

C

through the middle of the cake layer (A) (previous page). Continue to stack and layer the cakes, threading the layers over the balloon stick as you go – the balloon stick should poke out of the centre of the top layer. D E C O R AT I N G T H E C A K E

8 Ice the cake and smooth it out. Gently pat the confetti sprinkles around the bottom 2.5cm (1in) of the cake to make a sprinkle border around the base (B) . 9 Paint the balloon stick with melted chocolate and pat confetti sprinkles onto the stick as you go, allowing excess sprinkles to fall haphazardly onto the top of the cake (C). 10 Take an empty confetti sprinkles container and coat the inside with the glucose. Fill with sprinkles, pressing down to compact. Pour the sprinkles out, leaving a coating of sprinkles all around the inside. 11 Place a small blob of melted chocolate on the inside of one side of the container. Use the melted chocolate to glue the end of the balloon stick to the container, holding it in place until the chocolate has set and the container is glued in place (D). 12 Add more confetti sprinkles to the top of the cake to give the illusion of a mound of freshly poured sprinkles. TIP As the balloon stick isn't edible, make sure that the stick and the cup are removed as soon as the first slice of cake has been cut to avoid the possibility of choking.

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D

This project is taken from Sweet! Celebrations by Elise Strachan, photography by Lauren Bamford, published by Murdoch Books, RRP £20.

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3

b i r t h d ay

2 1

Skill level techniques

piping royal icing, using lustre dust, Modelling

pretty pearls Adorn your cupcakes with pretty pearls for a vintage look. Zoe Clark’s daintily decorated cupcakes are perfect for a girls’ party, birthday celebration or a bridal shower.

Project and photography taken from Bake me I’m Yours... Cupcake Love by Zoe Clark, published by David & Charles, £9.99

You will need

For the cupcakes • dome-shaped cupcakes baked in gold cases, either dipped in fondant icing or covered with sugarpaste To decorate • flower paste – dusky peachy-pink, cream, caramel • edible lustre dust – pearl white, gold • pearl dragees • royal icing • edible glue • white fat (shortening) Equipment • perfect pearls mould • five-petal blossom cutters in two sizes 1 Thinly roll out the peachy-pink flower paste to a circle about 13cm (5in) in diameter. Tuck the edges underneath all the way around and gather the flower paste up loosely to resemble a piece of fabric. Attach to the cupcake using a small amount of edible glue. 2 Grease the small and medium moulds lightly with a small amount of white fat (shortening). Roll a thin sausage shape with the cream flower paste to about 15cm (6in) long and press it into the medium pearl mould. Trim any excess paste with a small sharp knife, then remove the pearls from the

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mould and dust with the pearl white lustre dust. Repeat for the smaller pearls. 3 Lay the two strings of pearls over the cupcake and join them to make a double pearl bracelet. Attach this carefully in place using edible glue. The join will need to be underneath the flower decoration. 4 Use the cutters to cut out two different sizes of blossoms from thinly rolled caramel-

coloured flower paste. Soften the edges on a foam pad using a ball tool. Brush them with gold lustre dust and stick them together. Dab a small amount of edible glue in the centre of each flower and stick down seven pearl dragees, one in the centre and the other six surrounding it. Attach the flower over the join in the pearls using a dab of royal icing and then set aside to dry.

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e u q i n h Tec ocus F How to…

MARBLE SUGARPASTE Marbling sugarpaste is a simple, but effective, technique that’s great to add to your skill set. Follow Britt Whyatt from She Who Bakes (www.shewhobakes.co.uk) tips to create stunning cakes in a lot less time than people will think you’ve spent!

p e St y b p Ste uide METHOD 1 G

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

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technique focus

ep St y b p e St uide METHOD 2 G 1 For this you will need two colours of sugarpaste, I’m using white and bright pink. Knead your main colour, for me this is white, on a dusted surface until soft and pliable. 2 Squish it out flat onto your work surface. 3 Tear off bits of your second colour and press them unevenly into your white sugarpaste. 4 Fold over your sugarpaste and roll it into a big sausage. 5 Elongate this sausage and fold it over on itself. 6 Knead through a few times until you can see the colour coming through. 7 The key here is to stop kneading just before you think it’s done – knead the sugarpastes too much and the colours will merge fully. 8 Roll out your marbled sugarpaste and check out your awesome design!

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 For this, you will need one colour of sugarpaste, I’m using white, and some gel food colouring, I’m using Sugarflair's grape violet. 2 Again, knead the sugarpaste until it’s soft and pliable. 3 Using a cocktail stick, spread over colouring and also poke some into the white sugarpaste.  4 Gently fold it over and elongate it. 5 Knead gently, again stopping just before it’s completely coloured. 6 Roll out, check the back and then use to decorate!

Always have a look on the back too, as one side may be more marbled than the other.

top tip

7

8

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/ DECEMBER / october cake decorating heaven NOVEMBER september

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YOU WILL NEED

FOR THE BEAR • 173g (6oz) white flower paste • 1g black flower paste • 1g grey flower paste • 16g (½oz) red half-and-half sugarpaste and flower paste mix • 8g (¼oz) red flower paste • 9g (¼oz) half-and-half white sugarpaste and flower paste mix • edible glue • dust colours – grey and red EQUIPMENT • bone tool • Dresden tool • scalpel • skewer – 10cm (4in) • round cutter – 1cm (½in) • ball tool • brush (for gluing) • dusting brush – small round, medium flat

Brr!

M A K I N G T H E BO DY

1 Roll a 55g (2oz) ball of white flower paste. Form a teardrop shape to create the body. Flatten the top part slightly. Apply a little amount of glue on the skewer and insert it into the body in a rotary motion, all the way down. If the body loses its shape during inserting, fix it.

POLAR BEAR It may be cold outside but this adorable polar bear will warm your heart. Designer Agnes Jagiello from Crumb Avenue (crumbavenue. com) takes you through the steps to create this Arctic cutie in his Christmas hat.

3 2 1

TECHNIQUES

MODELLING, COMBINING PASTES

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SKILL LEVEL

For the tail 2 Use the ball tool to make an indentation at the back of the body for the tail.

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KIDS

11 Stick the feet to the body.

For the front legs

For the back legs

3 Roll two 10g (¼oz) balls of white flower paste and form tapering 6cm (2½in) long sausages. Use the finer side of the Dresden tool to mark a bending line.

7 Roll two 8g (¼oz) balls of white flower paste. Form two egg shapes. Using your index finger, press the elements to form an indentation as shown in the photo.

For the tail 12 Roll a 1g ball of flower paste and stick it at the back of the body where you previously formed an indentation. 4 Bend the legs along the marked line. Slightly flatten the part of the legs that will be touching the body. Use the finer side of the Dresden tool to mark lines as shown in the photo. Deepen the lines with a sharp scalpel. Stick the legs onto the body.

8 Use the finer side of the Dresden tool to mark lines as shown in the photo.

MAKING THE HEAD

13 Roll a 70g (2½oz) ball of white flower paste. Form an upside-down egg shape with a flat bottom and top. Flatten the head slightly. Roll a 1cm (½in) ball of white flower paste. Create a short sausage and flatten it. Stick it on the head as shown. Use a scalpel and the fine side of the Dresden tool to create a smile.

9 Round the toes slightly and deepen the lines with a scalpel.

5 Roll two 5g (¼oz) balls of white flower paste. Form two teardrop shapes and flatten the slightly.

6 Stick them to the body as shown in the photo.

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10 Roll out 1g of grey flower paste very thin. Use a 1cm (½in) round cutter to cut two circles. Stick them on the bottom of both back feet.

14 Stick a 2mm ball of black flower paste in the mouth and flatten it with the Dresden tool. Use the smaller side of the bone tool to make holes for the eyes.

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KIDS

15 Roll three 4mm balls of black flower paste. Stick two of them as eyes. Use the last one to form a nose. Roll a tiny sausage out of a 1mm ball of black flower paste. Cut it in half and stick the elements as eyebrows.

For the ears

21 Use your fingers to deepen the hollowing and to thin the sides of the hat.

For the scarf 18 Roll out 10g (¼oz) of red flower paste to 2mm thick. Cut a 1.5cm (½in) wide and 7cm (2¾in) long strip. Round off the edges. Stick it around the bear’s neck. Cut two more strips – this time narrowing down slightly towards one end (4cm (1½in) and 5cm (2in) long). Make cuts at the end of each strip as shown. Roll out a tiny bit of white flower paste very thin. Cut two thin strips and stick them on as shown. 22 Stick the hat on the bear’s head.

16 Roll a 7mm (¼in) ball of white flower paste. Form a flattened teardrop shape. Use a ball tool to make an indentation as shown. Create a teardrop shape from a 4mm ball of grey flower paste and stick it inside the ear. Smooth it with the Dresden tool.

19 Stick the scarf on.

17 Pinch the bottom part of the ear and make a cut to create a flat surface. Stick the ear to the head. You will only need one ear as the other one will be hidden underneath the hat.

For the hat 20 Roll a 16g (½oz) ball of red flower paste/ sugarpaste mix. Form a cone and make a hollowing using a ball tool.

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23 Roll an 8g (¼oz) ball of white flower paste/sugarpaste mix. Form a sausage. Stick it around the bottom of the hat. Use the finer side of the Dresden tool to texture it. Roll an 8mm (¼in) ball of white flower paste/ sugarpaste mix. Texture it with the Dresden tool and stick it to the hat. 24 Dust the figure using grey and red dust.

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techniques

3

moulding sugarpaste, using cutters, moulds and embossers

2 1

Skill level

1 These can be made in advance and stored until needed. Take the wooden dowelling and, using an appropriate saw, cut into 2.5cm (1in) lengths. You will need one for each tree you are planning to make. Check that your cuts are completely straight and discard or re-cut any that are not. This is important, because you don’t want your finished tree to look as if it’s about to topple over! 2 Knead the dark brown sugarpaste to warm it and then roll it out using 5mm (¼in) spacers. Turn the paste over and cut it into 2.5cm (1in) wide strips, one for each tree trunk. Paint sugar glue over the sides of your cut dowels. Place each onto a paste strip and roll up. Cut the strips to create neat straight joins and rub closed using the heat of a finger. 3 Stand the trunks upright on waxed paper and check the fit of the sugarpaste, adjusting as necessary. Place to one side to dry.

Cosy

Carving the cakes

CHRISTMAS For a vibrant Christmas, Lindy Smith changes the tree colours to deep rich reds and oranges to give a sense of warmth and sumptuousness.

You will need

For the trees • 2 x 5cm (2in) round mini cakes for each tree (choose a firm dense cake), ideally baked in multi mini tins • sugarpaste – red, orange • buttercream • modelling paste – red, pink, light orange, dark orange • snowflake edible lustre dust

• sugar glue • white royal icing EQUIPMENT • cake board – round hardboard, same size as your cakes, one per tree • 2cm (¾in) wide wooden dowelling or similar for the trunk • cutters – 2.5cm (1in) snowflake plunger cutter; eight-petal flatended petal flower and eight-petal

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1 Level all the cakes to a height of 5cm (2in), if you baked your cake in multi-mini tins then this height will be the top edge of the tin. Spread buttercream over the top of half the cakes and stack the others on top. Attach the base of each cake to the hardboard cake board, again using some buttercream as glue. Place your stacked cakes in a freezer until frozen.

pointed petal flower from Flat Floral Collection set one; 2cm (¾in) and 1.3cm (5⁄8in) daisy marguerite plunger cutters; circle cutter – no.18 piping tube; small Chinese scroll cutter; small stylized flower cutter • lace motif embossing sticks – set 19 • daisy mould set – FL288

Project and photography taken from Lindy Smith's Mini Cakes Academy by Lindy Smith, published by David & Charles, £19.99

Making the tree trunks

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Christmas

smallest cutter from the stylized flower set, cut out embossed shapes. Pinch the base of each shape together and roll so the shape looks more like a four-fingered maple leaf. Next, thinly roll out the light orange modelling paste, emboss with a different lace embosser, then cut out shapes using the smallest cutter from the Chinese scroll set.

the paste. Note that as the cake is cone shaped, you will find that the cake rolls in an arc, so make an allowance for this when positioning the cake on the sugarpaste.

2 Make a paper circle template the same size as your cakes. Fold the circle into quarters and then unfold. Where the folds meet should be the centre of your circle. Working on one cake at a time, place the template on top of a set of stacked frozen cakes, then partially insert a cocktail stick through the centre of the template.

2 Where the two sides of the sugarpaste meet, trim the paste to create a neat join and rub closed using the heat of your fingers – note the join is easily disguised by the decoration. Next, take a palette knife and, holding it flush with the cake board on the base of the cake, cut away the excess sugarpaste. 3 Attach the covered cake centrally to a prepared trunk using royal icing as glue. Cover your remaining cakes and ideally place to one side to allow the sugarpaste to crust over. d e c o r at i n g t h e c a k e s

3 Carefully remove the template, leaving the cocktail stick in place. Position the cake on its side and use a sharp knife to cut from the cocktail stick to the cake board and all the way around the cake to create a cone shape. Once you have the basic shape, place the cake upright and stand back from it to check that your cone is symmetrical. Adjust as necessary. Once you are happy with the shape, repeat for the remaining cakes. Cover each cake with foil or plastic to prevent it drying out.

Covering the tree 1 Take one of the carved cakes and carefully cover with a thin layer of buttercream to act as glue for the sugarpaste. Knead the dark orange sugarpaste to warm it and then roll it out using 5mm (¼in) spacers. Turn the paste over and cut one edge straight. Place the cake on its side on this cut edge. Roll up the cake in

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The doves 1 Next make the doves. Knead the light orange modelling paste to warm it, adding a little white fat and water if the paste is a little dry and crumbly – you want the paste to be pliable but firm. Very thinly roll out the paste, the thickness is critical for the doves, too thick and the doves will not cut out cleanly, too thin and the embossed detail will not be as prominent.

2 Take the dove cutter and repeatedly press it firmly into the rolled out paste as shown. You will need approximately six per cake, depending on how you wish to arrange them. 3 Liberally dust over each dove with the edible snowflake lustre dust to add shine and sparkle.

The flowers and snowflakes 1 Thinly roll out the red modelling paste and emboss with a lace embosser. Using the

2 Cut snowflakes from the orange modelling paste, eight-petal flowers from the pink and light orange circles using the no.18 piping tube. You will need approximately six of each shape per cake. When using the flower cutter I often find it is easier to place the paste over the cutter and roll over it with a rolling pin before turning the cutter over and releasing the paste flower with a paintbrush. Stack the shapes as shown, using a little sugar glue to secure . Leave one snowflake for the top of the cake.

3 Attach all the above elements to your trees. I have gone for a crowded, busy look this time, making use of every available space, filling any gaps with the small daisies. Add the prepared snowflake to the top of the tree.

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B I R T H D AY

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techniques

3

carving cakes, moulding cake pop dough, using candy melts, Building a gravity defying cake

2 1

Skill level

HOT DOG CAKE

with pouring ketchup illusion Your eyes will tell you it's a hot dog with ketchup pouring over it and covered in mustard, but your taste buds will relish in revealing that it's a cake by Elise Strachan that's perfect for a child's birthday.

A

You will need

for the white choc mud batter • 300g (10½oz) salted butter • 250ml (9fl oz) water • 300g (10½oz) white chocolate, chopped or broken • 450g (1lb) self-raising flour • 400g (14oz) caster sugar • 4 extra-large free-range eggs, lightly beaten (room temperature is best) • 1½ tbsp vegetable oil • 2 tsp vanilla extract (or the seeds from 1 vanilla bean pod) for the ganache • 300ml (10fl oz) whipping cream • 650g (1lb 7oz) white chocolate for the cake pop dough • 350g (12oz) red velvet cake • 60ml (2fl oz) whipping cream • 100g (3½oz) white chocolate, chopped into small pieces to decorate • food colourings – yellow, brown

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B

• ketchup pour template (see page 118) • 200g (7oz) each of red and green candy melts • 1 takeaway ketchup packet, emptied, cleaned and dried • 60g (2oz) cornflakes • 220g (8oz) white sugar • ½ tsp ground cinnamon 1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 2½. Grease and flour a 24x14cm (9½x5½in) loaf tin and a 15x7.5cm (6x3in) round cake tin. Line the base of both tins with baking parchment. 2 For the batter, in a saucepan, combine the butter and water over medium heat until it comes to a slow boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until fully melted. Set aside to come to room temperature. 3 In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sugar, and make a well in the centre. Pour in the eggs, oil, vanilla and chocolate mixture and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps.

4 Place 5 cups of batter in the loaf pan and the remaining 2 cups in the round (or square) pan. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 35 minutes for the round cake and 50 minutes for the loaf. Cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Turn the loaf so the rounded top faces up. Wrap the cooled 15cm (6in) cake in clingfilm and place in the fridge. 5 Use a small serrated knife to round the edges of the loaf cake and create a hot dog bun shape – make it as smooth as you can. Slice a 2.5cm (1in) deep V groove along the top (like a split-top bun) (A). 6 Line a baking tin with waxed paper and top with a wire rack. Place the 'bun' on the rack. 7 For the ganache, in a small saucepan, bring the cream to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until there are no lumps and it's to pouring consistency. Measure out 115g (4oz), tint it with 3-4 drops of yellow food colouring (this is the mustard), set aside.

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8 Tint the remaining ganache with a little brown colouring, adding a drop at a time, to a soft caramel colour. If the ganache is looking too 'dirty brown', add a drop of yellow to make it a more caramel colour. 9 While the caramel-coloured ganache is still warm, pour it over the entire hot dog bun, (B) tilting the rack so the ganache doesn’t pool in the V. Refrigerate the cake on the rack until set. Scrape the ganache that landed in the baking tray back into a bowl, but remove any noticeable crumbs. 10 Once the first layer of ganache has set, reheat the caramel ganache to pouring consistency and pour a second coat onto the cake to add an additional smoother layer. Refrigerate to set. 11 For the cake pop dough, crumble the cake until it resembles fine breadcrumbs and place in a bowl. In a microwave-safe bowl, pour the cream over the chocolate. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate has completely melted and there are no longer streaks of cream visible. Pour the chocolate mixture over the crumbled cake and stir until well combined. The mixture should hold together like wet sand when squeezed. Roll the cake pop dough into a long sausage, slightly longer than the bun. Wrap the sausage tightly in parchment to create a cylinder (C). Freeze for 30 minutes. Use a knife to round the ends of the cake pop roll to resemble a hot dog. 12 Trace the ketchup template on parchment. Melt the red candy melts, place in a zip-seal bag and snip off a small corner. Pipe an outline around the 'ketchup pour'. Fill in, making it nice and thick, as it needs to be strong. Lay the ketchup packet on the still-wet candy melts, covering the corner slightly. Allow to set at room temperature, then refrigerate. 13 Melt the green candy melts in a medium bowl. Gently fold in the cornflakes to coat. Spread on parchment to set, then gently break it up to create cornflake 'relish'. 14 Carefully transfer the hot dog bun cake to a rectangular tray. Lay some of the relish along the inside of the bun. Lay the cake pop hot dog in the centre. Let the cake come to room temperature. 15 Peel the paper off the 'ketchup pour'. About 5-7cm (2-3in) in from the end of the hot dog, use a knife to make a slit through

C

D

the hot dog and all the way to the bottom of the bun. Gently insert the 'ketchup pour' into the slit (D). 16 Re-melt the remaining red candy melts and place in a zip-seal bag. Draw a ketchup squiggle along the length of the hot dog, starting at the point where the ketchup illusion enters the hot dog. Pipe a squiggle of ganache mustard next to the ketchup. 17 Slice the round cake crosswise into 1cm (½in) slices and then cut each slice into 'fries' (use a crinkle cutter if you have one). In a

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bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Drop the fries, a few at a time, into the sugar and roll them around to coat.

This project is taken from Sweet! Celebrations by Elise Strachan, photography by Lauren Bamford, published by Murdoch Books, RRP £20.

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b i r t h d ay

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Skill level techniques

Moulding modelling paste, painting

DALMATIaN Complete with jaunty bandana, this spirited pooch by Frances McNaughton is a faithful companion in sugar. You will need

For the dalmatian • 30g (1oz) brown modelling paste • 25g (1oz) white modelling paste • small amount of red modelling paste • edible candy sticks • edible black sugar pearls • black food colour pen Equipment • Dresden tool • water brush • thin palette knife • cutting wheel • small non-stick rolling pin • small petal shape cutter

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This project is taken from Sugar Dogs: 20 To Make by Frances McNaughton, published by Search Press, RRP £4.99. www.searchpress.com

1 Shape 20g (¾oz) of brown modelling paste into a 6x4cm (23/8x1½in) oval for the bed. Make a long sausage with 10g (¼oz) of brown paste. Measure the length by wrapping around the bed edge (it is around 16cm (6¼in)). Flatten slightly with a rolling pin. If necessary, cut along the length to neaten the edge. Cut both ends neatly, dampen and wrap around the bed, leaving a small opening to look like a dog bed. 2 Shape 15g (½oz) of white paste to a 6cm (23/8in) sausage for the body. At one end, pinch and shape a small tail. At the other end, press and pinch to widen it slightly. Dampen the widened part and wrap it around the top of two 6cm (23/8in) edible candy sticks. Lift the whole body and legs on to the bed. Push the legs vertically into the bed, position the body and tail to a sitting position and dampen to attach the dog to the bed. 3 For each back leg, make a 4cm (1½in) carrot using 2.5g of white paste. Press the fat end to widen it. Bend it in the middle. Mark toes with a knife. Dampen and attach to the body base.

4 Roll out red modelling paste thinly to make the bandana. Cut a 4cm (1½in) square, then cut diagonally to make a triangle. Dampen and wrap around the top of the body. Pinch together at the back of the neck. 5 Make a 5g long pear shape of white paste for the head. Gently pinch down the sides of the narrow end to form the muzzle. Mark indentations for the eyes and nose using the Dresden tool and insert edible black sugar pearls. Make a tiny cone for the bottom jaw and stick it in with the rounded end under the nose. Dampen the top of the neck and push the head gently into place. Allow to dry for a couple of hours. 6 Roll out white paste thinly. Cut out two small petal shapes for ears. Attach to the back of the head, points upwards, then fold the tips forward. 7 Use the black edible food colour pen to draw random-shaped dots all over the dog. This job is much easier if the surface of the paste is fully dry.

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3 2 1

techniques covering and stacking, moulding sugarpaste, piping royal icing

Skill level

gingerbread WEDDING CAKE Spicy gingerbread makes a heart-warming centrepiece for a winter wedding by Sandra Monger from Sandra Monger Cakes (www.sandramongercakes.co.uk) You will need

For the cake • 15cm (6in), 20cm (8in) and 25cm (10in) round cakes, each 8cm (3½in) deep, crumb coated on same-size boards FOR THE GINGERBREAD • 300g (10½oz) plain flour • 2 tsp ground ginger • 55g (2oz) butter • 60ml (2fl oz) golden syrup • 60ml (2fl oz) brown sugar • 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda • 2 tsp cold water • 1 free-range egg yolk, lightly beaten TO DECORATE • ivory sugarpaste • CMC/tylose • white royal icing • black royal icing • pink modelling paste equipment • no.1 and no.2 writing tubes • gingerbread figure cutters • 2 lollipop sticks • small (about 5mm (¼in)) circle cutter • ball tool • small and medium size heart cutters • baking paper • scribing tool or cocktail stick • masking tape • 15cm (6in) hardboard

Gingerbread figures and hearts 1 Sift the flour and ground ginger into a large mixing bowl. 2 Melt the butter together with the sugar and golden syrup on a low heat. Leave the mixture to cool a little, but still be warm. 3 Form a well in the flour. Stir the bicarbonate of soda into the water and pour into the flour well along with the egg yolk. 4 Pour in the warm melted syrup, sugar and

butter mixture. Fold and combine the ingredients until they form a dough. 5 Roll out onto a floured surface and cut the two figures plus 20 medium hearts and 20 small hearts. Cut holes under the inverted points of each large heart using the small circle cutter. Mark corresponding holes in each small heart with the small end of the ball tool or similar. Place them onto baking trays lined with baking paper. 6 Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. 7 Remove from the oven and place on wire racks to cool. DECORATIN G THE CAKE

1 Cover the crumb coated cakes with ivory sugarpaste. Set aside to allow the paste to firm slightly. 2 Cut three lengths of baking parchment or paper, each 8cm (3½in) wide and each equal to the circumference of each of the tiers. 3 Fold the longest length in half four times to produce 16 folded sections. Create 12 folded sections in the next longest length by first folding it into thirds, then in half and then in half again. Finally, create eight folded sections in the shortest length by folding it half and then half again. 4 Wrap the lengths around their corresponding tiers, so that their ends touch. Fix the ends together with masking tape, taking care not to touch the icing with the tape. 5 Place a 25cm (10in), 20cm (8in) and 15cm (6in) hardboard centrally on top of each cake. 6 Mark vertical guide lines on each of the tiers by lightly pressing a series of dots through the fold lines with a scribing tool or cocktail stick. Alternate the lengths of the lines so that they descend one half and one third of the depth of each tier from the positioned cake boards.

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7 Remove the lengths of paper and set aside to use as a guide later. Pipe vertical lines using white royal icing and a no.2 writing tube from the base of each guide line up to and over the top edge of the cakes, until they meet, but do not touch the hardboards. Allow the piped lines to dry before removing the hardboards to help avoid any smudges. 8 Dowel and stack the tiers, fixing each with royal icing. When stacking, be sure to align the piped lines at the front of the tiers. 9 Mix ivory sugarpaste with some CMC powder to strengthen. 10 Roll or extrude long strings of strengthened sugarpaste in three samelength pairs. As a guide, make each pair 5cm (2in) longer than each of the lengths of baking paper. 11 Twist each pair together to form a rope twist. Position around the base of each tier to cover the joins, with their ends meeting at the back of the cake. Fix each with a little water applied with an artist's paintbrush. 12 Pipe outlines around the edge of each heart using white royal icing and a no.1 writing tube. Pipe a line from the hole in each heart up and over its inverted point. Allow the piping to dry. 13 Position and fix each heart onto the sides of the cake with royal icing in alternating sizes, aligning the piping on the hearts’ inverted points with the bottom end of the piped vertical lines. 14 Pipe the outlines and details of the gingerbread figures using white and black royal icing and a no.1 writing tube. Cut small circles of thinly rolled pink modelling paste, moisten one side and fix to the faces to form rosy cheeks. Allow the piping to dry. 15 Position and fix the gingerbread figures to the top of the cake with lollipop sticks and royal icing.

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wedding

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techniques

using a sugar shaper, embossing modelling paste, using spacers

Skill level

Timeless Pocket Watch A clock cake is a great way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or retirement and what could be more endearing than making Lindy Smith's attractive pocket watch?

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You will need

For the cake • 6.5cm (2½in) round mini cake To decorate • sugarpaste – ivory • modelling paste – brown (coloured to match the bronze dust) and small amount of black • buttercream • white vegetable fat (shortening) • bronze edible lustre dust • royal icing • paste colours – black and brown, a mix of autumn leaf and chestnut • pastillage • sugar glue EQUIPMENT • 6cm (2½in) hardboard round cake board, or cut a larger board to size • templates – clock face and oval ring • gem pendant stencil • cutters – 9cm (3½in) circle, Lindy’s smallest scallop diamond • piping tubes – no.16, 18 and 0 • cocktail stick (toothpick) • spacers – 5mm (¼in) and 1mm • small natural sponge • ruler • embossing stick, side design set 2 • craft knife • sugar shaper and round discs • glass-headed dressmakers’ pin • scriber • piping bag • paintbrush • palette knife

Project and photography taken from Lindy Smith's Mini Cakes Academy by Lindy Smith, published by David & Charles, £19.99

3 season-

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b i r t h d ay

T h e ova l r i n g

1 Colour a small amount of pastillage to match the edible bronze lustre dust, using the brown paste colours. 2 Add a little white vegetable fat to the pastillage, to prevent the paste getting too sticky. Next, dunk the paste into a container of cooled boiled water and knead to incorporate. Repeat until the paste feels soft and stretchy, but don’t add too much vegetable fat to the pastillage, otherwise the paste will not harden. 3 Insert the softened paste into the barrel of the sugar shaper, add the medium round disc and reassemble the tool. Push the plunger down to expel the air and pump the handle to build up pressure until it ‘bites’. The paste should squeeze out easily and smoothly, if it does not the consistency is probably incorrect, so remove the paste and add some more white vegetable fat or water.

top tip

Pastillage is brittle so why not make a spare just in case?

4 Place a squeezed out length of paste over the oval template (see page 61), so the join is on one of the long sides. Cut to fit using a craft knife. Leave to dry thoroughly in a warm place. An airing cupboard is ideal if you have one, or place the pastillage in a warm oven that has been switched off – you are aiming to remove the moisture from the paste. T h e W AT C H B O DY

1 Freeze the mini cake, as this will enable you to slice and shape the pocket watch more easily. 2 Slice the frozen 6.5cm (2½in) mini cake horizontally into 1.5cm (½in) slices. You will be able to cut three or four slices per cake.

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top tip

You may find it easier to use a small pair of scissors to shape the cake, rather than a knife.

6 Insert a cocktail stick vertically into the centre of the cake top, then spread a thin layer of buttercream over the cake.

3 Take one slice of cake and, while it is still frozen, use a small knife and carefully remove a 5mm (¼in) wedge from the base of the cake and from around the top to smooth out all the corners and give the cake a more typical pocket watch shape. Place the cake on top of the 6cm (2½in) cake board using buttercream to secure in place. Allow the cake to completely defrost.

7 Carefully pick up the textured sugarpaste and position the central hole of the design over the cocktail stick, carefully lower the textured sugarpaste onto the cake – this ensures that the pattern is placed accurately in the centre of the cake. Ease in the sugarpaste at the base of the cake and trim as necessary using a palette knife. 4 Roll out a 10cm (4in) or larger circle of ivory sugarpaste between 5mm (¼in) spacers. Place the gem pendant stencil in the centre of the sugarpaste, then with a smoother press down to force the soft sugarpaste up to the upper surface of the stencil. Carefully remove the stencil. 5 Centrally position a 9cm (3½in) pastry circle cutter over the design and cut out a circle of textured paste. Remove the centre of the paste using a number 16 piping tube as a cutter, keeping the small circle of paste removed for later.

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8 Remove the cocktail stick and replace with the small sugarpaste circle removed earlier. Next take the wider end of a piping tube and remove a disc of sugarpaste from the cake to make the seconds dial. Replace this disc with one of the same size, but cut from 3mm thick sugarpaste. Allow the sugarpaste covering to crust over.

top tip

again, position the embossed strip in the centre of the first strip and wrap around the cake as before. 4 Soften some brown modelling paste with white vegetable fat and water, as for the pastillage, and place together with the small round disc in the sugar shaper. Squeeze out a length of paste and place around the top of the casing to create a watch face border.

If only making one cake, slice and carve a few, then choose the best.

T H E W AT C H

1 Dilute the chestnut paste colour with clear spirit (eg gin or vodka) or cooled boiled water then, using a damp natural sponge, stipple the diluted colour over the watch face. Take a paintbrush and, using a darker colour, paint around the edge of the seconds dial and the edge of the pattern as shown. Allow the paint to dry. Then, take a damp sponge and use to remove some of the paint to help highlight the pattern. Try to do the paint effect on the watch face quickly and efficiently so that the pattern doesn’t dissolve or get rubbed away.

top tip

T he watch f ace

1 Roll out the brown modelling paste into a strip between 1mm spacers. Using a straight edge and craft knife, cut a 2cm (¾in) wide strip. Starting at the top of the watch, the opposite side to the seconds dial, wrap the strip around the sides of the cake. Cut to fit and secure in place with sugar glue.

1 Place the clock face template (see page 61) on the cake, aligning the 12 o’clock position with the join in the casing. Insert a dressmakers’ pin into the centre of the template to secure. Using a scriber and the template as a guide, mark the hour positions on the cake. Remove the template and pin. 2 Roll out another thin strip of brown modelling paste. Place a 5mm (¼in) spacer along the length then, holding the embossing stick between your thumb and forefinger, place one side of the embosser against the spacer and press down onto the paste to emboss, repeat leaving 5mm (¼in) intervals along the strip.

THE CASING

3 Cut out the embossed strip by taking a straight edge and craft knife and cutting 1mm from either side of the line of embossed pattern. Starting at the top of the watch

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2 Roll out the black modelling paste between 1mm spacers and cut out six scalloped diamonds. Using a craft knife, cut away two points from each shape and attach them to mark the hours around the edge of the face. 3 Reposition the template and mark the minutes around the edge of the face. Colour some royal icing black and place inside a piping tube together with the no.0 piping tube. Pipe small dots over the marked minutes. Pipe additional dots onto the face of the seconds dial, this time by eye.

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3 Add two hand-rolled 2cm (¾in) long sausages below the crown on either side of the pastillage oval. 4 Finally, add a ring of paste around the base of the stem using a sugar shaper filled with the small round disc and softened brown modelling paste. Allow to dry.

4 Pipe the Roman numerals, positioning them freehand between the textured pattern of the watch face and the marked hour positions. Use the photograph of the finished cake for guidance and note that, for this watch, the numerals IV – VIII change direction! 5 For the tip of the watch hands, roll small balls of black paste and elongate each by rolling backwards and forwards over one side with your finger. Place onto the cake. Roll very thin sausages of paste and attach in place to complete each hand. Add a couple of flattened balls to the centre of the watch and also to the centre of the seconds dial.

5 Once all the elements of the pocket watch have set, mix edible lustre dust with boiled water and paint over the watch casing, stem and crown. You may need a couple of coats.

I have tried many different edible metallic finishes, but the ones from Squires give me the most vibrant and reflective finish. Using a dust also means that I can ensure that the paint is not too thick and so doesn’t fill the embossed patterns.

top tip

T H E O V A L R I N G AND C L OC K F AC E T E M P L A T E

T H E s te m a n d c r o w n

1 Roll a 1cm (½in) wide ball of brown modelling paste, flatten a little and attach to the watch top, over the join in the embossed trim. Indent the ball top with a paintbrush and place the join in the dried oval pastillage ring into the space created, using a little royal icing to secure. Support the ring with a little kitchen paper while the royal icing dries.

2 For the crown, roll a 1.25cm (½in) ball of brown modelling paste, hold it between your thumb and forefinger and make parallel vertical cuts around the ball. Top with a small disc cut from thinly rolled modelling paste using a no.18 piping tube and attach in place.

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C O F F E E A N D C A K E W I T H…

Rachael Teufel

from Intricate Icings Cake Design How did you become interested in cake decorating? I have always loved being in the kitchen since I was a very young girl. I remember watching cooking shows and trying to find all the ingredients quick enough to cook along with them. And while I grew up baking with my grandmother, I didn't discover my passion for cake decorating until later in life while seeking a creative outlet from my day job. I always had artistic interests, so cake decorating seemed like the perfect activity after a long day working as a physical therapist. I began my passion for cake decorating in 2001 with a few Wilton classes and continued to educate myself by taking classes with top designers like Ron BenIsrael, Colette Peters and Marina Sousa. You draw inspiration for your wedding cakes from brides’ gowns. How did you think of that and what else gives you inspiration? I truly find inspiration everywhere. When you have a creative side and a passion for art, that’s all your eye can see. When I look at an object that appeals to me, I see it in cake. Ultimately that’s what happened with the dress cakes I started creating. I would ask my clients to see inspiration as they were planning their wedding. I realised quickly that the gown really set the tone for the event based on its style. Hence the gown inspired cake designs were created. We know your grandmother came from Hungary, did she have a big influence on you? Did she like decorating cakes? Being in the kitchen with my grandmother was how we communicated. She didn’t speak much English but we both

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seemed to love our time together while cooking and baking. I learned a lot from her in regards to recipes and cooking techniques, but not really cake decorating. Most of our baking was in the form of cookies and pastries, but it set a great foundation for what was to come. Do you have a ‘typical’ day? I wouldn’t say I have a typical day anymore. I recently scaled back my business from doing 150-175 wedding cakes per year with a staff of three to doing only 20-25 cakes per year by myself. It’s been a wonderful change that has allowed me more time with my family while still doing what I love. What advice do you have to give to a novice cake decorator? I know this is probably a little cliche, but my advice to any cake decorator is to be yourself. No-one else can be you, so find what you are good at and make that your focus. Whether it is a particular style, a specific product, or simply your personality that wins customers over, you have to be true to yourself. What’s the most complex decoration you’ve ever been asked to do? In my earlier years decorating, I wasn’t very knowledgeable in sculpting cakes and building armature. I had a client request Frankenstein and his bride as a cake. I was excited about the project but scared as well. The figures themselves were over four feet tall and extremely detailed. It was a learning process from start to finish and still one of my more challenging pieces.

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COFFEE AND CAKE WITH...

What’s the longest period of time that you’ve ever spent decorating one single cake?  The longest amount of time I have ever spent on one cake was just over four weeks. It just so happens to be my Frankenstein cake. Building the armature, sculpting the figures from rice cereal treats, covering and decorating the figures, making sugar roses and creating three tiers of cake and the pedestal was a lot of work! Do people have to be really artistic to be a successful cake decorator? I think more than being artistic, having attention to detail is a key characteristic for cake decorating, especially when it comes to wedding cakes. Cake decorating is a bit of a meticulous craft that requires patience to complete some tedious detail work. How would you sum up your style and why? My style is modern, yet contemporary. I love crisp, clean lines and the simplicity that comes with modern decor, but enjoy incorporating the ever-changing trends of today. I’m always looking for something new and different to create that hasn’t been done in cake, so I’d say there’s a touch of innovation in there as well. You used to be a physical therapist, that’s quite a leap of faith into a totally different career! How did that happen? Would you encourage others to follow their decorating dreams? As I mentioned earlier, I really just needed a creative outlet. As a person who is very much in touch with my emotions and those of others, I found physical therapy to

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be draining. Working with people who were in pain was not an easy task for me. I tried several different hobbies like painting, glass blowing and flower arranging. I took a cake decorating class and fell in love. It should not have come to me as a surprise though, as it combines my love of the kitchen and art all into one. Ultimately, I wasn’t happy working in PT anymore and decided I needed to make a change. I started out slow by transitioning to part time, so that I could build my business. In less than a year I was able to quit PT all together and have never looked back. I think anyone who wants something bad enough will make the sacrifices to do what they love in the end. What are your top three cake decorating essential tools? The task of only choosing three of my favorite tools is tricky. Does modelling chocolate count as a tool? Because that is most definitely the one thing I cannot live without! I love its versatility and it is what I use to create just about all of my designs. I also love my PME veining tool and my X-Acto knife. Here’s a toughie – what is one of your favourite decorations and why? I think lace decorations might still be my favourite. It has an element of simplicity and yet it’s extremely detailed. The design options are endless, since there are so many different styles of lace available. And it allows me to personalise my cakes, since I can create silicone moulds of the exact lace from my client's gown. Find out more at www.intricateicings.com

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3

techniques

2

Moulding gum paste, using plunger cutters, dusting with powdered food colour

1

Skill level

Open Rose Being able to add delicate, beautiful roses to any cake is an invaluable skill. Lisa Slatter guides you through how to make your own roses with just a little practice, gum paste and powdered food colouring. You will need

for the flowers • gum paste – white, green, yellow • powdered food colour – pink, yellow, green • white royal icing equipment • rose petal cutter (largest from set of 4) • 30mm (1¼in) medium rose leaf plunger cutter • 27mm (1in) daisy marguerite plunger cutter • 12mm (½in) flat paintbrush • mini modelling tool • flower former • Mexican foam balling pad • ball tool

M A K ING THE PETALS

1 On a non-stick surface, roll out some white gum paste quite thinly. Cut out a rose petal using the largest single rose petal cutter (A). 2 Place the petal on a Mexican foam balling pad, then rub a ball or bone tool around the edge of the petal to soften and shape. Curl the upper edges of the petal back by rolling them from the outer edge inwards with a mini modelling tool (B). 3 Flip the petal over and cup it using a large

ball tool, rubbing it around in a circular motion in the centre of the petal (C). Prepare a further four petals in the same way. 4 While the petals are still soft, stick them together with sugar glue, lining the points up at the bottom and the left edge of each petal positioned about halfway across the previous one (D). Once you have all five in position, bend them around, so that you can stick the first petal to the last to complete the circle. Lay in a flower former to dry. 5 Use the daisy cutter to cut out a daisy shape from white gum paste (E). 6 Roll each of the petals from side to side with a mini modelling tool to widen and thin, then use the scissors to cut each petal of the daisy shape in half (F). 7 Take a pea-sized ball of yellow gum paste and roll it into a cone shape using the heel of your hand (G). 8 Take a small pair of scissors and repeatedly snip into the surface of the cone at the bulbous end to create the stamens. Cut off the tapered end of the cone so that the base is now flat (H). 9 To complete the stamen centre, stick the stamens into the centre of the prepared daisy shape with a little sugar glue (I). 10 Stick the prepared centre into the middle of the flower with a little sugar glue. Place

A

B

C

E

F

G

D

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the rose in a flower former to dry (J). 11 Use the flat brush to colour the centre with a little yellow and green powdered food colour and the edge of the petals with pink. Arrange the rose flower on an oval plaque with three rose leaves.

making the Rose leaves Rose leaves 1 On a non-stick surface, roll out a piece of green gum paste to a thickness that will allow a wire to be inserted into it. Use a rose leaf plunger cutter to cut out the shape, then push the plunger down to vein the surface of the leaf (A). 2 Dip the end of a quarter-

length 28g wire into a little sugar glue, then carefully insert the wire into the leaf, pushing the wire three-quarters of the way up into the leaf for support. Gently squash the paste on to the wire to secure (B). 3 Place the leaf on to a Mexican foam modelling pad, then soften the edges by rubbing a

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ball or bone tool around the edge of the leaf (C). Unwired leaves can be made in the same way (D); simply do not insert the wire at step 2. 4 To colour the leaves, dust all over with some light green powdered food colour, then dark green in places and just over the edge with a little burgundy.

A

B

C

D

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b i r t h d ay

Changing the colour of the rose to white makes it resemble a Christmas rose. Spray it with pearl lustre spray for added festive sparkle.

top tip

This project is taken from Sugar Flowers (Twenty to Make) by Lisa Slatter, published by Search Press, RRP £4.99. www.searchpress.com

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3

techniques

2

Dowelling, covering with sugarpaste, using cake lace stencils, piping royal icing

1

Skill level

Ornate Stencil Lace Cake lace stencils are a great way to create elaborately detailed lace effects quickly and easily. Zoe Clark also gives the cake extra dimension with a painted lilac scalloped border and piped details on the stencil patterns.

For the Cake • 10cm (4in) square, 10cm (4in) deep; 15cm (6in) square, 11cm (4¼ in) deep; 20cm (8in) square, 11.5cm (4½in) deep; and 28cm (11in) square, 11.5cm (4½in) deep cakes, each iced in very pale dusky pink sugarpaste To decorate • 35cm (14in) square cake board, iced in very pale dusky pink sugarpaste • edible dust – pink, purple and pearl white, mixed with high alcohol content (95%+) clear alcohol – or lilac airbrush paint mixed from baby pink, purple and pearl • lustre dust – pearl, gold • royal icing – caramel-coloured softpeak and some uncoloured • paste or liquid food colouring – dusky pink to match the top three tiers; dusky lilac for the bottom tier (I combined dusky pink with a little grape violet) • clear alcohol or lemon extract EQUIPMENT • blossom spray and scallop border lace stencils by Zoë Clark (www.designerstencils.com) • scriber • dusting brushes – two large flat and one medium • 16 hollow dowels, cut to each tier size • masking tape • fine paintbrush • three small piping bags • piping tips – one no.1, two no.1.5 • 1.4m (1½yd) length of 1.5cm (5/8in) pink satin ribbon

DE C ORAT I N G THE C AKE

The bottom tier borders

Cake assembly

1 Place the scallop lace border stencil against one of the sides of the bottom tier and use the scriber to mark the scallop border onto the icing. Repeat for each side of the cake.

1 Dowel and assemble the cake, using seven dowels in the bottom tier, five in the 20cm (8in) tier and four in the 15cm (6in) tier. 2 Gently mix and soften the caramel-coloured royal icing in a small bowl. Place a damp piece of kitchen paper (paper towel) over the top to prevent the icing from drying out while you are completing the stencil work.

2 Using either the edible dusts mixed with alcohol (until it is quite liquid) or the mixed airbrush paints, paint a thin layer of the lilac shade beneath the scalloped line using a large flat brush. Paint all the way around the cake, making sure the brush strokes go in the same horizontal direction.

top tip

Less is more – try not to brush back and forth over the same area too much, as it can spoil the look.

3 Paint around each side of the cake board, about 5cm (2in) in from the edge, using brush strokes in one direction. Paint a second

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layer onto the cake and around the board, making sure that the paint has dried between coats. Paint one more layer on both and set aside to dry. 4 Using another large dry flat dusting brush, dry dust with pearl lustre only over the painted area on the cake and board – this will help to blend in the colours and mellow out the streaks.

Applying the icing 1 Place the scallop lace border stencil back against one of the sides of the bottom tier, making sure it is central (use a ruler if

Project and photography taken from Elegant Lace Cakes by Zoe Clark, published by David & Charles, £15.99

You will need

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necessary). Mask off both ends of the stencil with masking tape, allowing the pattern to go as close to the edge as possible, but making sure the icing can’t escape underneath as the corners of the cake round off slightly. Holding the cake steady, quickly, but carefully, smear some of the caramelcoloured royal icing in a thin layer across the stencil using the palette knife.

2 Fairly quickly, work a damp, medium-sized dusting brush down the icing and across the stencil so that you achieve a more stitch-like texture. You may need to clean and re-dampen your brush a couple of times during this process.

main photograph as a guide, then use a medium flat brush to texture the icing. To avoid smudging your work, stencil alternate flowers to allow them to dry before stencilling the flowers in-between. The flowers in the corners might not fit completely – you may need to stencil just a part of the flower only. Pat down or remove any smudged or excess icing with a damp fine paintbrush. You may be able to use the stencil multiple times, but as soon as it gets messy – particularly on the underside – make sure you wash it before stencilling again.

around the base of the scallop border and a tiny vine at the base of the motifs on the 20cm (8in) tier.

top tip

The top tiers 3 Carefully peel off the stencil to reveal the pattern. Use a damp fine paintbrush to neaten up any stray pieces of icing, particularly at the ends. Repeat for each side of the cake, washing and drying the stencil thoroughly between uses.

4 To mark the flower design onto the bottom tier, first mask off the main flower and a couple of leaves on the smallest stencil, making sure the icing previously stencilled is dry. Stencil the detail onto the cake using the

1 Stencil the top three tiers in the same way, using the medium-sized stencil for the 20cm (8in) tier and the smallest stencil for the 15cm (6in) tier. The motif used on the top tier is made with the stencil used on the 20cm (8in) tier.

2 Fill the piping bag fitted with a no.1 tip with soft-peak caramel-coloured royal icing and pipe small scallops around the bottom of the stencilled border. Now pipe in the additional lines on the rest of the cake using the main photograph as a guide – above the blossoms

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The finishing touches 1 Pipe in the leaf details on all the tiers by piping a dot for the vines and pulling the icing outwards. Pipe dots for the flower centres. Make sure the corners are all finished neatly. 2 Fill a piping bag fitted with a no.1.5 tip with 30ml (2 tbsp) of royal icing mixed with pale dusky pink food colouring to a soft-peak consistency. Pipe a snail trial border around the top three tiers. Repeat around the bottom tier, this time using royal icing mixed with dusky lilac food colouring.

3 Mix some gold lustre dust with clear alcohol and paint over all the royal icing details. Finish by securing satin ribbon around the base board.

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22/06/16 13:08

3

techniques

2

Moulding modelling paste, using cutters, using dusting powder

1

Skill level

Christmas Tree topper Make a Christmas tree that is more than just a normal decoration, it's a super treat designed by Georgie Godbold of one of her sugar wobblies in a Christmas tree outfit, complete with stars and glitter. You will need

For the tree • 100g (3½oz) dark green modelling paste • 25g (1oz) flesh-coloured modelling paste • 12g (½oz) red modelling paste • small amount of brown modelling paste • different coloured flower/gum paste and glitters to decorate the Christmas tree • small coloured sugar balls • pink dusting powder • sugar glue • fine black fibre-tip pen equipment • basic tools • cutters – small star, medium star, 2.5cm (1in) circle • one green striped pipe cleaner • cocktail stick

M A K ING T H E B OD Y

1 Roll 45g (1½oz) of green paste into a ball. Shape the paste into a cone 6.5cm (2½in) tall. Insert an 8cm (3¼in) cocktail stick and make two holes in the front for the legs with a pointed tool. M A K ING T H E H EAD

2 Roll a 20g (¾oz) ball of flesh-coloured paste into a smooth ball for the head. Use a pointed tool to make a hole for the nose and use a smiley tool to mark the mouth. Using a little glue, attach the head to the body. 3 Roll a small ball of flesh-coloured paste into a cone for the nose. Insert the pointed end into the hole in the face using a small amount of sugar glue. When dry, dust the cheeks with pale pink dusting powder and mark the eyes using a fine black fibre-tip pen as shown. M A K ING T H E LEGS AND AR M S

4 Cut two 7.5cm (3in) lengths of pipe cleaner

for the legs. For the shoes, roll 12g (½oz) of red paste into a ball, then cut it in half to make two ovals. Lightly glue both ends of one length of pipe cleaner, then insert one end into a shoe and the other end into the body. Repeat with the other leg. 5 Cut two 7.5cm (3in) lengths of pipe cleaner for the arms. Cut a 3g (1 ⁄8 oz) ball of fleshcoloured paste in half to make two ovals for the hands. Add a little sugar glue to each end of one length of pipe cleaner and attach a hand, then push the other end into the top of the body. Repeat with the other arm. M A K ING T H E H AIR

6 For the hair, cut out three circles of brown paste. Cut into the edge halfway round as shown, before carefully opening the strands out. Using a little glue, place two on to the top of the head and the other one on top of those. M A K ING T H E TREE

7 Using the template on page 118 and 25g (1oz) of dark green paste for each tree, cut out two Christmas tree shapes. 8 Use the 2.5cm (1in) circle cutter to cut a hole in the middle of one of the tree shapes for the face, as shown. Lightly glue around the edges of the trees and place one at the front and one at the back of the body, then carefully join the two together as shown. Leave to dry. M A K ING T H E STARS

9 Cut out a number of small stars from different colours of flower/gum paste and lightly glue on the small coloured sugar balls before gluing the stars to the front of the tree shape. 10 Cut out a number of large stars from different colours of flower/gum paste. Spread glue over the front of the large stars and sprinkle on glitter. Once dry, shake off the excess and glue them in place on the tree and feet as shown.

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christmas

Have fun decorating the tree costume with different colours of flower/gum paste and glitter for the stars.

top tip

This project is taken from Sugar Christmas Decorations: 20 To Make by Georgie Godbold, published by Search Press, RRP £4.99. www.searchpress.com

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COVERING THE CAKE AND BOARD

Creating the drum board 1 Use double-sided sticky tape to stick the smaller drum board on top of the larger one, in the centre. Cover the drum boards with sugarpaste. The only difference here is that there will be excess icing at the corners, so work especially carefully here.

This project is taken from Airbrushing On Cakes by Cassie Brown, published by Search Press, RRP £10.99. www.searchpress. com

3 2 1 TECHNIQUES

CAKE COVERING, AIRBRUSHING

SKILL LEVEL

MOON CAKE

Let your imagination go into orbit! Designer Cassie Brown loves space and shows us how to create the wonderful impression of planetary systems using an airbrush. YOU WILL NEED

FOR THE CAKE • 2 x 15cm (6in) fruit cakes TO DECORATE • 2.5kg (5½lb) marzipan • 2.5kg (5½lb) sugarpaste • 100g (3½oz) modelling paste • liquid food colour – blue, orange, yellow and black EQUIPMENT • 20cm (8in) and 25.5cm (10in) square drum boards

• • • • • • • • • •

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airbrush and cleaning jar turntable large palette knife small kitchen knife circular cutters – 2.5cm (1in), 3cm (1¼in), 5cm (2in) and 7cm (2¾in) waterbrush natural sponge pointed-ended modelling tool 1m (39in) of 15mm (½in) thick dark blue ribbon double-sided sticky tape

2 Set one cake on top of the other, with marzipan in between to stabilise them, then cover with sugarpaste in the same way as before. Use a large palette knife to lift the iced cake away from the board on which it was iced and onto the top of the prepared boards. Use a small amount of sugarpaste to fill the gap between cake and boards, then use the back of the knife to smooth the area.

3 Roll out modelling paste to a thickness of 2mm, then use circle cutters to cut out four 2.5cm (1in), two 3cm (1¼in), six 5cm (2in) and one 7cm (2¾in) circles.

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kids

7 Add five blue drops and one black drop to the colour well to make a navy mix, and use this to repeat the process. Work in random loose lines and streaks again, covering some of the under-layer and some of the white that’s still showing.

4 Dot these over the surfaces of the cakes and board, securing them temporarily with a little water from a waterbrush. Where they fall over corners, be careful not to pull the circles out of shape. Feel free to overlap one or two.

D E C O R AT I N G T H E C A K E

11 Clean your airbrush while the cake dries thoroughly, then use a sharp knife to carefully lift away the modelling paste circles to leave blank planets in space.

Applying the water 12 Load the airbrush with pure blue. Squeeze the waterbrush over one of the planets on the iced board to add one or two droplets of water to it. To add craters on vertical edges (i.e. the sides of the boards), use a paintbrush to paint on clean water in a small circle.

8 The modelling paste circles will block the paint, so work in from different angles to make sure you catch all the sides. This helps to ensure crisp edges later on.

Airbrushing the icing 5 Set up the airbrush and add 10 drops of blue to the colour well. Test the colour on a piece of scrap paper, then add random hazy lines and streaks over every side and the top.

9 Continue building up the colour, using pure blue to colour in any remaining white areas. Make sure you have worked over the whole cake and the iced drum boards.

13 Hold the brush 10cm (4in) away from the planet, and very lightly draw back the airbrush lever to spray the planet without moving the water droplets.

THE FINISHING TOUCHES

Applying colour to the planets 6 Build the colour up gradually with multiple thin layers rather than with a single heavy spray. Refill where necessary.

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10 Add a gentle haze of pure black, holding the airbrush further back than before. This is to darken the overall colours without covering all your work.

14 Clean the brush and load it with orange. Very lightly add shading to the large planet by colouring just the left-hand side and bottom edges as shown. Leave a fine light edge showing.

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15 Strengthen the colour evenly across the whole planet to leave one side in shade, then add on very fine lines that follow the curve of the planet.

16 Make a shading mix of five drops of blue and one of black, and gently strengthen the shaded area with a broad hazy line.

20 Add a few larger stars in the same way, but scraping it into a flared cross, as shown. Be careful not to dig too deep or you risk revealing the cake. No matter the size of the design, it needs to stay shallow enough to reveal only the white surface of the icing.

Adding the stars 17 Shade the other planets in the same way. You can add details by drawing fine lines as rings round the planets, or by dabbing the colour on directly using a natural sponge, as shown above.

19 Finish colouring the planets in the ways described, using the colours and techniques you like best. Add the suggestion of tiny stars across the cake with the pointed end of a modelling tool, by gently scraping the colour to reveal the clean white icing beneath.

18 You can soften in the sponging and ring effects with more colour or shading.

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21 For larger effects, like an exploding asteroid, scrape out a small central area, then use the edge of a palette knife to guide the tip of the modelling tool. Add a larger spot on the end furthest from the centre. 22 To finish, secure a dark blue ribbon round the edge of the board using double-sided sticky tape.

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How to…

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DECORATe WITH ROYAL ICING Edible stitching and embroidery with royal icing is extremely traditional and this delicate art usually requires a lot of patience and dedication. Zoe Clark shows you how to keep the techniques as simple as possible, so beautifully piped stitching and lace embroidery is easy to achieve.

is it will be reversed again when transferred onto the cake or cookie, so reverse the pattern first if that's a problem.

1 Place the plastic over the template and use a piping bag fitted with a no.1 piping tip and filled with soft-peak royal icing to trace over the design. The royal icing will need a good hour or so to dry out completely.

B

efore you get started, it’s a good idea to choose your pattern and know exactly where you want the piping to be positioned. Once the design has been selected, I prefer to use one of the following two methods to transfer it onto the cake:

2 Lightly trace back over the pattern to transfer a light pencil mark onto the icing, or prick though the pattern with a needle to create a dotted line to follow. Take care not to press too hard or smudge the pencil lines. You don't need to follow a line continuously – just make little dashes. Test the transfer has worked on a small section by peeling back the template and realigning it when continuing. Any visible pencil lines can be removed using a damp paintbrush, cleaning it with water in between uses.

2 Carefully press the plastic against the icing to emboss the design. It’s a good idea to practise this first to get the correct pressure if you haven't used this method before.

Paennscfeilr Tr od

Before attempting to mark the pattern, it's important the icing Meth dries for at least eight hours, or it will dent easily and the pencil lines could look messy. Bear in mind that the pattern will be reversed when transferred to the cake. 1 Trace your pattern onto greaseproof paper using a pencil – not too soft or hard. Place the paper on the cake, pencil side against the icing and pin in place so it doesn’t move.

Another way to transfer your design is to pipe it onto a firm, thin piece of clear plastic and then press it against the icing to emboss the pattern straight onto it. The sugarpaste needs to be soft and you will need to emboss the pattern as soon as the d o Meth cakes or cookies are covered. You can also emboss actual lace samples, such as corded lace, straight onto the icing. Remember that whatever the design

Cubsotsosmer Em

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Piped lacework is a highly traditional form of cake decorating – the earliest reference to royal icing dates back to the seventeenth century and piping work was l Traditiona made popular by bakers decorating wedding cakes in the late nineteenth century. Piping requires much patience, a lot of skill and correct use of technique, but the results can be simply breathtaking. Traditional motifs and designs are often piped onto acetate or paper over templates, then left to dry before they are attached to

Piping

Project and photography taken from Elegant Lace Cakes by Zoe Clark, published by David & Charles, £15.99

USING TEMPLATES

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technique focus

the cake. Lines need to be piped as accurately as possible to achieve a clean, delicate feel and it is helpful to have a damp paintbrush to hand to help push the icing into place if it’s not perfect.

You can also pipe carefully straight onto the cake. Typical motifs include flowers, connecting dots, fleur-de-lis and scrolls. Swags, scallops, filigree and latticework are also traditional lace designs often featured in cake design.

‘Bumpy’ piping Trying to replicate lacy patterns by piping with royal icing is not as hard as it seems! If you look closely at lace embroidery you will see that it is in fact made up of lots of tiny stitches that give a slightly bumpy, textured appearance, rather than a perfectly smooth, continuous line. This makes it much easier to copy in royal icing. To achieve this effect, make sure you are using freshly made soft-peak royal icing and a fine piping tip – ideally a no.0, unless the stitching is slightly thicker. Follow the markings along the sugarpaste, with the tip almost scratching the icing or dotting against it. If you need to stop, just pick it back up again; the fact the line is slightly bumpy and uneven will disguise any breaks.

Zigzagging back and forth between lines and shapes can also be very effective at giving the appearance of lace stitching. Keep close to the surface, again, just about touching it as you move back and forth with the piping tip. Remember to keep breathing!

BErmubrsohidery

Brush embroidery is another traditional decorating technique with royal icing, although buttercream can also be used for this method. Like the bumpy stitching technique, it’s not as hard as it seems, and although a steady hand is not essential, you do need to work neatly and methodically in order to achieve a pretty result. I like to use a no.1.5 or 2 piping tip and softpeak royal icing when working on lace brush embroidery, as the motifs are fairly small and the outlines quite wavy. If the tip is too big you will have too much icing. At the same time if the tip is too small you won’t have enough icing to brush, so make sure you adjust your tip according to your design.

1 Pipe a section of the outline using a piping bag with a no.1.5 or 2 tip, filled with soft-peak royal icing.

2 Using a damp brush, work the icing inwards from the outer top edge of the line. You can experiment with how far you drag the icing in, depending on the look you want to create or the piece of lace you are copying – if you use more pressure and longer brush strokes it means the icing will come further into the shape. 3 Continue piping bit by bit all the way around the shape, brushing the icing down in between. Once you have completed the entire shape and it has had time to dry, start working on the inside details. If the icing isn’t quite dry on the outside, the inside is likely to run and the lines will not be defined.

Over-piping and outlining

Cord lace, which is also known as Alençon lace, is one of the most popular types of modern lace that we see featured on dresses today and is formed by outlining lace details with a heavier stitch or cord. If you look closely at this type of lace, you will see that the outline does not run perfectly around the outside, so when you copy this, try to follow the same style.

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TECHNIQUES

3

COVERING WITH SUGARPASTE, USING SILICONE ONLAYS, USING MOULDS, USING SUGAR SHAPER

2 1

SKILL LEVEL

• pasta machine (optional) • Silicone Onlays® (available from marvelousmolds.com) – fleur-de-lis and savvy chevron • scriber • spacers – 5mm (¼in), 2mm, 1mm • cutters – pointed oval set; large fleurde-lis motif cutter set; curled leaf set; Indian scroll set; no.6 frill cutter • piping bag • piping tips – nos. 17, 2, 1.5, 1 • craft knife • rolling pin • greaseproof (wax) or tracing paper • pearl-headed dressmakers' pins • perfect pearl moulds – 5mm (¼in); 6mm (¼in); 8mm (5 ⁄16in); 10mm (3 ⁄8in) • vintage brooch mould • ball tool • sugar shaper • Dresden tool • 105cm (41½in) length of 1.5cm (3 ⁄8in) wide gold ribbon and braid • non-toxic glue stick

FLAMBOYANT FLEUR-DE-LIS Innovative silicone onlays gave Lindy Smith the inspiration for this eye-catching design, which showcases the elegant fleur-de-lis motif. YOU WILL NEED

FOR THE CAKES • bake, layer and stack your choice of cakes to make these tier sizes: base 25.5cm (10in) round, 10cm (4in) deep; second tier 20cm (8in) round, 8.5cm (33 ⁄8in) deep; third tier 15cm (6in) round, 18.5cm (7¼in) deep; fourth tier 9cm (3½in) round, 2.5cm (1in) deep; top tier 6.5cm (2½in) round, 6.5cm (2½in) deep TO DECORATE • sugarpaste – 1.5kg (3lb 5oz) white; 2kg (4lb 8oz) gold; 1kg (2lb 4oz) deep orange; 250g (9oz) black • light gold edible lustre dust • cornflour for dusting

• modelling paste – 200g (7oz) black; 150g (5½oz) gold; 100g (3½oz) deep orange; 50g (1¾oz) each of peach and white • sugar glue • white vegetable fat (shortening) • royal icing EQUIPMENT • cake boards – 33cm (13in) round cake drum; round hardboards the same size as each cake • brushes – large soft-bristled brush, small paintbrush • dowels – at least 20cm (8in) in length • dusting bag or small square of muslin

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COVERING THE CAKES AND BOARD

1 Cover each of the cakes in turn as follows, remembering to place a hardboard cake board beneath each tier before covering it with sugarpaste. Start by covering the base tier with white sugarpaste, keeping its top edge as sharp as possible. 2 Cover the second tier and fourth tier with gold-coloured sugarpaste. Cover the cake drum with the remaining gold-coloured sugarpaste, then use a large soft-bristled brush to liberally dust the gold edible lustre dust over the surface of the fresh goldcoloured sugarpaste. 3 Cover the third tier with deep orange sugarpaste, covering the top first followed by the sides. 4 To finish off covering, the top tier is done with black sugarpaste. 5 Now you can dowel all the cakes, except the top tier.

Project and photography taken from Simply Modern Wedding Cakes by Lindy Smith, published by David & Charles, £19.99

SEASONAL | FLOWER POWER

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wedding

d e c o r at i n g t h e c a k e S

The base tier 1 Using a dusting bag, dust the fleur-de-lis silicone onlay with a little cornflour. Shake off the excess to leave only a very fine covering over the surface of the onlay. 2 Set up your pasta machine and experiment with the width settings using small pieces of modelling paste (I set the rollers to number five, yours may differ); you need to roll out paste fractionally thinner than the depth of the cutting edges on the silicone onlay. 3 Knead some of the black modelling paste to warm it, then roughly roll it out into a 10cm (4in) wide strip. Feed it through your pasta machine on the appropriate setting. If you don’t have a pasta machine, roll the paste by hand.

4 Place the thinned modelling paste over the fleur-de-lis onlay and dust over the top surface of the paste with cornflour. Using your fingers, a rolling pin or a combination of the two, press the paste into the onlay so that the cutting edges cleanly cut through it. It can take a little patience and practise at first, but you'll soon get the hang of them!

5 Use a scriber to remove the unwanted bits of paste. Paint over the remaining pieces with sugar glue and leave to go tacky. 6 Pick up the onlay and stretch it gently in various directions to loosen the paste pieces, ensuring that they will be easily released. Place the onlay in position on the side of the cake and rub over the back with

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your hands to help the paste adhere to the cake. Carefully peel the onlay away to reveal the fleur- de-lis pattern beneath. If necessary, use a dry paintbrush to fractionally adjust the position of the paste pieces. 7 Repeat using the onlay’s integral placement guides until the pattern completely encircles the cake. 8 Roll out some white modelling paste between the 1mm spacers. Use the 2.7cm (1in) pointed oval cutter to cut out one oval for each large fleur-de-lis. Attach using sugar glue and a paintbrush. The paintbrush is used to help position the shapes, as well as to spread the glue. 9 Brush each black fleur-de-lis with white vegetable fat (shortening). This will add shine, remove any cornflour residue and help to prevent the black icing from bleeding into the piped royal icing dots – particularly important if the cake is to be kept for any length of time. 10 Fill a piping bag fitted with a coupler and no.1.5 piping tip with freshly paddled royal icing. The consistency of your icing is critical here – you want to be able to quickly and easily pipe rounded dots, rather than pointed cones. Starting on the outside of the top of the large fleur-de-lis, hold the tip fractionally away from the side of the cake and squeeze the bag until you have a dot of icing of the required size. Release the pressure and only then remove the tip – squeeze, release and remove. Leave a small gap and pipe the next dot, then continue to pipe dots around the top and bottom sections of all the large fleurde-lis. Add a piped dot to the top and bottom tip of each white pointed oval. 11 Change the tip in the coupler to a no.1 and pipe dots around sections of the small vertical fleur-de-lis and the sides of the white ovals. 12 Using a craft knife and thinly rolled-out black modelling paste, cut 8mm (1 ⁄ 3in) and 4mm (1 ⁄ 8in) squares. Add one of each to the white oval section on each large fleur-de-lis, as shown.

The second tier 1 This tier is decorated using the savvy

chevron onlay. The process is almost the same as for the base tier, however this time two colours and only three-quarters of the pattern are used. First prepare the onlay and paste as before (see Base Tier, steps 1-4) and create the first layer from the deep orange modelling paste.

2 For the second row of chevrons, place the prepared peach-coloured modelling paste in position and roll over the top half of the pattern with a rolling pin, taking care not to roll over the deep orange chevrons. Use your fingers to rub over the lower part of the chevron to obtain a clean cut. Carefully peel away all the unwanted sections of paste. 3 Create the third row of chevrons from the deep orange paste and attach the completed pattern to the cake as before (see Base Tier, steps 5-6). Repeat, using the onlay’s integral placement guides, until the pattern completely encircles the cake. Adjust the last pattern, if necessary, so that it fits neatly. 4 To make the white pattern details, start by thinly rolling out a little white modelling paste. Using the no.17 piping tip as a circle cutter, cut out and attach a circle just above the central ‘V’ of each of the bottom row of chevrons. Pipe dots of white royal icing in the centre of each circle using a no.2 piping tip, then change to a no.1 piping tip to add dots above and below, as shown.

The third tier 1 Make a fleur-de-lis template by drawing around each piece of the fleur-de-lis cutter set with a pencil onto greaseproof or tracing paper. The crown and large leaf shape are used once, whereas the other four shapes are repeated, mostly as mirror images. 2 Secure the template to the cake with dressmakers’ pins. Use a scriber to prick out the outline to help with placement. Remove the template and set

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aside – this will be used later on to construct the fleur-de-lis.

3 Roll out some black sugarpaste between the 5mm (¼in) spacers and cut out all the shapes except the crown and outer flourishes. Use a finger to smooth the cut edges of each shape for a softer, more rounded appearance. 4 Once each shape is ready, position them onto the template created in step 1. Use the same method to cut out the crown from 5mm (¼in) thick gold sugarpaste and the flourishes from 2mm thick black modelling paste. 5 Roll out some white modelling paste between 1mm spacers and cut out one 5.5cm (2¼in) pointed oval, two curled leaves, two Indian scrolls and one small circle using the no.17 piping tip, as shown. Attach these in place, referring to the image of the finished cake for guidance. 6 Roll graduated balls of gold modelling paste and place these on the points of the crown. Using the 5mm (¼in) perfect pearl mould, make a short string of gold pearls and use a little sugar glue to attach them to the crown in an upward curve. 7 To create the brooch above the crown, knead a small amount of white modelling paste and roll it into a ball, smaller than the centre of the round brooch in the vintage brooch mould. Press the ball into the centre of the mould using a ball tool.

8 Roll a ball of black modelling paste slightly larger than the mould cavity and position it into the mould, ensuring that the sugar surface being placed into the mould is perfectly smooth. Firmly push the paste into the mould and remove the excess paste with a palette knife, so the back of the mould is flat. Carefully flex the mould to release the paste. 9 Create two square studs using the same mould and black modelling paste. 10 Use sugar glue to attach all the prepared elements to the cake, using the placement lines or points as a guide. 11 Add a little white vegetable fat and cooled boiled water to soften some of the black modelling paste. Place it, together with the small round disc, inside the sugar shaper and push down the plunger and pump, using the handle to squeeze out two lengths of paste. Allow the paste to firm up on your work surface, cut into approximately 4cm (1½in) lengths and attach to the fleur-de-lis to help join up all the elements. 12 To finish the fleur-de-lis, mix gold lustre dust with water and paint over the crown and its embellishments to gild them. Brush the black areas with white vegetable fat to add a shine and help prevent the black colour from bleeding into the piped royal icing dots. Use royal icing and the various piping tips to pipe royal iced dots on elements of the design.

The fourth tier

1 To create the gold beading, knead some gold modelling paste to warm it, then roll it into a long sausage, approximately 1cm (3 ⁄ 8in) thick. Place it on top of the 8mm (1 ⁄ 3in) section of the perfect pearl mould and press the paste into the mould, first with your fingers, then using the back of a Dresden

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tool. Use a palette knife to cut away the excess paste, then release the pearls by flexing the mould along its length, so the pearls fall out without breaking or distorting. Repeat to make enough pearls to wrap around the tier four times. 2 Allow the pearls to firm up a little, then attach in position on the cake using sugar glue. Once complete, dust over the pearls with edible gold lustre dust until they glisten. ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

1 Using royal icing to secure, stack the cakes onto the cake board, checking alignment and levels as you go and referring to the image of the finished cake for reference. 2 Create strings of pearls using the 6mm (¼in) pearl mould and gold modelling paste. Dust each string with gold lustre dust, and then use sugar glue to attach the strings around the base of the stacked cake. 3 Using white royal icing and a no.2 piping tip, pipe a row of small, evenly spaced dots over the join between the first and second cake tiers.

4 To create the trim around the base of the third tier, thinly roll out some gold modelling paste between 1mm spacers. Take the no.6 frill cutter and firmly press it into the paste. Take a straight edge and craft knife and cut along the paste to create a neat edging. Cut another two, then brush edible gold lustre dust over the trim. Remove any excess dust and attach the trim around the base of the cake, using sugar glue to secure it in place. 5 Roll out the deep orange modelling paste to 1mm using spacers. Cut a 1cm (3 ⁄ 8in) wide ribbon and attach it around the top outer edge of the third tier to disguise the join in the paste. 6 To finish, use the non-toxic glue stick to secure the ribbon and braid to the edge of the cake board.

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3

b i r t h d ay

2 1

Skill level techniques

piping royal icing, using lustre dust, modelling flowers

elegant orchids Orchids are significant for being a universal symbol of love, beauty, wisdom and thoughtfulness. These delicate cupcakes by Zoe Clark are the perfect way to show that you care.

Project and photography taken from Bake me I’m Yours... Cupcake Love by Zoe Clark, published by David & Charles, £9.99

You will need

For the cupcakes • dome-shaped cupcakes baked in purple and dusky pink foil cases To decorate • white flower paste • apricot masking jam • purple tinted and pink fondant icing • edible lustre dust – purple, deep pink • white royal icing • food colours – claret, purple • edible glue Equipment • Singapore orchid cutters/veiners • small piping bag and tip no.1 • foam pad and ball tool 1 Press a small amount of flower paste into the column mould and remove the shaped piece with a cocktail stick. You may need to grease the mould beforehand. Set aside to dry for 20 minutes while you make more. 2 Thinly roll out a small amount of flower paste and cut out the trumpet. Place on a foam pad and soften the edges with a ball tool. Wrap the trumpet around the column, securing it in place with edible glue. Tease the centre of the trumpet away from the column. Set aside to dry for an hour or two. 3 Meanwhile, prepare and dip the cupcakes in the fondant.

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4 Roll out the side and tri petals for the orchid and soften the edges with the ball tool as before. Stick one end of each of the two side petals together in the centre of the tri petal. Glue the dry trumpet of the flower on to the five petals with the outer part of the trumpet furthest away from them. 5 Cup and tease the bottom petals around the trumpet to make the orchid. Carefully sit it in a flower former or some crumpled foil until it dries. Brush with the edible lustre

dusts and attach to the cupcake using purple-tinted royal icing. 6 Colour the royal icing with the food colours (you can vary the shade). Using a small piping bag with a no. 1 tip, mark 16 small dots around the cake edge. Pipe from one dot to the next, allowing the icing to fall between them. Pipe a second row below the first, piping little dots either side. Pipe a dot where each point meets. When dry, pipe another dot either side.

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3

techniques

2

Moulding modelling paste, using cutters, piping royal icing

1

Skill level

Father Christmas A sugar Father Christmas makes a terrific cake topper, as a decoration on its own or make them as special little gifts. This sweet design by Georgie Godbold really captures the festive spirit. You will need

For Father Christmas • 80g (2¾oz) red modelling paste • 25g (1oz) flesh-coloured modelling paste • 20g (¾oz) black modelling paste • small amount of Mexican (flower/ gum) paste in white • gold paint • pale pink dusting powder • fine black fibre-tip pen • sugar glue • white royal icing equipment • no. 2 icing nozzle and piping bag • cutters – small square, 4cm (1½in) oval, 3cm (1¼in) circle • cocktail stick • basic tools • paintbrush • one red chenille stick (pipe cleaner)

M A K ING T H E B ODY

1 Roll 45g (1½oz) of red modelling paste into a ball. Shape the paste into a cone 6.5cm (2 ½in) tall and insert an 8cm (3¼in) cocktail stick. Make two holes in the front for the legs using the pointed tool. M A K ING T H E H EAD

2 Roll 20g (¾oz) of flesh-coloured paste into a smooth ball for the head. Use a pointed tool to make a hole for the nose and use the smiley tool to mark the mouth. 3 Roll a small ball of flesh-coloured paste into a cone for the nose. Using a little glue, insert the narrow end into the hole in the head. 4 For the ears, cut a 1g ball of flesh-coloured paste in half and roll each piece into a smaller ball. Push the rounded end of a pointed tool into one ball. Glue the bottom part of the ear and place it firmly at the side of the head. Remove the tool and repeat with the other ear. Leave to dry. When the head is completely dry, mark the eyes with a fine black fibre-tip pen and dust the cheeks with pale pink dusting powder. M A K ING T H E LEGS

5 Cut two 7.5cm (3in) lengths of chenille stick for the legs. M A K ING T H E CLOT H ES

6 To make the trousers, cut a 12g (½oz) ball of red paste in half and roll each piece into a smaller ball. Insert a length of chenille stick through the middle of one ball and roll it into a cylinder. Repeat with the other leg. Lightly glue one end of each chenille stick and push into the body, then glue the small ball of red paste and press further onto the body. Repeat with the other leg. 7 For the boots, cut a 15g (½oz) ball of black paste in half. Roll each half into a sausage shape and turn up one end to make the boot.

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Glue the remaining end of the chenille stick and attach the boot. Repeat with the other boot. 8 Roll 6g (¼oz) of red paste into a ball and cut it in half to make two oval mittens. Add sugar glue to each end of a 12cm (4¾in) length of red chenille stick and attach a mitten to each end. Bend the chenille stick around the back of the cocktail stick and glue in place. Shape the arms and hands into position when dry. 9 To make the collar, cut out a circle of red paste using the 3cm (1¼in) cutter. Make a small cut in the paste. Using a little glue, place the collar over the cocktail stick. Push the head on firmly. M A K ING T H E B EARD AND H A t

10 To make the beard, cut out an oval from white paste, trim off the end using the end of the oval cutter, and cut the removed part in half to make the moustache. Secure the beard and moustache in place with a little royal icing. 11 To represent the fur and hair, pipe small circles of white royal icing on the Father Christmas as shown. 12 Roll out 10g (¼oz) of red paste into a ball. Make it into a cone by opening out the middle with a large pointed tool and stretching the top to a point as shown, then glue the hat to the top of the head. M A K ING T H E B ELT

13 Roll a 1x10cm (3 ⁄8x4in) strip of black paste for a belt. Cut holes along one end with the narrow end of an icing nozzle and cut that end into a point. Glue in place. 14 For the buckle, roll out a small amount of white flower paste and cut a small square. Leave the square in the paste. Using a craft knife, cut a second square around the outer edge of the first one. Lift both squares using a palette knife and remove the inner one. Make a very small oval of white paste for the hook inside the buckle. Paint both gold. When dry attach to the belt with sugar glue.

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CHRISTMAS

This project is taken from 100 Little Sugar Decorations To Make, published by Search Press, RRP £12.99. www.searchpress.com

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THE BIG TOP Roll up... roll up... all the fun of the circus is coming to town! The elephant and seal are eager to show off their tricks to an awestruck audience in Maisie Parrish's entertaining design. You will need

For the sugarpaste • 89g (3oz) grey • 61g (2¼oz) red • 23g (7 ⁄8oz) blue • 7g (¼oz) yellow • 4g (1⁄8oz) fuchsia pink • 4g (1 ⁄8oz) green • 2g (1⁄8oz) black To decorate • 304g (10½oz) white modelling paste • CMC (tylose) • white edible paint • edible glue Equipment • 4cm (1½in) circle cutter • 12mm (½in) square cutter • cocktail stick (toothpick) • basic tool kit

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techniques using CMC, modelling

3

kids

2 1

Skill level

THE ELEPHANT

Project and photography taken from Character Cake Toppers by Maisie Parrish, published by David & Charles, £14.99

The body and legs

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The drums 1 To make the drums for the elephant and the seal bases you will need 134g (4¾oz) of white modelling paste, equally divided. Roll each piece into a fat sausage shape and flatten with your hand, then push a 4cm (1½in) circle cutter into the paste. Each drum should measure 2x4cm (¾x1½in) (A). 2 To make the drum top, roll out 16g (5 ⁄ 8oz) of blue sugarpaste, cut out two 4cm (1½in) circles with the cutter and attach to the top of the drum. 3 To complete the flags for both drums you will need 6g (¼oz) each of yellow, blue and red sugarpaste and 3g (1⁄ 8oz) of green sugarpaste. Roll out the yellow, blue and red sugarpaste into strips measuring 2x7cm (¾x 2¾in) and cut out four triangles from each strip. Roll out the green sugarpaste into a strip measuring 2x3.5cm (¾x13 ⁄ 8in) and cut out two triangles. Attach the flags alternately around the drum.

1 To make the body you will need 17g (5 ⁄ 8oz) of grey sugarpaste with CMC (tylose) added, rolled into a cone shape (B). Place the cone in the centre of the drum, then push a piece of dry spaghetti down through the centre, leaving 2cm (¾in) showing at the top. Push two short pieces of dry spaghetti into the sides of the cone to take the front legs. 2 To make the back legs you will need 6g (¼oz) of grey sugarpaste with CMC added. Roll into a short sausage shape and make a diagonal cut in the centre. Flatten the ends of the legs with your fingers and attach to the base of the body, turning them outwards. 3 For the front legs, repeat step 2 using 4g (1 ⁄8oz) of grey sugarpaste with CMC added and attaching to the upper part of the body. 4 To make the tail you will need 1g of grey sugarpaste rolled into a tapered cone shape. Make a diagonal cut at the thickest end of the cone and, using a modelling knife tool, feather the other end of the tail by marking it with downward strokes. Attach the tail to the back of the elephant.

The head 1 To complete the head you will need 15g (½oz) of grey sugarpaste with CMC added, rolled into a ball. Place the ball onto the work surface and using your finger, roll out half of it to make a trunk. Make a curve in the trunk and push the end of a bone tool inside to

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form a hole. Use the edge of a 2cm (¾in) circle cutter to mark a smile and open the mouth using the soft end of your paintbrush. 2 For the eyes, take off enough from 1g of white modelling paste to make two small balls and place them close together just above the trunk. From 1g of black sugarpaste, roll two very small balls for the pupils and press them onto the eyeballs. 3 For the ears, you will need 4g (1⁄ 8oz) of grey sugarpaste with CMC added, equally divided and rolled into two small sausage shapes. Flatten the shapes with your fingers, making them wider at the base than at the top. Line the ears with 2g of fuchsia pink sugarpaste, equally divided, rolling the same shapes in a smaller size and attaching to the insides of the ears. Push short pieces of dry spaghetti into the sides of the head and slip the ears over the top, securing them with edible glue. 4 For the pink tongue and toes, take off a tiny amount from 1g of fuchsia pink sugarpaste to make a small cone shape for the tongue and insert inside the mouth. Make four small balls from the fuchsia sugarpaste and attach to each foot, pressing them on and flattening them with your finger.

top tip

Highlight the eyes with a cocktail stick (toothpick) dipped into some white edible paint.

THE SeAL

The body and fins 1 To complete the seal’s body you will need 30g (1oz) of grey sugarpaste with CMC added, rolled into a tapered cone shape. Flatten the tail with your finger and divide then mark the fins using a knife tool (C). 2 Shape the neck with your fingers, reducing the thickness and keeping the head rounded. Shape the body into a curve, keeping the head and tail upward. Push a piece of dry spaghetti into the drum and secure the centre of the body over the top. 3 Roll two fins using 5g (1 ⁄8oz) of grey sugarpaste, equally divided and rolled into two tapered cone shapes. Flatten the cones with your fingers and attach them to each side of the body.

Adding the features 1 Make two fat cheeks using 2g of grey sugarpaste mixed with 1g of white modelling paste to create a lighter shade. Equally divide the sugarpaste and roll into two fat cone shapes (C). Attach the pointed ends to the centre of the face and mark the whiskers with the rounded end of a knife tool. 2 For the lower jaw, roll a small oval shape from 1g of grey sugarpaste and attach under the cheeks. Take off a small amount from 1g of fuchsia pink sugarpaste, roll an oval shape for the tongue and attach between the jaw and the centre of the cheeks. 3 To make the eyes, take off enough from 1g of black sugarpaste to roll two small balls and then attach these just above the cheeks. Roll a cone shape from black sugarpaste for the nose and secure this between the tops of the cheeks. THE TENT

D

The base 1 To make the base you will need 105g (37 ⁄ 8oz) of white modelling paste. Roll into a fat sausage shape measuring 5cm (2in) in height, keeping the paste smooth. Push a piece of dry spaghetti through the centre, leaving 4cm (1¾in) showing at the top. Roll out 35g (1¼oz) of red sugarpaste, cut out four stripes measuring 1.5 6cm (5 ⁄ 8x23 ⁄ 8in) (D) and attach evenly around the base. 2 To make the top, roll 47g (1¾oz) of white modelling paste into a cone shape measuring 7cm (2¾in) in height. Flatten the cone at the bottom and use your fingers to spread it out to make it wider than the base. Make eight stripes using 16g (5 ⁄ 8oz) of red sugarpaste and 16g (5 ⁄ 8oz) of white modelling paste. Take off 4g (1⁄8oz) for each stripe and roll into a tapered sausage shape measuring 7cm (2¾in) in length. Widen and flatten the shapes with a rolling pin and arrange alternately around the top. Slip the completed top over the spaghetti in the base. From 1g (1 ⁄ 8oz) of red sugarpaste, roll a ball and attach on top of the tent.

The flags 1 To make the tape, roll out 2g of red sugarpaste and cut out a strip measuring 7x0.3cm (2¾x1 ⁄ 8in). For the flags you will need 1g of red, blue, green and yellow sugarpaste with CMC added, cut into 1.2cm (½in) squares. Cut the squares diagonally, attach a triangle from each colour to the tape and secure to the front of the tent.

top tip

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It is easier to attach the strip to the front of the tent first and then hang the flags on top.

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GI K 13/09/2016 11:17:37

3

techniques

2

piping buttercream

1

Skill level

Back and forth ruffles You will need

For the Cake • 20x15cm (8x6in) bottom tier, 15x7.5cm (6x3in) middle tier, 13x7.5cm (5x3in) top tier, round cakes to decorate • 800-1.25kg (1lb 12oz-2lb 12oz) buttercream • paste colour – blue (Sugarflair Baby Blue) equipment • dowel rods • piping bags • small petal nozzle (Wilton 104) • cake scraper or ruler • palette knife • cake stand or covered cake board

2 Using a side scraper or ruler, measure and mark equal sized narrow triangles all the way around the surface of the cakes. If you are using alternating colours for your ruffles, make sure you divide the cake into an equal rather than odd number of triangles.

4 As you work your way up the cake, change piping bag to the next shade of buttercream to achieve the gradient effect. Make sure you follow the marks on the cake and keep the pressure constant to avoid wavy ruffles.

making the cake

3 Place your chosen colour of buttercream in a piping bag fitted with a small petal nozzle (Wilton 104). Begin at the bottom and hold the piping bag vertically with the wide part of the nozzle against the cake. Continuously squeeze the bag in an ascending and back and forth motion, filling the marked triangles on the cake.

1 Cover your cake with a thin layer of buttercream. The surface does not necessarily have to be smooth, as it will be covered by the ruffles.

This type of ruffle uses a lot of buttercream and is therefore heavy, so make sure that each ruffle starts at the very base of the cake, so that the weight of the ruffle is supported.

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top tip

5 Change piping bag to the next shade of buttercream and continue working up to the cake top, making the ruffles smaller and smaller as you reach the tip of the triangle. 6 Change piping bag and start the next panel of ruffles, this time starting with the smallest ruffles at the base of the cake and working upwards, increasing the width following the marks on the cake. For contrast with the gradient ruffles we have used uncoloured buttercream here. 7 Continue working around the cake, piping the coloured and uncoloured ruffles alternately until you have covered the whole cake. Finish the cake with tiers with different textured finishes as desired.

Project and photography taken from The Contemporary Buttercream Bible by Valeri Valeriano and Christina Ong, published by David & Charles, £19.99

Ruffles are an easy and effective technique for creating elegant cakes and can be achieved using various different piping motions – back and forth, up and down and zigzag. Valeri Valeriano and Christina Ong show you how

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christmas

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techniques

3

using moulds with sugarpaste, using tylo powder with sugarpaste

2 1

Skill level

cascade of brooches Make a classic white wedding cake with brooch moulds that create a striking cascade of sugarpaste. This vintage delight is by Marie McGrath from Marie’s Bakehouse (www.mariesbakehouse.co.uk) You will need

for the CAKE • 15cm (6in), 20cm (8in) and 25cm (10in) round cakes, filled, covered and stacked To decorate • vegetable fat, eg Trex • buttercream • white sugarpaste • tylo powder • royal icing equipment • 25cm (10in) cake drum • dowels • lustre spray or dust • paintbrush • white ribbon • various brooch and gem moulds

C O V ERING THE B O A RD

1 Fill, crumb coat, then cover, dowel and stack the three round cakes. 2 Cover the drum board. 3 Trim the board and the bottom of each cake with ribbon, securing at the back with a small blob of royal icing. DE C OR A TING THE C A K E

4 Mix some of the white sugarpaste with the tylo powder (or you can use flower paste instead). A ratio of 1 tsp tylo powder to 250g (9oz) of sugarpaste works well. Make sure that whenever you are not using the paste, keep it wrapped in a food bag so it does not dry out. 5 Using your fingers, smear a bit of vegetable fat into the mould you are using to prevent the paste from sticking. Push a ball

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of sugarpaste into the mould, removing any excess with the pad of your thumb. Do not use a sharp knife to cut away the excess, as this can damage your mould. Pop the brooches and gems out from the moulds. 6 Put the brooches and gems onto a sheet of kitchen paper to start to dry and, when you

have made enough of them, spray with the lustre spray, or wait until they have dried out a bit and dust lustre dust over the surface using a soft paintbrush. 7 Add a little royal icing on the back of each sugar brooch and gem and stick into place.

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3

techniques

2

carving and layering cakes, covering with ganache, making chocolate tubes

1

Skill level

TREE STUMP CAKE If you're stumped for an idea for a cake theme, then Elise Strachan's tree stump design may be the perfect inspiration. It's a distinctive look, fun to create and it's a super-tasty chocolate treat to eat. You will need

For the rich choc mud batter makes one batch

• • • •

250g (9oz) salted butter 180ml (6fl oz) water 8 tsp instant coffee 250g (9oz) dark or milk chocolate, chopped or broken • 150g (5¼oz) plain flour, sifted • 150g (5¼oz) self-raising flour, sifted • 500g (1lb 2oz) caster sugar • 60g (2oz) unsweetened cocoa powder • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda • 5 extra-large free-range eggs, lightly beaten (room temperature is best) • 125ml (4fl oz) buttermilk • 3½ tbsp vegetable oil For the milk choc ganache makes one batch

• 300ml (10fl oz) whipping cream • 650g (1lb 7oz) milk chocolate For the Cake • 2 batches of choc mud cake batter • 2 batches of milk choc ganache, whipped • 220g (8oz) white sugar • 250ml (9fl oz) water • 25cm (10in) cake board • 13cm (5in) thin cake board • 450g (1lb) dark compound chocolate • 10 digestive biscuits • dark green food colouring • floral foam • 10cm (4in) thin cake board • fresh flowers (for decoration only) 1 Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 2½. Grease and flour four 15x7.5cm (6x3in) round cake tins. Line the bottoms with rounds of baking parchment. (If you only have two tins, do this in batches, and do not mix up the second batch of batter until you’re ready to bake the second set of cakes.)

2 For the cake batter, in a saucepan, mix the butter, water and coffee over medium heat until the mix comes to a slow boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until it’s completely melted. Set aside to cool to room temperature. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda and make a well in the centre. Pour in the eggs, buttermilk, oil and chocolate mixture, and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps. 3 Scrape into the tins, and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out

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clean, about 45-55 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely. 4 While the cakes cool, make the ganache. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a rolling boil. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until there are no lumps. 5 In a small saucepan, make a simple syrup. Bring the white sugar and water to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. 6 Carve and level the cakes. Halve each cake horizontally to make eight layers – set one layer aside to use for tree roots. Using the

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20/10/2016 14:29

b i r t h d ay

This is a beautiful cake for any occasion, including a wedding or anniversary, but replacing the fresh flowers with small, brightly coloured edible blooms and tiny fairies makes a beautiful woodland fairy cake for kids.

top tip

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B I R T H D AY

25cm (10in) cake board, stack and layer the remaining seven layers, brushing each with simple syrup and frosting with ganache. Using the 13cm (5in) cake board, add supports at the fourth layer. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 7 Apply a thin coat of ganache around the outside and top of the cake. Cut the reserved cake layer into six wedges like a pie. Trim the wedges to make six triangles and place them pointy-side-out around the base of the cake to create roots. Carve the roots to blend them with the cake. Cover the roots with ganache and return to the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. 8 Melt the dark chocolate. Tear off three 20x30cm (8x10in) parchment pieces and crumple each into a ball and then smooth out on the counter. This provides texture. 9 Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of melted chocolate to coat. Roll up to form a 2.5cm (1in) tube and refrigerate to set. Repeat to make a second tube. 10 Meanwhile, remove the cake from the fridge and apply a 5mm (¼in) coating of ganache to the top and sides, and over the roots. Use a ruler to smooth out the top and roughly level off the sides. 11 Drag the tip of a teaspoon back in a circular motion around the top of the cake to create tree rings. Drag a fork up the side of the cake and over the roots to create texture. 12 Remove the chocolate tubes from the fridge and unroll to create bark. 13 Place pieces of the bark all over the cake, allowing them to just slightly protrude over the top of the cake and get them as close together as possible. Use smaller pieces to cover the roots. 14 Remelt the rest of the chocolate along with any unused shards and, using a paintbrush, paint over the shards on the cake to join the chocolate pieces and create more texture. 15 Finely, crush the biscuits in a zip-seal bag. Add 1 tsp of food colouring and shake the bag to distribute. The crumbs should stick together a little and resemble moss. Stick small tufts of moss in patches around the base of the tree stump using the ganache as the glue. 16 Cut a small piece of floral foam and place onto the 10cm (4in) cake board. Cover in clingfilm to prevent the foam from touching the cake. Insert flowers into the clingfilmcovered floral foam. Place onto the top of the cake, securing in place with a little leftover ganache if required.

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This project is taken from Sweet! Celebrations by Elise Strachan, photography by Lauren Bamford, published by Murdoch Books, RRP £20.

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20/10/2016 14:30

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APP 3 2 1

cove r cake

techniqueS painting on cakes, making Flowers

Skill level

Wonderful Watercolour cake You will need

For the cake • 3 x 25cm (10in) round sponges • 3 x 15cm (6in) round sponges • buttercream • filling of your choice to decorate • white sugarpaste • teal, purple and pink lustre dust or food colouring • dark pink flower paste • clear alcohol, lemon juice or vanilla extract • royal icing • wired flower centre • florist tape • florist wire equipment • 15cm (6in) and 25cm (10in) cake boards • cake smoothers • dowels • rolling pin • palette knife • pieces of sponge • variety of paintbrushes with different bristles • peony cutter • impression mould • foam pad • ball tool • cocktail stick • paint palette

1 Start by levelling the tops of all the cakes until they’re flat. Put one 25cm (10in) sponge on the same size cake board, cover with a layer of buttercream and filling, then add another sponge on top. Repeat with the third layer, crumb coat the whole cake with buttercream, then place in the fridge to firm up. Repeat with the 15cm (6in) cake and cake board. 2 Once the cakes are firm, roll out the white sugarpaste on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar to around 5mm (¼in). Using the rolling pin, lift the sugarpaste and use to cover the 25cm (10in) cake. Use the icing smoothers to get a smooth finish. Remove excess. Repeat for the 15cm (6in) cake. 3 Place the 25cm (10in) cake on a cake stand or drum, then dowel with five dowels. Spread the centre of the cake with a little royal icing and place the top layer on top. Leave to set in place. 4 Now it’s time to mix colours. If you’re using lustre dust, mix it in a paint palette with clear alcohol, lemon juice or vanilla extract to make a paint. If you’re using liquid food colouring, you can use this as it is, if you’re using a paste, dilute it a little as for the dusts. 5 Load a sponge with some teal paint. This is your base layer, so you need to apply a thin layer of paint all over the cake by dotting the sponge onto the surface. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bit patchy, that adds to the watercolour effect. If it’s looking a little too perfect, dip a paintbrush in the clear liquid and brush over small areas of the cake to dilute the paint and expose the white sugarpaste a little. 6 Now’s the important bit in the watercolour process – leave this layer to dry! The way to get the perfect finish is to let each coat dry before building up the next colour. 7 Once the paint is dry, load up a brush with quite thick bristles with paint and brush over

10 cake decorating heaven september / october

the cake randomly to create nice texture. You want to use quite a lot of paint on some areas and leave others a little more sparse. Alternate between brush strokes and stippling to create different looks. If you put too much paint on an area, you can remove with a paper towel, which will add to the textured effect. 8 Once you’re happy with the teal layer, leave to dry, clean your brushes, then add a layer of purple paint along the bottom of the base cake. Leave to dry, then paint pink over some of the purple. Use a clean brush with just a little clear liquid to blend the purple and pink together at points. Leave to dry. 9 To make the flower, work the flower paste until pliable. Roll it out on a worksurface dusted with icing sugar until about 3mm thick. Using a large peony cutter, cut out 10 petals. Carefully insert a length of florist wire through the centre of each petal. Press each petal into an impression mould to create texture marks. 10 Place each petal on the foam pad and roll the ball tool around the edge to thin out and create ruffles. Use the ball tool in the centre of the petal to curl the petal slightly. Leave to dry in a foam pad or flower former. 11 Now it’s time to assemble the flower. Start with the ready-made flower centre, then position five petals around it at equal distance. Tape the wires together with a little florist tape. Attach a second layer of petals around the outside, positioning them in between the first layer of petals and fixing the wires with more tape. Wind tape all the way down the wires to create the stem. Bend and shape the petals to shape the flower as you wish. 12 Either attach to the top of the cake with a little royal icing, or place in a posy pick and push into the top of the cake.

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Cover image photography © Satu Knape from Fotograf Satu AB. Cake made by Lisa Lundqvist-Obing from Sockerrus

turn your cake into a masterpiece by giving it a glorious watercolour painting effect. It not only looks fabulous, but achievable too.

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COVERING THE CAKE BOARD

Making the ribbon and bow trim

3 2 1 TECHNIQUES

LAYERING AND COVERING, USING MOULDS AND EXTRUDER GUN, MOULDING FLOWER PASTE

SKILL LEVEL

VINTAGE GERBERA CAKE

1 Use a brush to dampen your 20cm (8in) cake board with cooled boiled water, then roll out the sugarpaste until it is about 3mm in thickness – you can use guides to ensure that your paste is even. Lift the paste onto the cake board and smooth the surface with your smoothers, then trim off the excess with a knife. 2 Glue stick the sides of your board and attach the gold ribbon. Start at the front of the board so that the bow will cover where the ribbon joins together.

Make a cake with style and elegance by Sarah Lou Smith from Sensational Sugar Art (www.sensationalsugarart.co.uk) 3 To make the bow, cut a 15cm (6in) piece of ribbon and use a glue stick to stick the ends of the ribbon together, pressing down in the centre to make the bow shape. Cut another piece of ribbon 5cm (2in) long for the centre of the bow and attach using the glue stick. Stick this on the front of the cake board.

YOU WILL NEED

FOR THE CAKE • 15cm (6in) round cake TO DECORATE • seedless jam • buttercream • Trex or other vegetable shortening EQUIPMENT • 15cm (6in) cake card • 20cm (8in) cake drum • cornflour for dusting • rolling pin • cake smoother • knife • cool boiled water or sugar glue • ruler • 15mm wide gold ribbon • white sugarpaste • white flower paste • black flower paste • glue stick

• • • • • • • • • •

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heart shaped push cutters pearl chain mould frame and silhouette cutter gerbera cutter set small piping nozzle clay extruder gun Sugarflair fuchsia Sugarflair daffodil yellow Rainbow Dust citrus green dusting brush

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b i r t h d ay

3 Once the cake is covered you can attach it to the cake board using royal icing or ganache to secure it. M AKING T HE P LA Q U E Making the Gerbera

The gerbera flower topper will take a few days to dry, so you will need to make this ahead of making your cake. 1 Colour up some white flower paste using daffodil yellow Sugarflair. 2 Roll the paste out very thinly and cut out three of the largest gerbera petal cutters. Turn the cutter with the paste in upside down and rub across it with your hand to neaten up the edges. 3 Using the spoon end of the Dresden tool, gently stroke the petals inwards to give them shape and lift. 4 Cut out three of the two other sized petal

Torting and Filling the Cake

cutters and shape in the same way as the large petals. Dab a small amount of cool boiled water or sugar glue to attach the layers of petals together. 5 Cut out the centre of the flower and attach, then dust with Rainbow Dust citrus green. Use a soft brush and dip it into the green dust, then tap off the excess onto a piece of kitchen roll before dusting the centre of the flower. 6 I usually put my finished flower into handshaped tin foil, so that it will dry in the shape you want. 7 Leave the flower to dry for a few days.

1 I baked a vanilla Madeira cake that was 7.5cm (3in) deep. I cut the cake into 2.5cm (1in) layers. Attach the bottom layer to a 15cm (6in) cake card using buttercream, then spread seedless jam on the cake and buttercream onto the layer above. Attach the next layer and add jam and buttercream in the same way. You can then crumb coat the cake ready for covering.

1 Thinly roll out some white sugarpaste and cut out the plaque shape using the cutter, then use a piping nozzle to cut out small circle details around the edges of the plaque. Once this is complete, attach it to the cake using cooled boiled water or sugar glue.

M AKING T HE S ILHO U E T T E

2 Colour up some white sugarpaste using Sugarflair fuchsia and cover the cake.

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down. Using a knife or a spatula, gently cut off the excess paste, then remove the pearls from the mould – it took six of these pearl strips to go all the way around the cake. Once they are all cut, position them around the cake and cut off any excess pearls, then attach to the cake.

and cut out the bunting shapes. Add a small yellow heart to half of the bunting.

MAKING THE HEARTS

1 Roll out thinly some black flower paste and cut out the lady using the silhouette cutter. Roll out some of the yellow flower paste leftover from making the gerbera. Using a circle cutter, cut out the shape of the hairband. Hand cut a small bow to go onto the hair band. Attach both to the silhouette, then stick this onto the plaque on the cake using cooled boiled water or sugar glue.

1 Roll out some more of the yellow flower paste and cut out two different sized hearts to attach to the front of the cake with a little water or sugar glue.

3 To use your sugarpaste in your extruder gun, you will first need to make it more pliable and this is done by adding Trex or another vegetable shortening. The paste will become more chewing gum-like in consistency, so it will flow freely from the extruder gun.

THE FINAL TOUCHES

Marking and attaching bunting to the cake

MAKING THE PEARL TRIM

1 To make sure you attach the bunting onto the cake evenly, mark the top of the cake into quarters. Using the centre of the attached plaque, use a ruler to mark the same point on the opposite side of the cake, then across the centre to make quarters. This is where you will attach the ribbon to hold the bunting onto the cake.

4 Paint water onto the cake where you want the hanging trim to drape. Measure each side so that the centre of the trim is 2.5cm (1in) down from the top of the cake, then extrude the ribbons out and attach to the sides of the cake. 5 Once the trim is in place you can attach the bunting, which I alternated as one plain and then one with a heart motif on.

6 Attach the gerbera to the top of the cake and you now have a beautiful cake to enjoy or give away as a present.

1 Dust the pearl trim mould with cornflour and roll out a sausage shape of white sugarpaste. Push this into the mould and press it

2 Roll out some white flower paste thinly and cut into a strip, then mark off each 1cm (½in)

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3 2 1

Skill level techniques

moulding sugarpaste, using texture mat, baking biscuits

Snow globe biscuits Christmas snowmen These brilliant biscuits by Trudy Mitchell from Jelly Cake (www.jellycake.co.uk) will get everyone asking just how you made them! You will need

For the Biscuits • 75g (2¾oz) butter • 3 tbsp golden syrup • 1 tbsp black treacle • 100g (3½oz) light brown sugar • 3 tsp ground ginger • 2 tsp ground cinnamon • ¾ tsp ground cloves • 300g (10½oz) plain flour • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda • clear mints To decorate • 550g (1lb 3oz) white sugarpaste • white royal icing • blue food colouring paste • snowflake sprinkles (or sprinkles of your choice) • edible glue • icing sugar Equipment • large snowman cookie cutter • small circle cookie cutter • baking trays • greaseproof paper • knitted texture mat (from Truly Madly Sweetly Cupcakes) • edible pens – black and orange • small knife

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1 Place the butter, syrup, treacle and sugar into a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and butter has melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the spices. Mix together the flour and bicarbonate of soda and beat them into the hot mixture to make a smooth dough and leave to cool slightly. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). 2 Turn the dough onto a floured surface or baking parchment, knead lightly and roll out to approximately 5mm (¼in) thickness. You will need three snowman shapes for each finished biscuit – one whole snowman and two with a circle cut out at the base of each shape. Cut out the snowmen using the biscuit cutter. Re-roll the trimmings to cut more shapes and place them onto parchment lined baking sheets. 3 Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and place the baking sheets and biscuits into the fridge for 15 minutes while the oven heats up. 4 While the biscuits are in the fridge, unwrap the mints and either grind them in a food processor or place in a bag and bash with a rolling pin until finely ground. Cook the biscuits for 7 minutes, then remove from the oven and carefully sprinkle the mints into the cut out circle of the snowman, one per finished biscuit. Cook for a further 3-5 minutes until lightly browned and the mints have completely melted. Leave to cool completely on the baking sheets.

5 Knead the sugarpaste until pliable, then take a small 50g (1¾oz) piece, colour it pale blue and wrap in clingfilm. Dust the worktop with icing sugar and roll out the white sugarpaste to approximately 2-3mm thick. Cut out snowman shapes and, using the circle cutter, cut a circle from the base of each snowman. Take the biscuits with the mint circles and sparingly spread watered down royal icing over the surface of the biscuit. Carefully place the sugarpaste onto the biscuit, very gently smoothing it to manoeuvre it into place and adhere. Repeat for the other snowman/mint biscuits. ASSEM B L IN G THE B ISCUITS

6 To assemble the biscuits, take a whole, a cut-out and a sugarpaste-coated, mint-filled snowman. Spread the back of the cut-out biscuit with watered down royal icing and adhere to the top of the whole snowman. Take your sprinkles and fill the cut out until just below the top of the biscuit, do not overfill. Spread the back of the mint snowman with royal icing and place on top, pressing gently to adhere. Repeat with the other snowmen and leave to set. 7 While the biscuits are setting, roll out the blue sugarpaste and cut a scarf shape for each snowman. Using the knitted texture mat, gently press it over each scarf to create the knitted effect. Adhere the scarves to the snowmen using some edible glue or cooled, boiled water. With the black edible pen, mark the eyes, mouth and button and use the orange pen to draw the carrot nose.

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3

techniques

2

cake carving, crumb coating, covering with sugarpaste

1

Skill level

Supersize Sprinkle Cupcake up for about 20 minutes. If your cake is crumbly, you may need to neaten the surface with a second coat of buttercream or ganache. 3 Next, carve the top of the cupcake. Place the other 18cm (7in) round cake onto the 18cm (7in) board/card and make a little mark in the centre top of the cake with a knife. Carve out a pointed dome-like shape, cutting down from the central mark at the top of the cake to the 18cm (7in) base.

You will need

For the Cake • two 18cm (7in) round, 4.5cm (1¾in) deep cakes: one for the cupcake base and one for the top, layered and filled with buttercream or ganache To decorate • 350g (12oz) buttercream or ganache, for coating the cakes • sugarpaste – 700g (1lb 9oz) powder blue-coloured (mix blue with a touch of purple), 500g (1lb 2oz) white • royal icing • flower (petal/gum) paste – 10g (¼oz) pink, 10g (¼oz) slightly darker pink, 20g (¼oz) very pale pink • pearl white lustre dust • 25cm (10in) cake drum iced in dusky pink sugarpaste Equipment • 18cm (7in) and 15cm (6in) pieces of 5mm (¼in) foam board or thin cake card • three dowels or large straws, at least 15cm (6in) long • 5cm (2in) heart cutter • small piping bag • 1m (40in) length of 1.5cm (5 ∕8in) dusky pink ribbon

M A K I N G t h e c ak e

1 Start by carving the base of the cupcake. Sit one of the cakes on the 18cm (7in) foam board or cake card and stick the 15cm (6in) board/card centrally on top using buttercream or ganache. Carefully carve a sloping edge all the way around the cake from the 15cm (6in) board/card down to the 18cm (7in) one. Make sure you keep your blade angled outwards to avoid cutting into the base too much. Once you have made the first cuts all the way around, trim and neaten the shape by going around the cake with the knife held upwards. 2 Cover the cake in buttercream or ganache. Remove the 18cm (7in) base card/board and place the cake on a chopping board or flat plate before placing it in the fridge to firm

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Project and photography taken from Simply Perfect Party Cakes For Kids by Zoe Clark, published by David & Charles, £15.99

Giant cupcakes are simple and fun to make, not just for children’s parties but for adult celebrations too! Zoe Clark's supersize cupcake is covered in sugarpaste with a carved swirl, but you can create a buttercream peak too!

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4 Once you have a neat, even shape, use an edible pen or knife to mark a swirl, starting from the top and going around and down to the bottom. Start carving out the swirl with a small sharp knife. If you aren’t confident, first make a small indentation only, then carve more of the cake out little by little. Use your hands to help shape the sponge – press in the indents with your fingers and brush off the crumbs.

2 Use the flat side of a cake smoother to make indentations in the soft icing all the way around the cake. Turn the cake up the right way and set aside.

3 Cover the swirl cake in white sugarpaste, using your hands to smooth the icing into the grooves of the swirl. Use a small piece of sugarpaste dusted with cornflour to help smooth over the sugarpaste to get a better finish.

top tip

4 Roll out the pink flower paste to 3mm thick and use the cutter to cut out the heart topper. Set aside to dry. Roll a long, thin sausage from darker pink flower paste and cut 1cm (3⁄8in) pieces for the sprinkles (sugar strands). Roll marble-sized balls of pale pink flower paste for the dragees (sugar balls) and dust everything with pearl lustre. 5 Use a small piping bag filled with royal icing to attach the heart topper and sprinkles onto the cupcake and drum. Finally, secure dusky pink ribbon around the cake drum.

top tip

You can finish the cupcake top with buttercream applied with a palette knife if you prefer.

5 Carefully coat the cake in a thin layer of buttercream or ganache and place it in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. d e c o r at i n g t h e c a k e

1 Place the cupcake base on some greaseproof (wax) paper, still upside down with the 15cm (6in) card or board on top, and cover it with the blue sugarpaste. Carefully slice off the top of the sugarpaste to reveal the card underneath.

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3

wedding

2 1

Skill level techniques

Moulding sugarpaste, using lustre dust

Precious ring mini cake This stunning ring box mini cake by Zoe Clark is perfect to celebrate an engagement, it makes a gorgeous gift for that special occasion.

Project and photography taken from Chic & Unique Vintage Cakes by Zoe Clark, published by David & Charles, £19.99

You will need

For the cAKE • 6x5cm (2½x2in) deep square miniature un-iced cakes To decorate • sugarpaste – ivory, brown • flower (petal/gum) paste – pale coffee, grey • black food paste colouring • CMC • edible glue • silver lustre Equipment • brooch mould • sharp knife • paintbrudh • lace mould • lace trim cutter 1 Cover the top of the cake with a small square of ivory sugarpaste about 3-4mm (1⁄8in) thick. Make a slit in the sugarpaste with a sharp knife and tease it open slightly for the ring to sit in. Add a small amount of CMC (tylose) to the brown sugarpaste to stiffen it, then roll out the paste to 2mm thick and cut out the sides of the box. Cut the opposite sides first, then the other two. These should stick to the coating on the cake, although you can use edible glue if necessary where they

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join at the corners. Make the lid in the same way – cut out the top square first, then the sides and set aside to dry. 2 Make the pointed trim around the box and lid using the pale coffee coloured flower (petal/gum) paste. Use the lace mould to indent texture into the paste and the lace trim cutter to cut a pointed edge strip. Attach to the cake and repeat for the top. 3 Roll a tiny sausage from grey flower paste and cut it to about 3cm (1¼in). Let it harden a

little in a curved position so it holds its shape, then measure it, trim if necessary, and position in the slit in the ivory icing. Make the top of the ring by pressing grey flower paste into the middle of a brooch mould, then paint the central part with black food paste colouring and the outer part with silver lustre. Adhere it to the top of the ring with edible glue.

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3

techniques

2

covering with sugarpaste, cutting and embossing sugarpaste

1

Skill level

Christmas Gingerbread House This colourful gingerbread house designed by Cake Craft World (www.cakecraftworld.co.uk) makes a great Christmas cake topper. You can design and create your own template or use a birdhouse cutter. You will need

For the Cake • 18cm (7in) round sponge or fruit cake to decorate • 25cm (10in) petal drum cake drum • 750g (1lb 10oz) Sattina true red sugarpaste • 500g (1lb 2oz) Sattina white sugarpaste • candy cane sprinkles • red sugar balls • red and black edible ink pens • edible glue • 3-in-1 Sattina modelling paste • Sattina Ready-To-Use royal icing mix • Sugarflair chestnut brown paste colour Equipment • birdhouse cutter set • lower and upper alphabet cutters • easy bunting cutters • easy flow smoother tool • cornflour pouch • rolling pin • hessian rolling pin • geometric cutter set • straight frill set 1-4 • holly plunger cutter • round wavy edge plaque cutter • patchwork cutter quilting embosser • gingerbread man cutter • small flat palette knife • no.2 piping tube and piping bag

Dust your work surface with icing sugar when covering a cake in sugarpaste and cornflour when making decorations to go on the top of your cake.

top tip

COVERING THE CAKE & BOARD

1 Covering the board in white sugarpaste is not essential, but it does make the cake stand out. Brush the board with a little cooled, boiled water, then dust your work surface with icing sugar and knead and roll out approximately 500g (1lb 2oz) of white sugarpaste. Lift up and place onto the board, smoothing over with the palm of your hand or a cake smoother, then cut off any excess icing around the edge of the board with a small palette knife. 2 Place the cake separately on a work board, then knead approximately 750g (1lb 10oz) of red sugarpaste and roll out large enough to cover the top and sides of the cake. Leave overnight to dry, then carefully place the cake onto the cake board, attaching with some royal icing. 3 Cut out a plaque in white sugarpaste using the round wavy edge cutter and attach it to the centre of the cake with edible glue. Wrap a ribbon around the bottom edge of the cake and secure in place with edible glue, then another length of ribbon around the board edge, adhering it with a glue stick or doublesided tape.

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Making the house 4 To make the gingerbread house, colour approximately 250g (9oz) modelling paste light brown, then roll out to 3mm thick. Cut out a front and back panel, two side panels and two roof panels, then leave to dry overnight, turning once after a couple of hours. Cut out two gingerbread men and leave overnight to dry as well. D E C O R AT I N G T H E C A K E

Creating the bunting 5 This hessian effect bunting is also made using the brown modelling paste. To stop the

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christmas

Use a cake smoother to achieve a professional finish on your sugarpaste cakes – it will really make a difference!

top tip

Finally, brush a little edible glue onto each piece of bunting and press into position so that it forms hanging bunting around the sides of the cake.

paste sticking, dust your work top with the cornflour pouch, then roll out the paste to around 4mm thickness. Now carefully roll over again using the hessian embossed mini rolling pin and cut out the bunting using the easy bunting cutters, which come in three sizes. If you wish to add a suitably cheery Christmas message, cut out some lettering in a different colour using modelling paste and the lower and upper alphabet set and attach to the bunting with edible glue.

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THE FINAL TOUCHES

6 When dry, assemble the 3D gingerbread house on the cake by piping lines of royal icing along the inside edges using a small piping bag with a no.2 writing tube. Leave to dry, then add doors and windows, cutting

out the shapes in modelling paste and attaching with edible glue. Make the snowy roof out of a rectangle of white sugarpaste. You can keep it simple, or if you want to make it more decorative, use the patchwork quilting embosser and the straight frill cutter to shape the edges. Decorate with an array of sprinkles, coloured chocolate buttons, icing holly, red berries and add a couple of gingerbread men (use edible ink pens to draw on the faces).

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techniques

2

colouring sugarpaste, using food pens

1

Skill level

Cascade of Vibrant Flowers Discover a quick and easy way to add colour and vibrancy to a cake with this floral design by Rainbow Dust Colours (www.rainbowdust.co.uk). It's perfect for when you need to make a great cake in a hurry. You will need

For the Cake • 8cm (3in), 13cm (5in) and 18cm (7in) square cakes, all 10cm (4in) deep to decorate • Rainbow Dust ProGel – turquoise, pink, lemon • Rainbow Dust Food Art Pens – dusky pink, yellow, teal • white sugarpaste • white flower paste • royal icing • edible glue equipment • five-petal rose cutters, 65mm and 50mm • 23cm (9in) square, 12mm drum board • 13cm (5in) and 18cm (7in) square, 1mm thin boards • smoother • edger • dowels 1 Place the 18cm (7in) square cake onto the 23cm (9in) square board, and the 13cm (5in) square and 8cm (3in) square cakes onto the same size boards, using a small amount of buttercream to secure each cake in place. Split and fill each cake with your chosen filling, then spread a thin layer of buttercream around the sides and top. 2 Colour enough sugarpaste to cover the bottom tier using pink ProGel, the middle tier using turquoise ProGel and finally the top tier using lemon ProGel. Leave overnight to firm. 3 Once dry, dowel and stack each tier of cake using a small amount of softened sugarpaste over each of the dowels. This secures each cake in place. 4 Roll out a small amount of the turquoise sugarpaste into a thin sausage shape, using a

smoother to help keep the shape even. Secure this in place around the base of the bottom tier with edible glue. Repeat this process for the middle tier using lemon sugarpaste and for the top tier using pink sugarpaste. 5 Next, roll out the white flower paste and cut out your shapes using both sizes of the five-petal rose cutters. Place each of the shapes onto a piece of foam to dry completely. These shapes can also be made well in advance, ready to decorate.

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6 Finish off by adding a line of colour around each shape and a small circle for the centre, using a black Food Art Pen. Colour the centre area of each shape using the colours teal, yellow and dusky pink Food Art Pens, using the thicker end of the pen. Secure each flower shape to your cake using a little royal icing. 7 This way of decorating your cakes creates a quick, easy and fun way to add colour to any of your designs.

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TECHNIQUES

3

SHAPING MODELLING PASTE, PAINTING WITH EDIBLE DUST, USING CUTTERS, STENCILS AND EMBOSSERS

2

PRIZEWINNING ROSETTES

1

SKILL LEVEL

Whether winning ‘Best in Show’ or coming first in a three-legged race, there are a thousand excellent reasons to celebrate and a Lindy Smith rosette cake is a wonderful and edible keepsake.

YOU WILL NEED

FOR THE CAKE • 6.5cm (2½in) and 7.5cm (3in) round mini cakes, preferably baked in multimini tins TO DECORATE • sugarpaste – pink and aqua • buttercream • pastillage, small amount per cake • modelling paste – white, pink, dark pink, aqua blue, light aqua blue, light lime and black • edible dusts – rose pink, lime green, blue-green • royal icing, small amount • sugar glue EQUIPMENT • cake boards – hardboard cake boards the same size as your cakes • templates – 8cm (3¼in) and 7.5cm (3in) segmented circles, see page 112 • foam pad • spacers, 5mm (¼in) and 1mm • smoother • craft knife • paintbrushes • cutters – 4cm (1½in), 3cm (1¼in) and 2.3cm (1in) circles, 38mm (1½in) and 50mm (2in) from the five petal cutter set, two smallest cutters from Persian petal set 1 • stencils – cherry blossom (LC106), elegant flower cupcake top stencils (LC112) • embossers – flowers 1 embossing stamp set • button mould, patterned set (AM089) • glass-headed dressmakers’ pins • palette knife

THE ROSETTE

The back 1 Copy the two eight segment circle templates (see page 112) and place under clear plastic. Note that the 8cm (3¼in) diameter circle is used for 7.5cm (3in) cakes and the 7.5cm (3in) diameter circle for 6.5cm (2½in) cakes. 2 Roll out the pastillage between 1mm spacers and, using the 4cm (1½in) circle cutter, cut out a disc for each rosette you plan to make. Place each disc centrally on top of a template and mark the segments using a palette knife. Quickly lift the circles and place on the foam pad to dry thoroughly.

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Project and photography taken from Lindy Smith's Mini Cakes Academy by Lindy Smith, published by David & Charles, £19.99

SEASONAL |

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These pastillage discs are used to secure the rosettes to the mini cakes.

top tip

The rosettes can be made in advance, then dried and stored until needed.

any excess dust is removed from the stencil to prevent any stray dust falling onto the pattern as you lift the stencil. Carefully lift the stencil away from the paste to reveal the pattern. Then take the 3cm (1¼in) circle cutter and cut a circle from the stencilled pattern. 4 Reposition the dried pastillage circles on top of the templates and cover their tops with sugar glue. Loosely fold over part of the stencilled circle as shown and place on the pastillage disc. Create seven more stencilled circles, exactly like the first, and position to create an attractive ring of folded circles.

Creating the outer layer 1 Knead a small amount of white modelling paste to warm it, then roll out between the 1mm spacers. Place your chosen stencil on top of the paste. I used my elegant flower cupcake stencil, but any small floral stencil of the right size should be suitable. Using a smoother, gently press onto the stencil just enough to help prevent it moving.

You can add as many different colours to your stencil as you wish, but try to use clean brushes when changing colour. Remove all excess dust between colours to ensure that your dust colours do not mix and become muddy.

top tip

Adding the two-layer flower

2 Next dip a paintbrush into the rose pink edible dust, knock off any excess, then carefully dust over the petal sections of the stencil, varying the intensity of colour by adding more or less dust. Take a clean brush and dust over new sections of the pattern with lime green, taking care not to spread the green onto the pink petals. Also note that you only need to colour an area of 3cm (1¼in) diameter not the whole stencil. Finally, add the blue-green dust to the remaining sections. 3 Once all sections are complete, ensure that

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1 Roll out the aqua blue modelling paste between 1mm spacers. Take the 5cm (2in) five petal cutter and, rather than pressing the cutter into the paste, lift the paste and place it over the cutting edge of the cutter. Roll over the modelling paste with a rolling pin, this ensures that you achieve a clean cut with no untidy feathering. 2 Run your finger over the edges of the cutter, then turn the cutter over and carefully press out the paste using a soft paintbrush. Place in the centre of the rosette, attaching it to the stencilled circles with a small amount of sugar glue. 3 Repeat using the dark rose paste and the

38mm (1½in) five petal cutter. Position this smaller flower as shown, again using sugar glue to secure.

The black and ruffle button

1 To make the black ruffle, roll out a strip of black modelling paste between 1mm spacers and cut one edge straight using a sharp craft knife to achieve a clean line. Pick the strip up and pleat the paste as shown. 2 Place the paste back on your work surface and trim to a width of 1cm (½in). Paint sugar glue over the centre of the rosette and carefully wind the pleated paste around to form a 2.7cm (1in) circle, as shown. 3 Roll a ball of black paste to fill the centre of the rosette to create a platform on which to put the central button. 4 For the button, roll a ball of paste slightly larger than the button mould cavity and place into the mould, ensuring that the sugar surface is perfectly smooth. Push the paste firmly, then remove any excess with a palette knife so the back of the mould is flat. With your finger or a Dresden tool, ensure that the holes in the centre of the button are visible and not covered with paste.

5 Using your finger, push the back of the mould to help release the sugar button cleanly, flexing the mould this way should prevent the holes in the sugar button distorting. It may take you a couple of attempts! Attach in place with sugar glue and allow to dry. C o v e r i n g a n d d e c o r at i n g

1 Level your mini cakes to a height equal to the diameter of the cakes. If you baked your

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cake in multi-mini tins then the height will be the top of the tin. Attach the cakes to hardboard cake boards the same size as the diameter of the cakes using buttercream as glue. 2 Cover the cakes with buttercream and then your chosen colour of sugarpaste. Once you are happy with the finish, place the cakes to one side to dry. 3 Place a small amount of royal icing on the back of the large rosette and attach it to the side of a 7.5cm (3in) mini cake, ensuring that the holes in the button are aligned either vertically or horizontally. Use a glass-headed dressmakers’ pin to temporarily hold the rosette in place.

shown. Reapply some royal icing to the back of the rosette and attach back in place. 4 Add dark rose sugar buttons around the rosette as shown on the completed cake.

Decorating the smaller cake Make the smaller rosette in exactly the same way as you made the large one, but use the cherry blossom stencil and the 2.3cm (1in) circle cutter for the outer layer. To add the outer petals, follow the same instructions as for the larger rosette, but use the smaller 1.8cm (¾in) Persian petal cutter and the multi petal daisy embosser.

T H E L A R G E A N D S M A L L R O S E T T E C A K E T E M P L AT E s

Creating the Persian petal shapes

1 Thinly roll out the black modelling paste between 1mm spacers. Take the five-petal flower embosser from the embossing set and, holding it between your thumb and forefinger at right angles to the paste, press into the soft paste. Repeat seven more times, leaving space between the flowers. Next take the 2cm (¾in) wide Persian petal cutter and cut out eight shapes as shown. 2 Using a damp paintbrush, position the cut-out shapes onto the cake so it appears from the front of the cake that the shapes are a continuation of the rosette itself. Make sure that the shapes are equally spaced and adjust as necessary. Cut the shapes to fit at the base of the cake as required.

3 Make eight more Persian petal shapes, but this time from dark rose modelling paste. Temporarily remove the rosette and stick the dark rose petals between the black ones as

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baking heaven

Scandinavian baking On sale 1 December

Discover the ultimate recipes in winter comfort eating

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE DIFFERENT BAKING FATS

Bake and decorate fashion inspired afternoon tea treats HOW TO…

* Contents subject to change

• Make your own stollen • Bake the best pork pies • Create perfect cinnamon swirls

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3

techniques

2

making and applying cake lace, moulding flower paste, piping royal icing

1

Skill level

Lacy Appliqués and Leaves Inspired by an Oscar de la Renta dress, Zoe Clark translated sweet tumbling blossoms, the textured tulle netting backdrop and the matching scalloped veil onto this elegant four-tiered cake.

For the Cake • 13cm (5in) round, 11.5cm (4½in) deep; 18cm (7in) round, 12cm (4¾in) deep; 23cm (9in) round, 13cm (5in) deep; and 28cm (11in) round, 13.5cm (5¼in) deep cakes, each iced in ivory sugarpaste at least 24 hours in advance to decorate • 38cm (15in) cake board iced in ivory sugarpaste at least 24 hours in advance • royal icing • clear alcohol • three quantities of original white cake lace mixes (Claire Bowman, cakelace.co.uk) • 100g (3½oz) white flower paste • pearl lustre dust Equipment • two 23cm (11in) cake drums • ivory satin ribbon – 1.8m (2yd) length of 2.5cm (1in); 1.25m (1¼yd) length of 1.5cm (5/8in) • leaves confectioners’ mat (SugarVeil) • Tiffany lace mat (Claire Bowman) • 13 pieces of hollow dowel cut to size for each tier – six for the bottom tier; four for the 23cm (9in) tier; three for the 18cm (7in) tier • five-petal blossom cutters – 2.7cm (11/8in); 3.25 (1¼in); 4cm (1½in) • multi-flower veiner mould • circle cutters – 5mm (¼in); 7mm (3/8in) • small piping (pastry) bag fitted with no.1 piping tip A S S EM B L ING & CO V ERING THE CAKE

1 Stick the two 23cm (11in) cake drums

together with royal icing and, when they are dry, use more royal icing to stick them into the centre of the prepared iced cake board. Wrap some 2.5cm (1in) wide ivory satin ribbon twice around the drums and secure with double-sided tape. d e c o r at i n g t h e c a k e

For the lace 1 Make the cake lace in the leaves and Tiffany designs. You will need eight or nine full pieces of the leaves lace and three pieces of the Tiffany lace. 2 To cover the tiers in the leaves lace, first brush some clear alcohol onto the surface of the bottom tier, so that it is completely covered without being too wet. Use a piece of paper towel to pat it dry a little, if necessary – you want it to be tacky.

top tip

3 Trim the side of the lace using scissors so you have only the leaves design. Hold it up against the side of the bottom tier, so that the

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bottom of the lace is in front of the base of the cake. Carefully drape the lace over the icing, trying to avoid any creases – you should be able to peel back and reattach it if necessary. Drape the lace over the top edge of the cake and trim away the folds and creases using scissors.

If the sugarpaste at the bottom of the cake doesn't look neat, edge it with ribbon and no one will know!

4 Take a second piece of the leaves lace, trim as before and stick it onto the bottom tier, lining up the end neatly with the first piece to avoid any gaps. If the lace pieces overlap, they can be trimmed later. Attach and trim the lace over the top of the cake in the same way as before. Repeat the process once more so that it completely covers the cake, then trim the end where it meets the first piece. Set the tier aside and repeat for the 23cm (9in) and 18cm (7in) tiers. 5 For the top tier, cut three rows of leaves to fit the height of the cake – the lace doesn’t go over the top edge. Attach in the same way as in steps 3-4 and trim to fit using scissors.

Project and photography taken from Elegant Lace Cakes by Zoe Clark, published by David & Charles, £15.99

You will need

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wedding

Don't worry if the lace doesn't match up perfectly, it won't be very noticeable. 6 Dowel and assemble the tiers onto the double-board base. 7 For the scallop bottom, trim away the bottom section of the Tiffany lace, so it is not as wide. Attach the top lace section to the cake using edible glue, taking care not to use too much glue, so that you don't dissolve the cake lace.

top tip

You can omit the central hole in the blossoms to save time – simply pipe the centres directly on top.

For the flowers 1 To make the flowers, thinly roll out some white flower paste and use the cutters to cut out blossoms of each size. Press each blossom into the multi-flower veiner mould, dusting the mould with pearl lustre dust each time. Set the blossoms aside under a plastic sleeve until you have made a fair amount of all sizes – you will probably need about 200 blossoms in total, which can be made in two or three batches as you prefer. 2 To add a more lace-like, delicate feel, cut out the centre from each flower using the 5mm (¼in) circle cutter for the smaller

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blossoms and the 7mm (3/8in) circle cutter for the other two sizes. Work on only a few blossoms of each size at a time and secure them onto the cake with edible glue. The petals will separate once the centre is cut, so stick the flowers back together on the cake, keeping a gap between the petals and a hole in the centre. Concentrate the flowers mainly around the 18cm (7in) tier and taper them towards the top and bottom of the cake, using the main photograph as a guide for placement. 3 Fill a piping bag fitted with a no.1 tip with soft-peak royal icing and pipe tiny dots for the centres of each flower. Finish by securing the 1.5cm (5/8 in) ivory satin ribbon around the base board.

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e u q i n Techocus F How to…

Christmas Robin Sugar Model Tutorial It's always a treat to see robins at Christmas and by following this quick and easy step-by-step guide from The Bath Cake Company (www.bathcakecompany.co.uk) you can have robins adorning your Christmas cake or popping up wherever you like!

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1 Using brown modelling paste, roll a ball to create your robin's body. 2 Roll out some red sugarpaste for your robin's red breast. 3 Using a small round cutter, cut out your robin's red breast and stick it to the body using edible glue. 4 Create little wings for your robin using brown modelling paste, by rolling the paste into a cone and flattening it with your finger. Stick the wings to the side of your robin using some edible glue. 5 Using a ball tool, add indents for the eyes and beak.

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technique focus

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Speceiaadler R er Off

Want to take your Christmas cake skills to the next level? Why not check out Bath Cake Company’s Christmas Cake Covering and Decorating Class? In this class you will learn how to cover your fruit cake with marzipan and sugarpaste to achieve a smooth finish. They will then show you how to make your own adorable

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6 With your yellow sugarpaste, roll small balls for his feet and use a veining tool to create three small indents for his toes. Stick them to the bottom of your robin using edible glue. 7 Roll small pieces of black sugarpaste for the eyes and fix these in place with edible glue. 8 Add a sweet little Santa's hat by cutting a small round of white sugarpaste and snipping it around the edge for a 'fluffy' look. Create a cone shape from red sugarpaste to form the main part of the hat and to finish, add a small ball of white sugarpaste to the top for the bobble.  Voila! Your robin is now ready to sit proudly on your Christmas cake.

sleeping Santa scene, including working with modelling paste to make a 3D sugar model of Father Christmas, and flower paste and embossers to create his wooden headboard. Date: Sunday 11th December 2016 Time: 10am - 5pm

Level: Beginner – Intermediate Price: £100-120 per person Venue: Bath Cake Company Decorating School, Lansdown Mews, Bath. Find out more information or book at www.bathcakecompany.co.uk or book your place by calling 01225 226094.

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CAKE TEMPLATES

TEMPLATE FOR CHRISTMAS TREE ON PAGE 70 (Taken from Sugar Christmas Decorations: 20 To Make by Georgie Godbold, published by Search Press.

TEMPLATE FOR HOT DOG CAKE ON PAGE 52 (Taken from Sweet! Celebrations by Elise Strachen, published by Murdoch Books, RRP £20.)

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CL ASSIC RECIPES

cake decorating CLASSIC RECIPES

BAKE IT YOURSELF

The National Trust's job is to take care of the nation's heritage and that even extends to baking, as these three classic recipes show. Bake yourself a spicy taste of Britain...

PEPPERMINT STICK MUFFINS

MAKES 12

FOR THE MUFFINS • 300g (10oz) self-raising flour • 1 tsp baking powder • 75g (3oz) caster sugar • 2 × 40g (1½oz) packets of extra strong mints • 2 large free-range eggs, beaten • 225ml (8fl oz) milk • 75g (3oz) butter, melted TO DECORATE • 3 × 75g (3oz) sticks of peppermint candy cane or rock • 200g (7oz) icing sugar, sifted • 2 tbsp lemon juice • food colouring (optional) • candy cane or rock, to decorate 1 Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Grease and line a 12-hole muffin tin or individual muffin moulds. 2 Combine the flour, baking powder and caster sugar, then sift into a bowl. Put the mints in a mortar and pound with a pestle to break them up into small pieces. Scatter them over the flour. 3 In a separate bowl or jug, lightly beat together the eggs and milk to combine, then stir in the butter. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined, then spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. 4 Bake for about 20 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. 5 To decorate, put the candy cane or rock in a plastic bag and tap with a rolling pin to break into pieces. Set aside. Stir together the icing sugar and lemon juice until smooth, then add a few drops of food colouring to tint the icing, if you like. Spoon on top of the muffins and sprinkle pieces of candy cane or rock on top.

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CL ASSIC RECIPES

GINGER BISCUITS MAKES ABOUT 32

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150g (5oz) self-raising flour ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp caster sugar 50g (2oz) butter 2 tbsp golden syrup

1 Preheat oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 and line two baking sheets with baking parchment. 2 Sift together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Heat the butter and golden syrup gently in a pan and, when the butter has

melted, pour it over the dry ingredients. Mix well until you have a soft dough. If it’s a little bit sticky, sprinkle a little more flour onto it until you get a consistency you can comfortably handle. 3 Using your hands, form small balls of the mixture, flatten them slightly and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced well apart. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden. 4 Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely. These biscuits make great gifts – simply wrap in clean baking parchment and tie with a ribbon.

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CL ASSIC RECIPES

18TH-CENTURY PEPPER CAKE MAKES A 23CM (9IN) CAKE

FOR THE CAKE • 450g (1lb) plain flour • 1 tsp baking powder • 100g (4oz) butter, softened • 225g (8oz) caster sugar • 100g (4oz) currants • 100g (4oz) raisins • 25g (1oz) mixed candied peel • ½ tsp ground cloves • ½ tsp ground ginger • ½ tsp ground black pepper • 225g (8oz) black treacle • 4 large free-range eggs, beaten 1 Preheat oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2. Grease and line a 23cm (9in) round, deep cake tin. 2 Mix together the flour and baking powder and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add all the other ingredients and mix to a thick batter. Turn the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 2 hours until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 3 Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 4 When cool, wrap in foil or clingfilm and store for a few days before eating.

The recipes on pages 119-121 are taken from Cakes, Bakes & Biscuits by National Trust Books, photography © Pavilion Books, RRP £9.99.

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COMPETITION

WIN!

Colour Splash Airbrush Set

This issue four lucky readers can each win a complete Colour Splash Airbrush Set worth £116, containing everything you need to airbrush your cakes at home. Have you been inspired by the moon cake on page 72 and want to try airbrushing your own cakes? Look no further! Colour Splash’s Airbrush Kit is so easy to use that it’s perfect for cake decorators of all levels, whether you’ve never picked one up before or you’ve been experimenting with airbrushing for years. Each kit comes with two nozzles, two needles and a large cup with lid, making it perfect for full covering or fine detail work. Colour Splash also produces a range of 14 matt and pearlescent colours to use with your airbrush for the best results. This issue we have four Colour Splash Airbrush sets up for grabs. Each one contains a Colour Splash Airbrush Kit, 10 Matt Colour Splash Airbrush Colours, four

Pearlescent Colour Splash Airbrush Colours and an Airbrush Cleaner, worth £116.71 in total. To find out more about the products, visit www.craftcompany.co.uk So, what are you waiting for? For a chance to win this fabulous prize, head over to www.foodheavenmag.com/tag/ competitions/ and answer this simple question... How many colours are there in the Colour Splash Airbrush Colours range? A 14 B 15 C 16

£116

Terms and conditions: For full terms and conditions see page 6. The competition closes on 1 January 2017.

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WORTH

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