plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before rolling out. This is to help stop the cookie dough spreading out too much in the oven. 4 (again) If like me you haven’t left enough time for chilling, use immediately. Don’t roll it out too thickly and hope for the best!
5 Dust your work surface with flour (or confectioners’ sugar if you prefer a sweeter cookie). Roll out the dough and cut out your shapes.
6 Place onto a greased baking sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes at 350° F (180°C). Place the cookies onto a cooling rack when baked and allow to cool before decorating.
making your cupcakes
There are many recipes for making cupcakes but the Madeira recipe on page 16 works perfectly well. The 2-egg mixture will make about 12 cupcakes so double or triple the amounts if you need more. Feel free to add chocolate chips, dried fruit, or even a dash of food coloring if you wish.
1 Pre-heat the oven to 300°F (150° C) and place your cupcake cases into the baking tray. Nowadays there’s a huge range of paper and foil cupcake cases available in all sorts of fancy colors and designs. You can also buy silicon cases which are very bright, colorful and also re-useable.
2 Mix up the batter.
3 Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases. The easiest way to do this is using two teaspoons. Use one to scoop a spoonful of batter out of the bowl. Use the other to push it off the first spoon into the cake case. Doing it this way should also stop your fingers from getting sticky. Fill the cake case about two thirds full.
4 Bake for about 25 minutes until the cakes are golden and springy to the touch.
DECORATING YOUR CUPCAKES
There are many ways to decorate your cupcakes once they’re cooled and your kitchen is full of their freshly baked aroma. Here are a few suggestions.
Glacé Icing
This is a simple mixture of water and confectioners’ (icing) sugar. the amount given here should cover 12 cupcakes or the top of a 7-inch (18 cm) round cake so double the amounts given if you need more. top the frosted cupcake with half a cherry and you have a cupcake classic.
1 cup (125 g) confectioners’ (icing) sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 Sift the icing sugar into a bowl.
2 Add the water and stir together. If it is too thick, add a little more water one drop at a time.
3 Substitute lemon juice for the water for a sweet alternative with a tangy kick or add a dash of food color for a pale pastel alternative.
DECORATING WITH BUTTERCREAM
1 A bowl of buttercream and a piping bag with a large star nozzle fitted into it is a really easy way to make a plain cupcake something quite stunning.
2 Starting from the outside of the cupcake, pipe a swirl around the outside. Continue round and round, moving in towards the center. To finish, loosen your pressure on the bag, poke the tip of the nozzle gently into the buttercream and pull upwards. The buttercream should break away from the piping nozzle leaving a point behind.
3 If you don’t have a piping bag, a luscious dollop of buttercream lovingly spread over the top of the cupcake with a palette knife can still exert a longing pull on the tastebuds. Sprinkle on a few edible silver balls, sprinkles, or rice paper flowers and it’s ready to party.
Butterflies
I remember my grandmother making these and despite all the technological advances we’ve made since her day, i still believe the butterfly cake has an important place in modern society and shouldn’t be forgotten. Cut a circle of cake out of the top of the cup-cake. Place a spoonful of buttercream, and jam too if you wish, onto the top of the cupcake. slice the cut out section in half and place on top of the cake so that they look like butterfly wings.
Fondant
Dab a little jam (apricot is ideal as it does not have too strong a taste). roll out some fondant and using a circle cutter or lid that’s about the same size as the top of the cupcake cut out a disc. Place on top of the cupcake and smooth into place. add further decoration if you wish.
BUTTERCREAM, WHITE ICING, AND FONDANT RECIPES
buttercream
This is a simple uncomplicated recipe that produces buttercream suitable for both spreading and piping. the amounts given here are for what is referred to throughout the book as “1 quantity.”
1 cup (8 oz/250 g) butter (softened):
4 cups (1 lb/450 g) confectioners’ sugar:
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon hot water
1 If you are using a mixer, place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and bind them together on a slow speed. Then increase the speed and beat until the buttercream is pale and creamy.
2 If you are making it by hand, make sure the butter is very soft. Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix until smooth.
3 Unused or pre-prepared buttercream can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.
Flavoring and Coloring
There are many ways to flavor buttercream. Here are just a few suggestions.
Chocolate
1 Melt 3½ ounces (100 g) of semi-sweet (plain) chocolate and stir into 1 quantity of buttercream.
2 Alternatively mix 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder into a paste with 1-2 tablespoons of hot water and stir into the buttercream.
3 You can increase these amounts if you prefer a stronger
