one large cake and cut it into individual squares. Serve the cakes on 7.5cm (3in) cake cards.
Ingredients
For 16 mini cakes or one 18cm (7in) cake to be cut into squares
Method
1 Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4), and prepare the cake pans with silicone liners or with greaseproof paper.
2 Prepare the mixture as for the Madeira cake (see page 22) and half fill each cake pan. Bake in the centre of the oven for 15–20 minutes. You may wish to put a baking sheet on the bottom shelf to catch any drips. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
3 For perfect cubes, leave the cooled cakes in the pans and slice neatly across the tops with a long-bladed knife, using the pan tops as a cutting guide.
4 Remove the pans from the base and gently pull the halves apart to remove the cakes. You may need to run a thin-bladed knife around the top edges to release any slight overspill. Place the cakes on a wire rack. Once cooled, keep them covered, as they will dry out very quickly.
5 Cover each cake around the sides and top with a coating of buttercream (see page 26), then cover with rolled sugarpaste (see pages 28–29).
Cup Cakes
An alternative to the mini cakes is to use good old-fashioned cup cakes, which are simple to make and just as delicious. They can be iced with a simple circle of sugarpaste then decorated as desired.
Ingredients
For 12 cup cakes
Method
1 Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4).
2 Place all the ingredients into a food processor and cream together.
3 Arrange the paper cases inside two fairy cake tins and spoon the mixture into them, filling them two-thirds full.
4 Bake for 15 minutes until risen and springy to the touch, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.
5 Ice and decorate as desired.
Now you have your sugarpaste (see pages 8–9) and your cakes (see pages 22–24) ready and waiting, there are a few other recipes you will need in order to complete the projects in this book.
Sugar Flower Paste
This is a good strong paste that can be rolled very thinly. It is ideal for making delicate objects such as butterflies and stars (see pages 61 and 113 for examples). The best sugar flower paste is bought ready-made, but you can make your own from the following recipe.
The exquisite butterflies on the Butterfly Fairy cake (see pages 58–71) were made using sugar flower paste, which can be rolled out very thinly and dries super hard so that the wings don’t flop down.
Ingredients
Method
1 Place the water in a small heatproof bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and leave to soak for around 30 minutes until it becomes spongy.
2 Stand the bowl over a pan of hot water and stir until dissolved. Add the glucose and white vegetable fat (shortening) to the gelatin, and continue to heat and stir until all the ingredients have melted and mixed together.
3 Carefully sift the icing (confectioners’) sugar and gum tragacanth into the bowl of an electric mixer and fit the bowl to the machine.
4 Add the gelatin mixture to the icing (confectioners’) sugar then add the egg white. Turn the mixer on at its lowest speed. Beat until mixed and then increase the speed to maximum and continue beating until the paste is white and stringy.
5 Empty the paste out, then roll tightly in a polythene bag. Store it in an airtight container until required. It will keep for several weeks if stored correctly.
Edible Glue
This is the glue that holds sugarpaste pieces together, used in every project in this book. Always make sure your glue is edible before applying it to your cake.
Tip
Should you require stronger glue, use gum tragacanth as the base. Mix 5ml (1tsp) gum tragacanth powder with a few drops of water to make a thick paste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
