Ingredients
Method
1 Mix the CMC (Tylose) powder with the warm boiled water and leave it to stand until the powder has fully dissolved. The glue should be smooth and to a dropping consistency. If the glue thickens after a few days, add a few more drops of warm water.
2 To prevent contamination or mould, add a few drops of white vinegar.
3 Store the glue in an airtight container in the fridge and use within one week.
Buttercream
A generous coating of buttercream precedes the covering of sugarpaste on all sponge cakes. The classic version is flavoured with a few drops of vanilla essence, but you could substitute this for cocoa powder or grated lemon/orange zest to suit your particular taste.
Sweet and delicious, buttercream is simple to make and is the ideal covering for both large and mini sponge cakes. Smooth on a generous layer with a palette knife before they are covered in sugarpaste.
Ingredients
To make 480g (1lb) of buttercream
Method
1 Place the butter into a mixing bowl and add the milk and any flavouring required.
2 Sift the icing (confectioners’) sugar into the bowl a little at a time. Beat it after each addition until all the sugar has been incorporated. The buttercream should be light and creamy in texture.
3 Store in an airtight container for no more than one week.
Gum tragacanth, CMC (Tylose) powder, apricot glaze and confectioners’ glaze are essential products that you will need to purchase before you begin sugarcrafting (see Suppliers, page 126).
Essential Purchases
A visit to your local cake decorating or sugarcraft shop is a must – not only can you buy all the necessary products there, you will also come away very inspired! These products cannot be made at home with any great ease, and therefore need to be purchased.
This is a natural gum, which comes in the form of fine white powder used for thickening and strengthening sugarpaste for modelling (see page 9).
Carboxymethylcellulose is a synthetic and less expensive substitute for gum tragacanth.It is used as a thickening agent when added to sugarpaste, and also used for edible glue.
This glaze is painted on to fruit cakes before adding a layer of marzipan (see page 30). It is made from apricot jam, water and lemon juice, which is boiled then sieved. Although it would be possible to make your own, I don’t know anyone who does, as it is so easy to use straight from the jar.
This product is used to highlight the eyes, shoes, or anything you want to shine on your model. It is particularly useful if you want to photograph your cake, as it will really add sparkle. Apply a thin coat and let it dry, then apply a second and even a third to give a really deep shine. It is best kept in a small bottle with brush on the lid – this way the brush is submerged in the glaze and doesn’t go hard. If you use your paintbrush to apply it, then you will have to clean it with special glaze cleaner.
Most beginners can successfully cover a cake with sugarpaste. However, a professional finish – a glossy surface free of cracks and air bubbles with smooth rounded corners – will only result from practise.
1 Prepare the cake with a layer of buttercream (see page 26) or apricot glaze and marzipan (see page 30) depending on whether it is a sponge or a fruit cake.
2 Take sufficient sugarpaste to cover the complete cake. The quantity required for each of the cakes in this book is given at the start of each project. Work the paste until it is quite soft and smooth, then place it on to a surface lightly dusted with icing (confectioners’) sugar.
3 Roll out the paste with a non-stick rolling pin – spacing rods can be used to maintain a uniform thickness (A). The depth of the paste should be approximately 4mm (1⁄8in). As you roll the paste, move it regularly to ensure it has not stuck to the surface.
4 Measure the cake by taking a measuring tape up one side, over the top and down the other side. The sugarpaste should be rolled out in the shape of the cake to be covered (round for a round cake, square for a square cake and so on), and rolled out a little larger than the measurement just made.
Tip
When covering a cake, try to do it in natural daylight, as artificial light makes it more difficult to see flaws. Sometimes imperfections can be covered, but sometimes they will occur where you are not going to put decorations so you need to strive for a perfect finish every time. However, if things don’t go to plan, don’t worry; the sugarpaste can be removed and re-applied.
5 Lift and drape the paste over the cake using a rolling pin (B). Carefully lift the sides of the paste, brushing the top surface
