for many years now and it just makes life so much simpler. Tip the (weighed!) ingredients in, switch it on and off it goes. However, I do appreciate that big mixers like mine are expensive so if you’re just starting out, invest in a cheap hand held one—I did. You can use it for other things too—whipping cream or making pancake batter for example.
LINING A CAKE PAN
Okay, i’ll admit it, lining a cake pan is pretty boring but it will ensure that your cake comes out all in one piece.
Fruit Cake Pans
Lining a pan for a fruitcake is really important to prevent the sides and base from scorching during its long baking time.
Measure the height and circumference of the pan and cut four lengths of waxed, greaseproof, or baking paper to that length and just wider than the height of the pan. Place to one side. Standing the pan on the paper, draw round the base three times and depending upon what shape pan you are using cut out a three discs or squares. Cut a small hole into the center of one of them. Wrap two of the long sections around the outside of the pan and hold in place with a string (don’t use plastic string). Make a fold along the long edge of the two remaining long strips and cut a fringe into it. Rub a little butter around the inside of the pan and stand the long strips inside. The fringes should allow the strips to stand upright and fit right into the edges of the pan. Place the two whole base sections into the bottom of the pan.
Fill the pan two thirds full with fruit cake mixture and rest the remaining bit of paper with the hole on top. The hole will allow steam to escape while it’s cooking.
Sponge or Chocolate Cake Pans
To line a pan for a sponge or chocolate cake, rub a little butter around the inside of the pan to hold the lining in place. Measure the circumference of the tin and cut a strip of waxed, greaseproof, or baking paper long enough to stand around the outside of the pan and wide enough so that when it’s standing it’s just a little higher than the top of the pan. Stand the pan on the paper and draw round the base. Cut out your circle or square. Stand the strip of paper around the inside of the pan and place the base section in the bottom.
TIP: Remember not every cake has to be an all singing, all dancing one. There’s immense pleasure to be found in a simple slice of sponge cake with jam and buttercream.
Using Baked Bean Cans
It's amazing what you can bake a cake in! I have used a collection of small cans like these to bake a mass order of mini Christmas cakes. We all ate baked beans for weeks and it was a bit fiddly to do but it saved a lot of wastage cutting small round cakes out of larger ones.
Wash the tin and rub a little butter around the insides of the can. Measure the circumference of the tin and cut a strip of waxed paper to that length and just wider than the height of the tin. Trace around the base and cut out a disc. Stand the long strip inside the tin and place the disc into the bottom.
For the Firework on page 36, I baked a little cake in a small baked bean can. Wash the can and line it as described above. Mix up a 2 or 3-egg Madeira mix using the recipe chart (page 16) and fill the tin two-thirds full. I used the rest of the batter to make a heap of cupcakes. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes.
TIP: If you really can't bear lining a pan, you can buy ready made paper linings from kitchen or cake decoration equipment shops. Quick release sprays are also available. Finally, there is also silicone bakeware that require no lining and come in many funky colors.
Shallow Sandwich Cake Pans
When using a sandwich pan you only need to line the base. Place the pan onto waxed paper, draw round the base, and cut out a disc. Grease the base and sides of the pan and place the disc in the bottom of the pan.
For the Christening Cake on page 30, I used two 7-inch (18 cm) round sandwich pans. Use the 3-egg Madeira mix from the recipe chart. Grease the pans and place a disc of waxed paper in the base to stop the cake from sticking. Mix the batter up in one batch then divide the mixture between the two pans. Bake in the middle of the oven at 300˚F (150˚C) for 25-30 minutes until the cakes are golden and starting to pull away from the sides.
Tip the cakes out onto a cooling rack and peel off the waxed paper and allow to cool.
Storing and Freezing Your Cakes
You can begin to decorate the chocolate or Madeira cakes as soon as they’re cooled. Once they come out of the oven let them sit for a few minutes then turn the tin over and tip them out onto a cooling rack. You can either remove the paper they were baked in to speed up the cooling process or leave it in place.
If you don’t want to decorate them straight away, cover them with plastic wrap once they’re cooled and decorate the following day. There is actually an advantage to doing this—the cake will be slightly firmer and easier to work with.
If you wish to freeze either the sponge or chocolate cakes, bind them in plastic wrap when cool and freeze for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature for a few hours before decorating.
Fruitcake takes a long time to cool down, anything up to eight hours depending on its size and room temperature. Leave it in the pan while it cools so it doesn’t lose its shape. Once it has cooled it can be decorated.
If you wish to store the fruitcake before decorating it, turn it out of the pan but leave it in the paper. Pierce the top a few times with a skewer or toothpick (cocktail stick) and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of brandy over the top. Wrap the cake in two lots of waxed (greaseproof) paper and two lots of tin foil. It will keep quite happily like this for three months, its flavors deepening and maturing as it does so. If you wish you can “feed” it every week by drizzling a little extra brandy over it and re-wrapping it. Once a fruitcake has been marzipanned and iced it is then sealed and airtight. It should keep for at least a couple of months at room temperature in a cardboard cake box.
A sponge cake that has been covered in buttercream can be frozen (unless the sponge or buttercream has been frozen already in which case it cannot be re-frozen). Bind in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months.
Cakes covered using fondant cannot be frozen, refrigerated, or kept in a plastic food box because these storage methods will make the fondant “sweat” and go soggy.
If you have covered your sponge or chocolate cake with fondant you should be able to keep it for 4-5 days. Ideally, keep it in a cardboard cake box free from flies and dust.
MADEIRA SPONGE CAKE RECIPES
This is a simple all-in-one recipe. Throw everything into the bowl together and mix. Read the section on flour beforehand and do try to use scales. If you find the cake is not rising well because the flour you in your area is heavier, add a little baking powder to the mix to give it a hand.
1 Grease and line your
