Read The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating Online
Authors: Ruth Clemens
The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating (4 page)
1 Mix together the dried fruit and brandy. Cover and allow to soak for a couple of hours or overnight. When time is short, warm the brandy gently first in a small pan. This encourages the dried fruit to absorb the liquid much more quickly.
2 Preheat the oven to 130ºC (fan)/140ºC/275ºF/Gas 1 and line the base and sides of the tin (pan) (see
Preparing Tins
).
3 Beat together the butter and sugar, add the eggs one by one adding a little flour at any sign of curdling. Then add the remaining flour and spices and mix well.
4 In a large bowl, combine the soaked fruit and the cake mixture. Ensure the fruit is evenly distributed before placing into your lined tin (pan). Give the filled tin (pan) a couple of sharp taps on your work surface to knock out any air bubbles, which will leave holes in your cake.
5 Bake in the oven for the time indicated in the chart opposite.
6 Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin (pan). Once completely cooled, remove from the tin (pan) and wrap tightly in cling film (plastic wrap) until required.
These cupcakes are quick to whip up and are extremely versatile for decorating.
200g (7oz) butter, softened
200g (7oz) caster (superfine) sugar
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract
4 large (US extra large) eggs
200g (7oz) self-raising (-rising) flour
15ml (1 tbsp) milk
A spring-loaded ice-cream/cookie scoop makes filling cupcake cases wonderfully easy. It measures the perfectly even amount of mixture into every case and makes for super-speedy case filling!
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (fan)/180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
2 Cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3 Add the vanilla extract then beat in the eggs one by one until fully incorporated. Add a spoonful of flour at any sign of the mixture curdling, then fold in the remainder of the flours. Finally stir the milk through the mixture.
4 Fill the cupcake cases two-thirds full.
5 Bake in the oven for 18â20 minutes until they are lightly golden and springy to the touch.
6 Cool the cupcakes in the tray for five minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
When you need a chocolate fix only a chocolate cupcake will do! Lovely moist chocolate sponge makes the ideal base for your decorating project.
70g (2
1
â
2
oz) butter, softened
125g (4
1
â
2
oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 large (US extra large) egg
25g (
3
â
4
oz) self-raising (-rising) flour
85g (3oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
2.5ml (
1
â
2
tsp) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
40g (1
1
â
2
oz) cocoa powder (unsweetened cocoa)
80ml (5
1
â
2
tbsp) milk
7.5ml (1
1
â
2
tsp) malt vinegar (alegar)
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (fan)/180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
2 Combine the vinegar and milk in a jug and set to one side.
3 Cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4 Beat in the eggs one by one until fully incorporated. Add a spoonful of flour at any sign of the mixture curdling
5 Add the remainder of the flours, cocoa, soda and the milk/vinegar mixture and beat well.
6 Fill the cupcake cases two-thirds full.
7 Bake in the oven for 18â20 minutes until they are springy to the touch.
8 Cool the cupcakes in the tray for five minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
Zingy lemon cupcakes are my favourite. Why not try a batch? I'm sure they'll be a favourite with you too!
200g (7oz) butter, softened
200g (7oz) caster (superfine) sugar
4 large (US extra large) eggs
175g (6oz) self-raising (-rising) flour
5ml (1 tsp) baking powder
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (fan)/180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
2 Cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest and beat well.
3 Beat in the eggs one by one until fully incorporated. Add a spoonful of flour at any sign of the mixture curdling, then fold in the remaining flour and the baking powder.
4 Stir in the lemon juice and mix well.
5 Fill the cupcake cases two-thirds full.
6 Bake in the oven for 18â20 minutes until they are lightly golden and springy to the touch.
7 Cool the cupcakes in the tray for five minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
Fruity cupcakes are always moist and delicious â any seasonal fruit can be substituted for the blackberries if you prefer. These are best eaten within two days of baking.
150g (5
1
â
4
oz) butter, softened
150g (5
1
â
4
oz) caster (superfine) sugar
3 large (US extra large) eggs
150g (5
1
â
4
oz) self-raising (-rising) flour
100g (3
1
â
2
oz) blackberries
Cakes made with fresh fruit will not last as long as those without due to the extra moisture the fruit provides.
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (fan)/180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases.
2 Cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3 Beat in the eggs one by one until fully incorporated. Add a spoonful of flour at any sign of the mixture curdling, then fold in the remaining flour.
4 Gently stir through the blackberries trying not to smash them into little bits!
5 Fill the cupcake cases two-thirds full.
6 Bake in the oven for 18â20 minutes until they are lightly golden and springy to the touch.
7 Cool the cupcakes in the tray for five minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
These cookies are the perfect base for decorating â they keep their shape well and have a beautifully smooth texture.
1
â
2
in)
225g (8oz) butter, softened
225g (8oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 large (US extra large) egg
5ml (1 tsp) vanilla bean paste (or the seeds of 1 vanilla pod, or 5ml/1 tsp vanilla extract)
375g (13
1
â
4
oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
“If you don't want to use all the dough straight away, wrap well in cling film (plastic wrap) and freeze for up to three months. To save you time, why not freeze it ready rolled out between two sheets of greaseproof (wax) paper?”
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (fan)/ 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Grease or line a baking tray.
2 Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3 Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour and thoroughly mix to form a dough.
4 Split the dough in half. Roll out each half between two sheets of greaseproof (wax) paper to approx 4mm (
1
â
8
in) thick and place in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
5 Cut out the cookies using your chosen cutter. Place on the greased or lined baking tray, chill again for a further 15 minutes or until they are completely hard again. The chilling stops the cookies from spreading and will help them keep their shape while baking.
6 Keep re-rolling the scraps, cutting and chilling again between two sheets of greaseproof (wax) paper until you have used up all the dough.
7 Bake in the oven for approximately 10 minutes until the cookies are golden brown on the edges.
8 Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the tray. If the cookies have spread out of shape, re-cut them with your cutter or a knife while still warm.
This is a cake decorator's staple. Sweet and creamy, it can be used in all sorts of ways â to fill and even out a cake, piped or spread onto cupcakes â and helps to keep cakes moist and delicious.
