The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating Read Online Free Page A
Author: Ruth Clemens
split through the middle. Scoring around the edge of the cake will help give you an even cut.
3 Flip the cake out of the tin taking care to keep it in one piece. The bottom should now be on the top. Insert two cocktail sticks (toothpicks) aligned vertically, one in each cake layer.
4 Place the cake onto a plate or board. Remove the top layer and fill with buttercream (see Buttercream ) and jam as desired. Replace the top layer using the cocktail stick (toothpick) markers to align.
5 Using a palette knife, coat the top of the cake with buttercream. Then coat around the edge of the cake, working the buttercream around the sides from the top down to the base. Using the blade of the palette knife, scrape the excess buttercream from the cake to give a smooth finish.
6 Remove the cocktail sticks (toothpicks) and finally finish this area. Smooth the buttercream join at the top edge. Check with your eye that the cake is level. Chill hard in the fridge before covering with sugarpaste (rolled fondant) (see Covering a cake with sugarpaste ).
Covering a fruit cake with marzipan
Fruit cakes benefit from a layer of marzipan to help seal in their moistness and flavour and to act as a barrier to stop the fruit staining the sugarpaste (rolled fondant). It also provides a level surface for the sugarpaste.
----
TIP
Marzipan layers appreciate 24â48 hours to dry out slightly, which will provide a firmer surface to support the sugarpaste layer.
----
1 Cover the cake in a thin layer of apricot jam or marmalade using a pastry brush. Zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften if it needs it. This will be the âglueâ to hold on the marzipan layer.
2 To cover a 20cm (8in) cake, 500g (1lb 1 1 â 2 oz) of marzipan is enough. If you love the taste of marzipan you can make this layer thicker but you will need more to do so. Lightly dust your work surface with a little icing (confectionersâ) sugar. Knead the marzipan gently to warm and soften it, making it easier to work with.
3 Take half of the marzipan and shape into a rough sausage shape. Keeping your surface lightly dusted with icing (confectionersâ) sugar roll out the sausage into a long strip, 4mm ( 1 â 8 in) thick, to reach around the circumference of the cake. Measure the cake with string to help determine the length and width it needs to be.
4 Position the collar around the outside of the cake, ensuring that the marzipan sits neatly at the base. Trim neatly where the two edges meet using a sharp knife. If the collar protrudes above the cake, trim it level with a pair of scissors.
5 Gather together the trimmings and the remaining half of marzipan and roll out to 4mm ( 1 â 8 in) thick on your work surface. Using the tin (pan) you baked the cake in as a template, cut out a circle for the top of the cake.
6 Place the circle on the top of the cake, gently sealing together the edges where it meets the marzipan collar. Use your hands to smooth the seams of the marzipan. Smooth the top and the sides, working out any major lumps and bumps. Repeat with an icing smoother.
âItâs frustrating to find your marzipan or sugarpaste has stuck to your work surface. Check it frequently and dust with a little more icing (confectionersâ) sugar if necessary.â
Covering a cake with sugarpaste
Sugarpaste (rolled fondant) finishes a cake with a smooth polished surface and provides the very best canvas to work on when creating beautiful cake designs.
1 If covering a sponge cake, the cake needs to be chilled hard to set the buttercream. On removing from the fridge, shave off any lumps and bumps using a sharp knife. Set the cake on a plate or spare cake board. If covering a fruit cake, lightly spray the marzipan covering with a mist of water if the cake is to be served right away. If the cake is to be kept for any length of time it is best to use a clear alcohol such as vodka.
2 Roll out the sugarpaste on your work surface lightly dusted with
3 Flip the cake out of the tin taking care to keep it in one piece. The bottom should now be on the top. Insert two cocktail sticks (toothpicks) aligned vertically, one in each cake layer.
4 Place the cake onto a plate or board. Remove the top layer and fill with buttercream (see Buttercream ) and jam as desired. Replace the top layer using the cocktail stick (toothpick) markers to align.
5 Using a palette knife, coat the top of the cake with buttercream. Then coat around the edge of the cake, working the buttercream around the sides from the top down to the base. Using the blade of the palette knife, scrape the excess buttercream from the cake to give a smooth finish.
6 Remove the cocktail sticks (toothpicks) and finally finish this area. Smooth the buttercream join at the top edge. Check with your eye that the cake is level. Chill hard in the fridge before covering with sugarpaste (rolled fondant) (see Covering a cake with sugarpaste ).
Covering a fruit cake with marzipan
Fruit cakes benefit from a layer of marzipan to help seal in their moistness and flavour and to act as a barrier to stop the fruit staining the sugarpaste (rolled fondant). It also provides a level surface for the sugarpaste.
----
TIP
Marzipan layers appreciate 24â48 hours to dry out slightly, which will provide a firmer surface to support the sugarpaste layer.
----
1 Cover the cake in a thin layer of apricot jam or marmalade using a pastry brush. Zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften if it needs it. This will be the âglueâ to hold on the marzipan layer.
2 To cover a 20cm (8in) cake, 500g (1lb 1 1 â 2 oz) of marzipan is enough. If you love the taste of marzipan you can make this layer thicker but you will need more to do so. Lightly dust your work surface with a little icing (confectionersâ) sugar. Knead the marzipan gently to warm and soften it, making it easier to work with.
3 Take half of the marzipan and shape into a rough sausage shape. Keeping your surface lightly dusted with icing (confectionersâ) sugar roll out the sausage into a long strip, 4mm ( 1 â 8 in) thick, to reach around the circumference of the cake. Measure the cake with string to help determine the length and width it needs to be.
4 Position the collar around the outside of the cake, ensuring that the marzipan sits neatly at the base. Trim neatly where the two edges meet using a sharp knife. If the collar protrudes above the cake, trim it level with a pair of scissors.
5 Gather together the trimmings and the remaining half of marzipan and roll out to 4mm ( 1 â 8 in) thick on your work surface. Using the tin (pan) you baked the cake in as a template, cut out a circle for the top of the cake.
6 Place the circle on the top of the cake, gently sealing together the edges where it meets the marzipan collar. Use your hands to smooth the seams of the marzipan. Smooth the top and the sides, working out any major lumps and bumps. Repeat with an icing smoother.
âItâs frustrating to find your marzipan or sugarpaste has stuck to your work surface. Check it frequently and dust with a little more icing (confectionersâ) sugar if necessary.â
Covering a cake with sugarpaste
Sugarpaste (rolled fondant) finishes a cake with a smooth polished surface and provides the very best canvas to work on when creating beautiful cake designs.
1 If covering a sponge cake, the cake needs to be chilled hard to set the buttercream. On removing from the fridge, shave off any lumps and bumps using a sharp knife. Set the cake on a plate or spare cake board. If covering a fruit cake, lightly spray the marzipan covering with a mist of water if the cake is to be served right away. If the cake is to be kept for any length of time it is best to use a clear alcohol such as vodka.
2 Roll out the sugarpaste on your work surface lightly dusted with
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