"If you bake your own wedding cake you'll work hard all your
married life. And if a pregnant woman makes your wedding cake, you'll
have lots of children."
You should bake the cake or cakes at least three months before the
wedding. Wrap in greaseproof paper and kitchen foil and store in a
cool dry place. A month before the wedding cover with marzipan and
leave to dry uncovered in a cool, dry place for one week. The cake
can be base-iced three weeks before the wedding and decorated one
week before. Cover with soft tissue to prevent dust from collecting.
Equipment
- Cake tins
- Greaseproof paper
- Tissue paper
- Icing nozzles
- Foil
- Icing scraper or comb
- Icing ruler or comb
- Serrated knife
- Cake boards (for each tier: one board of the exact same size
and one larger than the tier and strong enough to take its weight)
- Icing turntable
- Decoration for top of cake
- Pillars (if required)
| |
| 230g |
310g |
400g |
500g |
630g |
| 100g |
135g |
180g |
230g |
280g |
| 100g |
135g |
180g |
230g |
280g |
| 50g |
70g |
90g |
110g |
140g |
| 75g |
105g |
130g |
170g |
210g |
| 125g |
170g |
220g |
280g |
350g |
| 125g |
170g |
220g |
280g |
350g |
| 125g |
170g |
220g |
280g |
350g |
| 1
1/2 tbsp |
2
tbsp |
2
1/2 tbsp |
3
tbsp |
4
tbsp |
| 2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
| 1/4
tsp |
1/4
tsp |
1/2
tsp |
1/2
tsp |
3/4
tsp |
| 1/2
tsp |
3/4
tsp |
1
tsp |
1
1/4 tsp |
1
1/2 tsp |
| 1/2
tsp |
3/4
tsp |
1
tsp |
1
1/4 tsp |
1
1/2 tsp |
| 1/2
tsp |
3/4
tsp |
1
tsp |
1
1/4 tsp |
1
1/2 tsp |
- Cake tin (with loose bottom)
- Brown paper
- Proper string
- Greaseproof paper or baking parchment
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Metric scales
- Measuring spoons
- Preheat oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2.
- Cut eight layers of greaseproof to fit cake tin.
- Make a 3cm diameter hole in the centre of four of these layers
of paper.
- Cut enough brown paper to make four layers 20cm high around
the side of the tin.
- Sieve the flour and stir in the spices and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugar.
- Break the eggs into separate bowls then add them.
- Fold in half the flour and half the fruit.
- Add the rest of the flour, fruit, lemon rind and brandy.
- Stir well.
- Line the tin with the unperforated layers of greaseproof paper.
- Pour into lined tin and put a dimple in the middle to stop
the cake rising more in the middle.
- Tie the brown paper collar around the outside of the tin.
- Bake for 2 hours at 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2.
- Cover the cake with the remaining 4 pieces of perforated greaseproof
paper.
- Bake at 130C for 1.5 hours.
- Towards the end of cooking test in several places with a metal
skewer - if it comes out clean it's done.
You will need:
- Cake boxes
- Cakeboards
- Pillars
- Wooden chopsticks small enough to fit through the pillars
- Pencil sharpener
- Hacksaw
- Piping syringe with two nozzles, frilly and pointed
- Acetate sheet, such as overhead transparency film
- Turntable and rollers "borrowed" from a microwave
oven
- 30cm ruler, preferably steel, washed carefully
- Apricot jam
- Marzipan
- Icing sugar
- Lemon juice
- Dried egg white (sold in sachets)
- Turn the cake over before so that the flat surface is uppermost.
- If it's wobbly then even out the crown with a knife so that
it sits firmly on the cake board. Put the cake and board on the
turntable.
- Heat up the apricot jam in a pan until it's runny then sieve
all the lumps out and use a pastry brush to paint the cake with
a thin layer.
- Roll out the marzipan, dusting your roller and board with icing
sugar to prevent sticking, until you have a nice thin even layer.
Use the base of the cake tin as a template to cut a circle, and
then cut several long strips of marzipan the same width as your
cake is high. Fit the long strips around the side of the cake,
trimming it neatly, and put the circle on top.
- Leave the cake exposed in a dust-free location at room temperature
for a day to allow the marzipan to harden.
- Make up Royal Icing according to the packet. Apply to cake
in a thin layer. Allow the icing to dry for several hours.
- Make more icing, with more water this time, so that it's fairly
soft and glossy and apply as before.
- Make a final batch of fairly soft icing to use as decoration.
Fill the piping syringe and create whatever style of decoration
you require. Remember to practice first!
- After the decorations are dry, find the centre of the cake
top using a ruler, fold a piece of greaseproof paper into eight
and cut a notch in the folded edges, unfold and put the point
over the centre. This is a guide for where your pillars will be.
Use a boiled skewer to make four holes in the icing.
- Cut a circle from the acetate sheet just small enough to lie
flat on the top tier. This will protect the cake from the flowers
or whatever decoration you put on top.
- Let the cakes harden completely then put them in cake boxes
for moving them to the reception venue.
- Now it is time to assemble the cake. These cake tiers are heavy
and need support. Most cake pillars are hollow and so it is wise
to reinforce them. Use some wooden chopsticks slim enough to fit
through the pillars, cut them with the hacksaw and sharpen them
with the pencil sharpener so that they are as long as the pillars
plus the height of the cake plus 5mm. Boil them and label ready
for the day.
- Once the cake is in place, push the skewers through the pre-made
holes into the bottom tier until they hit the cakeboard. Slide
the pillars over the skewers and carefully put the next tier on.
Repeat until assembled.
Find cake makers in Confetti's Supplier Directory.
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