Cakes For Romantic Occasions (19 page)

Matching mini cakes presented in clear plastic gift boxes make a perfect present for special guests, such as bridesmaids and groomsmen to say thank you for all their help.

one
Make and ice your mini cakes following the instructions on page 33 and fix a length of sage green satin ribbon around the base of each cake with a little royal icing.

two
Use the same technique as in the main cake to score and then pipe the design onto the cakes (see steps five to eight, page 104).

three
Stick three daisies from the main cake on the top of each mini cake using a little royal icing. Place into clear plastic gift boxes and finish with another length of ribbon and a sprig of fresh foliage.

Daisy Favours

Small butter cookies (see pages 34–35) decorated with simple daisies and small sugar pearls can be placed into cellophane bags to make wedding favours to complement the cake. Tie up the bags with a length of coordinating ribbon and add a small fresh flower as a finishing touch.

I was so delighted with this cake and the cupcakes and cookies to match.
I adore the different designs on each tier and the large sugar flowers in
matching colours are so frilly and fun. Mini polka dots, pin stripes, hearts
and flowers and pink: I love everything about this cake!

one
Start by making the sugar flowers. You will need five flowers, three pink and two brown. Divide the white flowerpaste and mix two-thirds with pink food colouring and one-third with brown. Roll out both colours about 2mm (1⁄16in) thick (
a
). Cover the icing with a stay-fresh plastic mat so that it doesn’t dry out.

two
For each flower, cut out 13 petals – nine large and four smaller ones. Place the petals on the flower foam pad and feather the edges with the bone tool (
b
).

SERVES
About 70

MATERIALS

• One 12cm (5in), one 18cm (7in) and one 25cm (10in) round ivory iced cake, each set onto a round cake board the same size as the cake • 1cm (³∕₈in) brown satin ribbon • White sugarpaste, 150g (5oz) • White flowerpaste, 300g (10½oz) • White royal icing (see page 26) • Food colouring: brown and pink
EQUIPMENT

• Two No.2 icing nozzles

• No.3 icing nozzle

• Piping bags

• Small circle cutter or drinking straw • Small heart cutter

• Rose petal cutters: 4cm (1½in)
and 3cm (1¼in) • Small rolling pin

• Stay-fresh plastic mat

• Supermarket apple tray

• Polystyrene or kitchen paper • Flower foam pad

• Bone tool

• Scriber needle or pin

• Small paintbrush

• Ruler

• Ten plastic dowels

three
Wet the petals with the paintbrush and a little water
and arrange them on top of each other in a rose shape.
A supermarket apple tray makes an ideal base for this (
c
).

four
Place a piece of polystyrene or rolled up kitchen paper between each of the petals and leave to harden overnight (
d
).

five
Dowel and stack the cakes (see pages 24–25) using six dowels in the bottom tier and four in the middle tier.

six
Mix up some royal icing with pink food colouring and some more with brown food colouring (
e
). Fill two piping bags with no.2 piping nozzles and the pink and brown icing.

seven
Using your ruler as a guide, take a scriber needle or pin and score a vertical line down the side of the middle tier, from the base of the top tier all the way down to the bottom of the cake.

eight
Tilt your turntable away from you slightly and pipe a vertical line down the side of the cake using the scored line as a guide.

nine
Using the first line as a guide, pipe vertical lines around the side of the cake about 2.5cm (1in) apart, using your ruler each time to ensure a straight line if you need to. Alternate between the pink and brown icing (
f
).

ten
Fill a piping bag with a no.3 nozzle and some white royal icing. Pipe a snail trail (see page 27) around the base of the top and middle tiers.

eleven
Divide the white sugarpaste and mix half with pink food colouring and half with brown. Roll out both colours about 2mm (1⁄16in) thick and cut out hearts and polka dots using a small circle cutter or a drinking straw (
g
).

twelve
Brush a little water onto the polka dots and hearts and stick them to the sides of the top and bottom tiers (
h
). Edge the bottom tier with the brown satin ribbon and secure at the back with a little royal icing.

thirteen
Carefully remove the polystyrene from the sugar flowers. Arrange three flowers (two pink and one brown) on the top tier around a little ball of ivory sugarpaste leftover from covering the cake, and stick two flowers (one of each colour) to the side of the bottom tier.

Flowery Flourish

The frilly sugar flowers on top of this cake are what make it so extra special, so take your time when making them to ensure that the petals are nicely arranged. The flowers give this cake its frou-frou appeal, so need to be just right!