Do you love cakes? If yes, you are in the right place on the right time! Below you will find three cake recipes. I hope you like them.
GIPSY CARAVAN CAKE
You will need:
– A sultana cake, butter weight 1/2 lb., baked in a loaf tin (recipe follows)
– 1.5 lb. almond paste
– Egg white or apricot jam for glazing
– A double quantity of royal icing
– Food colourings
– An 8 oz packet of plain sweet 2 inch biscuits
– Brown icing or brown crepe paper
– Toy animals (optional)
Sultana Cake
– 8 oz butter
– 8 oz sugar
– 3 eggs
– 2 cups sultanas
– 1/4 cup mixed peel
– 12 oz plain flour
– 3 level teaspoons baking powder
– A pinch of salt
– 1 level teaspoon mixed spice
– 1 level teaspoon nutmeg
– 3 tablespoons milk
– 3 tablespoons sherry
Preparation Method:
– You need a loaf tin measuring 9 by 5 by 3 inches. Line it with a layer of greased paper. Heat the oven to 325o F. Beat the butter and sugar to a soft cream and gradually add the well-beaten eggs. Stir in the sultanas and the chopped peel. Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt and spices and add to the mixture alternately with the milk and sherry.
– Spoon the mixture carefully into the prepared tin and bake at 325o F for two hours, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from the tin and cool.
Decorating the Cake
– To prepare the cake for covering, trim the top if necessary to shape the caravan roof, and brush away any loose crumbs. Glaze the top and sides with unbeaten egg white.
– Take half the almond paste and roll it to about 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Measure the sides of the cake and cut the almond paste into four pieces the same height and length. Place them in position, trim the top and bottom edges and leave until the following day.
– This almond paste gives a good surface for the piped royal icing, but if the cake is being prepared for a very young child, fondant paste may take the place of the almond paste on the sides. Use 12 oz fondant and 12 oz almond paste for the roof, shutters, door and steps.
– Colour the royal icing red with food colouring. Use a number 22 basket tube pipe vertical line on the covered portion of the cake leaving space at one end for the door, and on one side for the windows.
– Add a few drops of red food colouring to the remaining 12 oz of almond paste. Knead the colour in evenly. Place between two layers of waxed paper and roll out to an 1/8 of an inch in thickness.
– Cut a rectangle 10 inches by 6 inches and mould it over the top of the cake to form the roof.
– Now cut two pieces 1.75 by 1.25 inches to make the door; the top of this piece can be slightly rounded. Place these cut-outs on grease-proof paper to dry.
– Knead the scraps of red almond paste together, and then roll it out thinly. Cut strips from this to mould around pieces of pipe-cleaners or toothpicks to make the steps to the caravan door.
– Now cut four rounds 1.25 inches in diameter to attach to the centre of the biscuits for the wheels. Then, using the scraps of paste, mould a chimney and attach it to the roof. It may be kept in position with a little of the royal icing.
– Using a paper icing bag with a small hole and filled with some of the yellow royal icing, pipe the markings on the door, the shutters, and wheels, and scroll along the edge of the roof.
– When the icing has set attach these smaller pieces to the cake.
– Cover a board measuring 10 inches by 51 inches with brown crepe paper, or spread the board with brown icing. Sandwich four groups of 5 biscuits together with icing and place them down the centre of the board. Place the cake carefully on top of the biscuits, making sure it is evenly balanced.
– Now place the steps and the wheels in position, securing them with royal icing.
– Toy animals may be used to add interest.
Tip: Cut four rounds 1.25 inches in diameter from the re-rolled scraps of red almond paste. Attach to the biscuits with a little royal icing, and pipe the wheel spokes and the outline in yellow royal icing.
HAT-BOX CAKE
You will need:
– A rainbow mixture baked in two 7 inch sandwich tins and one 8 inch sandwich tin (recipe follows)
– 1 lb. fondant icing
– Egg white for glazing
– One quantity of thin royal icing
– One quantity of royal icing of piping consistency
– Ribbon
– Moulded flowers
– Piped forget-me-nots
– Tiny birthday candles
– Corks and small piped flowers
Rainbow Cake
– 8 oz butter
– 8 oz sugar
– 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
– 3 eggs
– 8 oz self-raising flour
– 4 oz plain flour
– 3/4 cup milk
– A good pinch of salt
– Food colouring
– 2 level tablespoons cocoa
Preparation Method:
– Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Flavour with vanilla and gradually add the well-beaten eggs. Sift the flours with the salt and add to the mixture alternately with the milk. Divide into three portions, one slightly larger than the other two.
– Sift the cocoa into one of the smaller portions, add pink colouring to the second, and leave the larger portion plain.
– Place the chocolate and pink mixtures in the well-greased 7 inch tins and the plain mixture in the 8 inch tin.
– Bake in a moderate oven, 350o F, for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn out and allow cooling.
Frosting and Decorating the Cake
– Join the two 7 inch cakes with butter cream. Divide the fondant icing in two, and roll half to cover the sides only of the joined layers of rainbow cake, but before placing it on the cake brush it with unbeaten egg white. Use the remainder of the fondant to cover the 8 inch cake, which will become the lid of the hat-box: it should also be brushed with egg white before it is placed on the cake. Extend the icing a little deeper than the sides of this cake. Allow to become firm, if necessary overnight. – Take the thin royal icing (use lemon juice to thin it down), and divide it into two. Colour one half a pale pink and use it to ice the sides of the double layer cake. Coat the lid cake with the white icing. Allow both to dry.
– Using a number 22 icing tube and white royal icing make stripes about three-quarters of an inch apart on the pink iced cake. Trim each stripe with piped forget-me-nots.
– Scatter, and then secure more forget-me-nots on the lid of the hat-box, using tiny dabs of royal icing.
– Secure a band of ribbon across the top of the lid and trim it with moulded roses and leaves.
– Using a fine writing tube, or a fine paper cone, decorate the edge of the lid with a scroll design. When the icing is dry, place the lid in position and set the cake on the covered board or on a mirror.
The Candle Holders
– For these you will need medium-sized corks, candles and small piped flowers.
– Hollow out the narrow end of each cork slightly and, using a lighted match, melt the end of each candle before placing it in the indentation you have made in the cork.
– Decorate the cork with tiny piped flowers, using a little royal icing to make them stick. A dab of the same icing will keep the corks in position round the base of the cake.
Tip: Piped sugar flowers cover small corks to form pretty holders for the birthday candles.
MARBLE CAKE
You will need:
– 6 oz butter
– 6 oz white sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
– 3 eggs
– 12 oz self-raising flour
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 3/4 cup milk
– Cochineal
– 1 tablespoon cocoa
Preparation Method:
– Beat the butter and sugar to a cream and flavour with the vanilla. Beat the eggs until twice their original size and add gradually to the mixture, beating well after each addition.
– Sift the flour with the salt and add to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk.
– Divide the mixture into three equal portions. Leave one plain, colour the second with a few drops of cochineal, and add the cocoa to the third.
– Place in alternate spoonfuls in a well-greased 8 inch round cake tin and bake in a moderate oven, 350o F, for about 50 minutes.