The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating (3 page)
Read The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating Online
Authors: Ruth Clemens
Madeira cake can be kept in an airtight container, ideally in the fridge, for up to two weeks. To freeze, wrap well in cling film (plastic wrap) and store in the freezer for up to three months.
1 Preheat the oven to 140ºC (fan)/160ºC/325ºF/Gas 3 and line the base and sides of the tin (pan) (see
Preparing Tins
).
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 remainder of the flours. Add the milk and stir through.
4 Pour the mixture into the lined tin (pan) and smooth the surface then bake in the oven for the time indicated in the chart above.
5 Cool in the tin (pan) for five minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
“Fold in the flour carefully until just incorporated and the batter is smooth. Don't beat the life out of it otherwise it will create large air bubbles in your cake!”
This chocolate cake recipe is brilliantly moist and lovely! The milk and vinegar combination replicates buttermilk, which can be hard to find (life's too short to hunt for buttermilk!). This recipe makes a fairly deep cake so you should only need one for the complete cake. Chocolate cake will keep well wrapped in an airtight container, ideally in the fridge, for up to one week. It can be kept frozen for three months.
| Round | 15cm (6in) | 18cm (7in) | 20cm (8in) | 23cm (9in) | 25cm (10in) | 28cm (11in) | 30.5cm (12in) | Â |
| Square | 13cm (5in) | 15cm (6in) | 18cm (7in) | 20cm (8in) | 23cm (9in) | 25cm (10in) | 28cm (11in) | 30.5cm (12in) |
| Butter, softened | 90g (3oz) | 140g (5oz) | 165g (5 3 â 4 oz) | 185g (6 1 â 2 oz) | 225g (8oz) | 325g (11 1 â 2 oz) | 465g (1lb 1 â 2 oz) | 560g (1lb 3 3 â 4 oz) |
| Caster (superfine) sugar | 165g (5 3 â 4 oz) | 250g (8 3 â 4 oz) | 300g (10 1 â 2 oz) | 330g (11 1 â 2 oz) | 410g (14 1 â 2 oz) | 570g (1 1 â 4 lb) | 660g (1lb 7 1 â 4 oz) | 825g (1lb 13oz) |
| Eggs | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Self-raising (-rising) flour | 40g (1 1 â 2 oz) | 50g (1 3 â 4 oz) | 60g (2oz) | 70g (2 1 â 2 oz) | 90g (3oz) | 125g (4 1 â 2 oz) | 150g (5 1 â 4 oz) | 190g (6 3 â 4 oz) |
| Plain (all-purpose) flour | 120g (4 1 â 4 oz) | 170g (6oz) | 200g (7oz) | 230g (8oz) | 280g (9 3 â 4 oz) | 350g (12 1 â 4 oz) | 450g (1lb) | 560g (1lb 3 3 â 4 oz) |
| Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) | 2.5ml ( 1 â 2 tsp) | 3.75ml ( 3 â 4 tsp) | 5ml (1 tsp) | 6.25ml (1 1 â 4 tsp) | 7.5ml (1 1 â 2 tsp) | 11.25ml (2 1 â 4 tsp) | 12.5ml (2 1 â 2 tsp) | 13.75ml (2 3 â 4 tsp) |
| Cocoa powder (unsweetened cocoa) | 40g (1 1 â 2 oz) | 60g (2oz) | 70g (2 1 â 2 oz) | 80g (2 3 â 4 oz) | 90g (3oz) | 110g (3 3 â 4 oz) | 120g (4 1 â 4 oz) | 160g (5 1 â 2 oz) |
| Milk | 120ml (4fl oz) | 200ml (7fl oz) | 220ml (7 1 â 2 fl oz) | 250ml (8 1 â 2 fl oz) | 300ml (10fl oz) | 440ml (15fl oz) | 490ml (16 1 â 2 fl oz) | 610ml (21fl oz) |
| Malt vinegar (alegar) | 15ml (1 tbsp) | 15ml (1 tbsp) | 30ml (2 tbsp) | 30ml (2 tbsp) | 45ml (3 tbsp) | 60ml (4 tbsp) | 75ml (5 tbsp) | 90ml (6 tbsp) |
| Baking time | 50min | 1hr | 1hr 10min | 1hr 15min | 1hr 20min | 1hr 30min | 1hr 40min | 1hr 50min |
| Serves (cut into 5 Ã 2.5cm / 2 Ã 1in slices) | 12 | 17 | 23 | 29 | 35 | 42 | 50 | 60 |
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (fan)/180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 and line the base and sides of the tin (pan) (see
Preparing Tins
).
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 remaining ingredients â flour, cocoa, soda and the milk/vinegar mixture â and beat well until smooth.
6 Pour the mixture into the lined tin (pan) and smooth the surface then bake in the oven for the time indicated in the chart above.
7 Cool in the tin (pan) for five minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely on a wire rack.
The base of your baked cake will become the top when decorating it. To avoid the cooling rack indenting marks as it cools, flip the cake upside down to cool.
A delicious fruit cake makes a firm stable base for decorating. It can be made (and decorated) well in advance, as it keeps very well. Fruit cake can be stored well wrapped in a cool dry place for six months or frozen for three years.
| Round | 15cm (6in) | 18cm (7in) | 20cm (8in) | 23cm (9in) | 25cm (10in) | 28cm (11in) | 30.5cm (12in) | |
| Square | 13cm (5in) | 15cm (6in) | 18cm (7in) | 20cm (8in) | 23cm (9in) | 25cm (10in) | 28cm (11in) | 30.5cm (12in) |
| Butter, softened | 90g (3oz) | 140g (5oz) | 165g (5 3 â 4 oz) | 185g (6 1 â 2 oz) | 225g (8oz) | 325g (11 1 â 2 oz) | 465g (1lb 1 â 2 oz) | 560g (1lb 3 3 â 4 oz) |
| Caster (superfine) sugar | 165g (5 3 â 4 oz) | 250g (8 3 â 4 oz) | 300g (10 1 â 2 oz) | 330g (11 1 â 2 oz) | 410g (14 1 â 2 oz) | 570g (1 1 â 4 lb) | 660g (1lb 7 1 â 4 oz) | 825g (1lb 13oz) |
| Eggs | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Self-raising (-rising) flour | 40g (1 1 â 2 oz) | 50g (1 3 â 4 oz) | 60g (2oz) | 70g (2 1 â 2 oz) | 90g (3oz) | 125g (4 1 â 2 oz) | 150g (5 1 â 4 oz) | 190g (6 3 â 4 oz) |
| Plain (all-purpose) flour | 120g (4 1 â 4 oz) | 170g (6oz) | 200g (7oz) | 230g (8oz) | 280g (9 3 â 4 oz) | 350g (12 1 â 4 oz) | 450g (1lb) | 560g (1lb 3 3 â 4 oz) |
| Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) | 2.5ml ( 1 â 2 tsp) | 3.75ml ( 3 â 4 tsp) | 5ml (1 tsp) | 6.25ml (1 1 â 4 tsp) | 7.5ml (1 1 â 2 tsp) | 11.25ml (2 1 â 4 tsp) | 12.5ml (2 1 â 2 tsp) | 13.75ml (2 3 â 4 tsp) |
| Cocoa powder (unsweetened cocoa) | 40g (1 1 â 2 oz) | 60g (2oz) | 70g (2 1 â 2 oz) | 80g (2 3 â 4 oz) | 90g (3oz) | 110g (3 3 â 4 oz) | 120g (4 1 â 4 oz) | 160g (5 1 â 2 oz) |
| Milk | 120ml (4fl oz) | 200ml (7fl oz) | 220ml (7 1 â 2 fl oz) | 250ml (8 1 â 2 fl oz) | 300ml (10fl oz) | 440ml (15fl oz) | 490ml (16 1 â 2 fl oz) | 610ml (21fl oz) |
| Malt vinegar (alegar) | 15ml (1 tbsp) | 15ml (1 tbsp) | 30ml (2 tbsp) | 30ml (2 tbsp) | 45ml (3 tbsp) | 60ml (4 tbsp) | 75ml (5 tbsp) | 90ml (6 tbsp) |
| Baking time | 50min | 1hr | 1hr 10min | 1hr 15min | 1hr 20min | 1hr 30min | 1hr 40min | 1hr 50min |
| Serves (cut into 5 Ã 2.5cm / 2 Ã 1in slices) | 12 | 17 | 23 | 29 | 35 | 42 | 50 | 60 |
Very few ovens operate true to temperature. To reduce the risk of large cakes burning, or taking twice the stated baking time, a removable oven thermometer is a really useful piece of kit.