Read The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating Online
Authors: Ruth Clemens
The Busy Girls Guide to Cake Decorating (11 page)
6.5cm (2
1
â
2
in) round mini-cake, prepared for covering
10cm (4in) round cake card
Sugarpaste: white, purple and hot pink
Cutters: 10cm (4in) round, mini heart cutters set (PME)
Buttercream or royal icing
Posy pick
Seven gold florists' wires
Ribbon: purple 2cm (
3
â
4
in) thick, hot pink 5mm (
1
â
8
in) thick
Pearl-headed pins
Basic equipment (see
Equipment
)
1 Brush the cake card with a little water. Roll out the white sugarpaste to a 3mm (
1
â
8
in) thickness. Cut out a 10cm (4in) circle and place onto the cake card to cover it. Neaten around the edges with your fingertips and polish the surface with an icing smoother (see
Covering a board with sugarpaste
).
2 Roll out some more white sugarpaste, this time to a 5mm (
3
â
16
in) thickness. Cover the mini-cake, trimming the excess neatly and polishing with an icing smoother (see
Covering a mini-cake
).
3 Place the covered mini-cake in the centre of the covered cake card, securing with a dab of buttercream or royal icing. Set aside to let the sugarpaste dry.
4 Trim the bottom of the cake with the purple and pink ribbons, securing at the back of the cake with pearl-headed pins.
5 Roll out the hot-pink sugarpaste to a 3mm (
1
â
8
in) thickness and cut out 17 of the larger hearts. Set eight aside and use the remaining nine around the cake positioning them approximately 1cm (
3
â
8
in) apart, 3mm (
1
â
8
in) above the ribbon, securing in place with a dab of water.
6 Roll out the purple sugarpaste as before and cut out nine mini hearts and four large hearts. Set the large hearts aside and attach the mini hearts between the hot-pink hearts around the cake with a little water.
7 Take six gold florists' wires and cut each in half. Gather the wires together evenly and wind the seventh piece of wire around the base of the wires to secure them together tightly (see
Making a wired cake topper
).
When making cake toppers, push the posy pick into a piece of polystyrene or a potato to keep it steady and upright while you're working on it.
8 Fit the wire bunch into a posy pick then curve the wires into position running the wire through your fingertips in the same way as you would curl a ribbon over scissors.
9 Gently push the large purple and hot-pink hearts onto each wire in turn, squeezing with your fingers to secure.
The number of wires you use for the fountain is up to you â try using more or fewer, you could even try having some shorter lengths and some longer ones.
10 Roll a small ball of purple and a small ball of hot-pink sugarpaste and flatten them gently with your hand to create two fat circles. Stack the circles in the centre of the top of the mini-cake and push the posy pick through the centre and down into the cake.
“When time is short and you haven't been able to let your cake card dry out, place the mini-cake on a chopping board to decorate it, then lift it carefully onto the covered card when done. This will stop you making marks in the wet sugarpaste.”
Creating stylized fruits
These cute cookies put your heart cutters to good use â they would be perfect for a summer tea party or just to delight the children.
12 large and 12 small heart cookies
Sugarpaste: red, white and green
Cutters: large and small heart cookie, small square
Gold sugar dragees
Basic equipment (see
Equipment
)
1 Take a small ball of red sugarpaste and knead into the white sugarpaste to create a pink blush colour.
2 Roll out the red sugarpaste to a 3mm (
1
â
8
in) thickness. Cut out six large hearts using the large heart cookie cutter and six small hearts using the small heart cookie cutter. Repeat using the pink blush sugarpaste.
3 Brush the top of each cookie with a little water and attach the sugarpaste hearts in place, pressing down lightly to secure.
4 Roll out the green sugarpaste to a 2mm (
1
â
16
in). Using the heart cutters again, cut out 24 strawberry hulls (12 large, 12 small) using the top part of the cutters only.
5 Trim down the cut outs and take out the âV' shapes using the corner of a small square cutter. Secure in place on the strawberries with a dab of water.
6 Shape 24 stalks from the green sugarpaste and fix in place with water.
7 Using the end of your paintbrush, make small indentations for the seeds. Apply a dot of water to each indentation and fill with a gold dragee. Press each dragee down lightly with your fingertip to help them stay in place.
Rub over the top of the sugarpaste hearts with an icing smoother to remove any finger marks once in place.
Making ruffle flowers
These pretty cupcakes have a great wow factor with only a tiny bit of effort. This design would also work on cookies, and in any number of colours.
Six cupcakes baked in turquoise-blue paper cases
Buttercream
Sugarpaste: blue and white
Round cutters: same size as cupcake tops and 2.5cm (1in)
Large daisy or blossom cutter
Blue sugar pearls
Basic equipment (see
Equipment
)
1 Trim the domes from the tops of your cupcakes and spread a thin layer of buttercream on the top.
2 Roll out the blue sugarpaste to a 3mm (
1
â
8
in) thickness. Using a round cutter the same size as the top of your cupcakes, cut out six circles and attach in place on the tops of the cupcakes.
3 Cut out six 2.5cm (1in) circles from the rolled-out blue sugarpaste for the ruffle flowers. Fold each circle roughly in half and then in half again, letting the edges gather together in ruffles. Set to one side.
4 Roll out the white sugarpaste to a 3mm (
1
â
8
in) thickness and cut out six daisies or blossoms, depending on the kind of cutter you have.
5 Place the cut-out daisies or blossoms centrally on top of the covered cupcakes, securing in place with a little water.
6 Add a blue ruffle flower to the centre of each cake, again with a dab of water to secure.
7 Place a blue sugar pearl in the centre of each ruffle flower and between each of the white daisy or blossom petals.
Dust your work surface lightly with icing (confectioners') sugar to stop the sugarpaste sticking.
Rolling simple roses
This is such a quick cake to put together, no specialist equipment is needed but it has maximum impact! Try different shades for different effects â red for love or purple for passion!
20cm (8in) round cake, prepared for covering
25cm (10in) round cake board
Sugarpaste: white, blue and green
5cm (2in) wide pale blue ribbon
Pearl-headed pin
Edible sparkle lustre dust (optional)
Basic equipment (see
Equipment
)
1 Level and prepare the cake for covering (see
Levelling and filling a sponge cake
). Once chilled, roll out the white sugarpaste to a 5mm (
3
â
16
in) thickness and use to cover the cake. Trim the excess neatly and polish with an icing smoother (see
Covering a cake with sugarpaste
).
If you don't have an icing smoother, use your hands to smooth and polish the icing. A small ball of sugarpaste wrapped tightly in cling film (plastic wrap) can be rubbed over to smooth out any final bumps.
2 Measure the ribbon and cut to size remembering to leave extra for the tail. Cut a âV' in the ribbon end and secure using a pearl-headed pin with the tail facing the front.
3 For the first flower, take a ball of blue sugarpaste approximately 7cm (2
3
â
4
in) in diameter and shape by hand into a rough sausage shape.
4 Roll the shape out thinly on your work surface dusted lightly with icing (confectioners') sugar to stop it sticking. Once it is in a long rectangle, fold it in half widthways. Lightly press the two edges together leaving the top fold slightly puffy.
5 Still on the work surface, start to roll the flower up from one end. Once the roll is started, lift it up and hold it with your hands as you continue to roll up the flower (see
Making a rolled rose
). Pinch off the excess sugarpaste from the base of the flower and set it aside.
6 Repeat the process making seven flowers in total in graduating sizes. Secure the flowers in place on top of the cake using a dab of water.
