I have set up a page on Facebook where I will be showcasing all of my recipes, focusing in particular on cakes and macarons.
I have loads of exciting upcoming projects and experiments in mind so search for Baked By Sarah
Thank you 🙂
Wedding Cake
Navy & White Wedding Cake
This is the wedding cake which I made for my friend’s wedding yesterday.
I loved making this cake so much but it was very time consuming, I started it on Tuesday and had it ready by Friday.
I started with the smaller cakes because they took the longest to make so I wanted these out of the way first. I used a deep square cake tin and made a regular vanilla sponge. I then measured out the size of the square and was able to make 9 small squares out of each tin.
I then heated some apricot jam, diluted it with a bit of water and brushed it over each cake to help the icing stick. I used ready to roll icing for each cake. This part was probably the most time consuming trying to get the icing as perfect as possible. I started off quite slowly trying to get the hang of it and by the time I had made around 10 I started to get through them a lot more quickly.
I was looking forward to making the large cake because I had new things to work with which I have never used before. I layered 2 vanilla sponge cakes sandwiching them together with vanilla butter cream and used a thick layer of buttercream to coat the cake and covered it with ready to roll icing.
I ordered a tool online to achieve the quilting effect on the cake, it was really simple and easy to use. I used edible glue for each of the cross over parts in the quilting and attached an ivory sugar ball.
One of the trickiest parts of the cake was attaching the bows and the ribbon as these were separate. After quite a few failed attempts of using the edible glue and trying to figure out how to keep the ribbon on I found that the best method was to tie the ribbon around the centre of the bow in a knot and bring the ribbon around the cake tying it at the back. For the main bow on the big cake I secured to ribbon with double sided sellotape.
The end result was really pleasing and is by far the hardest cake I have made to date but I am definitely looking forward to learning another new style!
Perfect Sugarpaste Coating
Tips to creating the perfect finish to an iced cake;
- Mould the paste into a smooth ball making it easier to handle – don’t add any icing sugar to the paste yet as this could affect the consistency
- Coat your work surface with a thin layer of icing sugar
- Using a non stick rolling pin roll out the paste ensuring that it is big enough to cover the entire cake and leave an over hang on each side
- Alternate the sides of the past which you are rolling to prevent the paste from sticking to the surface
- Drape the paste of the rolling pin
- Roll the paste over the cake making sure the cake is fully covered and that there is excess paste on each side of the cake
- Starting from the centre of the cake use a circular motion with your hands moulding the paste onto the cake until your have it fully covered
- Cut off the excess with a sharp knife
- To obtain the perfect finish, use your hand to buff the paste using circular motions. This will leave a smooth, perfect finish.
Rustic Engagement Cake
This is one of my favourite styles of cake and is definitely something which I want to become really good at.
At the moment I am experimenting with a whole host of cakes and becoming really good at wedding cakes is my ultimate aim. Creating wedding cakes which are not only pretty and unique but cakes which taste great too, so for me, the taste is just as important as the overall finish and appearance of the cake.
This actual cake was made for a special occasion. One of my best friends got engaged a few weeks ago and she has asked me to be one of her bridesmaids in Italy next year which I am over the moon about. As I wanted to make this cake anyway I suggested I make it for her engagement party.
For the sponge I stuck with my trusted vanilla sponge recipe which I think is the perfect combination of ingredients. If cooked just right the result is a moist, light and fluffy sponge.
I made three large round cakes and stacked them up, layering with vanilla buttercream. I would usually use jam too but opted for just the buttercream this time.
I then made a huge batch of my vanilla buttercream recipe. A large amount is needed for this type of cake as I needed to cover the cake with a crumb coat and then have a lot of buttercream to work with to achieve the end result.
For the topping I was initially thinking of using real yellow roses and stacking them on top of the cake (yellow is a potential colour for the bridesmaids) instead I decided to make the roses out of icing. This is something which I have done previously but they didn’t turn out that great so I put in a lot of practice in the days running up to the party to ease the pressure. I used both yellow and white icing and the result was really good.
The preparation of the cake itself was not as stressful as I had anticipated however, I didn’t really think the transportation side of things through and didn’t have a box which was ideal for moving the cake. In the end I found 2 boxes in my garage and I was able to use the first one to hold the cake and the second one to act as a lid.
The journey was really stressful but we got there in one piece and the end result was totally worth it!
bakedbysarah 