25th the Cake

The cherry on the top - after all those cupcakes earlier in the blog this was the Big Cherry on the top.

I baked 8 sponges ( 200 g of butter, 200 g of  caster sugar, 200 g of self rising flour , 3 eggs, 100 ml of water) to make 4 separate cakes and one small cake to be on the top. Three cakes - sponges -  on the bottom were flavoured with lemon. The cake - sponges - for the middle cake were plain vanilla and the top cake sponge was flavoured with almond.

I prepared a large amount of base icing with icing sugar and butter. I separated it and flavoured it with lemon, vanilla and almond.

First I prepared three bottom cakes - these were cut to size and  then filled with plum jam and vanilla icing. I put chocolate chips on the top as well.

Cakes were then iced all over and let to chill. I prepared the icing figures whilst I was waiting for the cakes to harden up. I used my moulds and set them into certain position.

Middle cake was filled with vanilla icing and the top with almond icing. Then chilled and covered with violet marbled fondant. My friend'd name is Lavender so I wanted to incorporate this in her cake.

Any in-perfection can be corrected by hiding  behind the figures and pipes icing. I placed mu figures on the middle cake and allowed  ladies feet to hang below the bottom edge of the cake.

I used the edible pen to decorate the figures - so they can be recognized .

Then I piped up the hair and the bow on Ladies figure hair.

I needed to be very careful whilst transporting the cakes. I assembled them at the venue.

Three bottom cakes were covered with violet marbled fondant too and white icing was piped - designed as Lavender. I also used white fondant hearts and white and silver sweets to decorate with.

I used dowels in the cakes where the weight of the middle and the top cake would be placed.

Assembled cake had its bottom edges piped over and decorated with silver sweets. I also made fondant plaque saying "Happy 25th Anniversary ! "

Whole cake was sprayed with edible silver spray as that was the theme colour. 

Easy Mince pies

These are very simple and quick to make.

You will need : 225 g of cold diced butter

A jar of minced fruit - or jam depends what do you want to fill your pies with

350 g of plain flour

100 g of caster sugar - can use brown sugar instead

1 small egg - for those with allergies you can leave the egg out

some icing sugar for dusting

Mix all ingredients until you get nice smooth dough.

The dough can be used straight away or kept in the fridge. When you are ready preheat the oven at 200 degrees - gas mark 6. Roll the pastry, cut the circles out and fill pre greased tin.

Fill the pies and cover them with the rest of the dough - I also pressed a little design on the lids. I managed to make 12 plain ones and 6 alcohol ones.

Beat small egg and cover the tops of the cakes with it.

As I mentioned before I spiked the last of the mince with alcohol - I used the rum. Please make sure you can distinguish these cakes. The alcohol in the cakes with vapour once in the oven but why to risk it with the children? I put small flowers on the top so I could put these away fro the reach of children.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Dust with icing sugar if you prefer it this way. 

I got these small tea bag plates for my friends for Christmas - They sure look good !!!

25th part 4

Last cup cakes were strawberry ones with white chocolate chips and lemon ones with milk chocolate chips . They were iced with almond frosting with pearls and chocolate. 

25th part 3

25th part 2

Second favourite flavour was chocolate and strawberry frosting.

Bake up chocolate cup cakes and cool them down. Frosting is made with butter icing sugar food colouring and flavouring. Pipe up and decorate with white pearls and tempered chocolate. 

25th Anniversary cupcakes

My friend asked me for some party cupcakes - she celebrated 25th Anniversary.

 She said her favourite flavour are chocolate and lemon so the first flavour combination was easy.

After baking and cooling the cupcakes I prepared lemon frosting and piped it on. I wanted some continuity across all the different flavoured cakes so the decoration needed to be similar. I used simple while pearls sweets and tempered chocolate.

I melted chocolate and wrote numbers 25 on the grease proof paper - chill - peal off and stuck it on the frosting.  I also made some chocolate dinosaurs - just to be naughty.