Recipe

Little gift cakes

Put these lovely little gift cakes on pieces of thick cardboard, measuring about 9cm-square, covered with special foil or glossy paper or wrapped with brightly coloured ribbons. They can be made a month ahead.

May 31, 2011 2:00pm
  • 1 hr 30 mins cooking
  • Makes 9 Item
    • Print
    Print

Ingredients

Little gift cakes
  • 1 x 19cm-square fruit cake
  • 2 x 500g packets soft icing
  • icing sugar, for dusting
  • food colourings
  • 3/4 cup (180ml) apricot jam, warmed, sieved
  • ribbons and decorations

Method

Little gift cakes
  • 1
    Cut cake into nine even pieces; cover to keep airtight.
  • 2
    Knead icing until smooth on surface dusted with sifted icing sugar. Divide icing so that you have nine pieces in total. Tint each piece by kneading in one of the colourings ­ leave some pieces uncoloured if white icing is desired. Wrap tinted pieces individually in plastic wrap until ready to use.
  • 3
    Brush top and sides of cake evenly with jam just before it is ready to be covered with icing. Roll out icing between sheets of baking paper until large enough to cover top and sides of cake. Lift icing onto cake, then lightly mould icing over cake with dusted hands; trim edges neatly.
  • 4
    Repeat with remaining icing and cakes. Icing scraps can be cut to make decorative shapes; secure shapes to cakes with a little more jam. Decorate cakes with ribbons and decorations.

Notes

For bold coloured icings, use powdered food colourings, available from cake decorating suppliers and some health food stores. Mixing the powder with a very small amount of hot water before being kneaded into the soft icing gives a better result. Liquid colourings can be used for paler colours.

The Latest from Australian Women's Weekly Food

More From Women's Weekly Food