Baking

Present cake

present cake
2 Item
24H
1H 30M
25H 30M

Ingredients

Royal icing (1 quantity)

Method

1.Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan forced). Grease and flour pans.
2.Make cake according to directions on packet. Pour mixture into pans until each is three-quarters full, bake round cake 1 hour and square cake about 1¼ hours. Stand cakes in pans 10 minutes, turn, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.
3.Level cakes to the same height, turn round cake, cut-side down, onto small cake board. Turn square cake, cut-side down onto large cake board. Secure cakes to boards with a little jam. Brush cakes all over with jam.
4.Knead ready-made icing on surface dusted with sifted icing sugar until icing loses its stickiness.
5.Tint two-thirds of the icing blue. Roll icing on sugared surface until large enough to cover square cake. Using rolling pin, lift icing over cake, smooth with sugared hands. Trim neatly around base.
6.Reserve an apple-sized piece of icing for bow. Tint remaining icing yellow. Roll icing to a round shape large enough to cover round cake. Using rolling pin, lift icing over cake, smooth with sugared hands. Trim neatly around base.
7.Insert trimmed bamboo skewers into centre of square cake to support round cake. Position round cake on skewers.
8.To make royal icing, sift icing sugar through a fine sieve. Lightly beat the egg white into a small bowl until mixture is just broken up (do not whip into peaks). Beat in the icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches desired consistency. Using a wooden spoon mix in the lemon juice.
9.Tint half the royal icing yellow, tint remaining icing pink. Spoon yellow royal icing into one of the piping bags, pipe dots around square cake. Spoon pink icing into remaining piping bag, pipe dots around round cake.
10.Tint reserved icing pink. Roll out icing to about 20cm x 45cm (8 inches x 18 inches) and 4mm (¼-inch) thick; cut into three strips. Using picture as a guide, use a tracing wheel to mark edges of ribbon.
11.Turn two of the strips over, brush lightly with water. Using picture as a guide, drape damp side of strips over cakes.
12.Cut remaining strip in half, fold into bow shapes, join loops with water. Place shapes on their sides on baking- paper-lined tray, stand overnight to dry. Reserve scraps. Position bow shapes on cake, use a scrap of icing to make middle of bow.

Equipment Deep 15cm (6-inch) round cake pan Deep 23cm (9¼-inch) square cake pan 15cm (6-inch) round prepared cake board 30cm (12-inch) square prepared cake board 2 medium piping bags fitted with medium plain tubes Tracing wheel 3 bamboo skewers Use any leftover butter cake mix to make cupcakes. The decorated cake can be completed two days ahead of the party. Tracing wheels are available from the haberdashery section of most chainstores. You could also use fabric ribbon instead of making your own out of ready-made white icing.

Note

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