Cakes For Romantic Occasions (8 page)

Cupcakes really are a favourite any-time treat for kids, big and little! They are so simple to create, take no time to bake and cool in minutes. I often make more mixture than I need to for a large cake so I can include some sneaky cupcakes for tea. Mini cakes take a little longer, but can be a real showstopper. They’re perfect for a very special occasion.

Any of the recipes on pages 13–16 (except for the fruit cake) work perfectly as cupcakes, especially the chocolate fudge cake and carrot cake which are both very moist. You will get around 12 cupcakes from an 18cm (7in) round recipe.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Muffin tin

Muffin cases

Wire cooling rack

one
Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas Mark 2–3). Line a muffin tin with muffin cases.

two
Make your cake mixture using your chosen recipe from pages 13–16. Fill each muffin case about two-thirds full. Bake for around 20 minutes until they bounce back on touch.

three
Leave to cool for a few minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.

four
There are several ways to finish the cupcakes – you can pipe buttercream onto each cake with a savoy star-shaped nozzle or smooth it on and add a circle of rolled-out sugarpaste, then decorate as desired.

You can make mini cakes either with individual mini cake tins or by baking a slab cake about 5cm (2in) deep and cutting out rounds with a 5cm (2in) pastry cutter (this method leaves plenty of leftover cake to sample!). Individual tins are best for ensuring your mini cakes are all the same size and height. Mini cake tins are available in a variety of shapes including round, square and heart-shaped.

Any of the recipes on pages 13–16 are suitable for mini cakes. Grease the individual tins well and fill each one about two-thirds full. You will get 25 mini cakes from a 30cm (12in) square tin recipe.

Iced mini cakes really do look special. They are iced in the same way as a larger cake but only need a single coat. Festive mini cakes can be under iced with marzipan.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Sugarpaste, 2.5kg (5lb 8oz) for 25 mini cakes

Apricot glaze or seedless jam

Rolling pin

Icing smoother

one
When the cakes are cooled, cut each one in half and fill with buttercream and jam as required (see page 18).

two
Brush each mini cake with apricot glaze or seedless jam.

three
Roll out the icing about 5mm (1⁄8in) thick and cut a 14cm (5½in) square for each cake.

four
Place a square over each cake and smooth down with your hands and an icing smoother (
a
). Trim the excess with a sharp knife and set on a tray lined with greaseproof paper.

five
Allow the mini cakes to harden for a couple of hours. Cut a length of satin ribbon to fit around each cake and attach with a little royal icing (see page 27) (
b
).