Difficulty 
(2)
Just as fruity as a traditional fruit cake, but with a lighter flavour
You may click on any image in this guide to enlarge it.
This cake is a firm favourite with my eldest daughter and is a must for anyone who does not like the heavy traditional fruit cake. Instead of treacle, dark brown sugar, raisins and currents, it has golden syrup, light brown sugar, apricots and sultanas.
Ingredients (to make an 8″ Round or 7″ Square Cake)
7 oz (200 g) Plain flour
1.5 tsps Ground mixed spice
2 oz (50 g) Grounds almonds
6 oz (175 g) Softened butter
6 oz (175g) Soft light brown sugar
1 tbs Golden Syrup
4 Eggs
9 oz (260 g) Chopped apricots
9 oz (260 g) Sultanas
3 oz (75 g) Yellow cherries
3 oz (75 g) Mixed peel
3 oz (75 g) Flaked almonds
Half teaspoon Vanilla extract
Prepared cake tin
Method
Set oven to 160 deg C, 325 deg F or Gas mark 3
Weigh out all the ingredients. Stir mixed spice into flour and then stir in all the fruit until it is well coated.
Mix butter, sugar, golden syrup and ground almonds together until soft and the mixture has become lighter. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and add the vanilla extract.
Fold in the flour and fruit a little at a time, stirring just enough to ensure it is all evenly mixed. The mixture should not be sloppy but stiff enough to fall off the spoon in large lumps. If it is too stiff, add a little milk.
Spoon mixture into the prepared tin and spread out to make a fairly flat surface. Tie the newspaper round the outside and place in the centre of the oven.
Cook for approx one hour (checking and adjusting temperature if cakes begins to rise) then reduce to 150 deg C, 300 deg F, Gas mark 2 until the skewer comes out clean (approx half to three quarters of an hour).
As this cake is much lighter, it is much more susceptible to sinking in the middle. To prevent this, place skewer between tin and paper to warm before inserting in the cake and leave cake in the oven for five minutes after skewar comes out clean. This prevents cold air rushing into the holes and making the cake sink.
Leave to cool in the newspaper for an hour, remove newspaper and leave in tin overnight before removing, “feeding” and storing.
Difficulty 
(1)
Easy Make
Crimping is a quick and easy way to give a decorative finish to the top edge of cakes. It can also be used as a decorative way to seal the cake to the cake board (this is especially useful if you do not like piping royal icing) and to finish the edges of plaques. The crimping is achieved by working on fondant icing while it is still soft.
Crimpers are like pairs of tweezers and come in a variety of styles.
How to Crimp
Simply place the open crimpers around the soft fondant and gently squeeze together and then left them off. This is repeated around the entire cake to give a simple but effective decoration.
It is a good idea to practise on a spare piece of fondant first to get the effect you want as different effects can be achieved by sqeezing the crimpers closer together.
To create a crimped edge at the base of the cake
The cake should already be covered in a layer of fondant icing and allowed to dry for a day. Using a small brush (I use an artists paint brush), dampen the bottom edge of the fondant on the cake.
Next roll out a ’sausage’ of fondant, approx 2cm in diameter and long enough to go round the cake. If you are decorating a large cake, use 2 pieces.
Next place the ’sausges’ of fondant round the base of the cake and gently run your finger over them to secure.
To join, cut both ends at an angle, and fit them together, smoothing gently to hide the join.
Take the crimpers and dip in icing sugar, to prevent them sticking. Place the open cripers around the ’sausage’ and gently sqeeze together then open them again before lifting them from the icing.
Continue round the cake. If you find you have sqeezed too hard in some places and the pattern is irregular, simply run your finger along the edges to smooth them off and create a more even appearance. Finally leave to dry in a cake box.
Difficulty 
(3)
Can be fiddly when first tried, but becomes easier with practise.
Fondant is a soft icing which gives a lovely flat, smooth finish and is softer than royal icing. This means that you do not risk the cake collapsing when cutting into a wedding cake (something I very nearly experienced). Sugarpaste is readily available in supermarkets under the name of Regalice (Supercook) or Ready to Roll Icing.
It does take a little practice to get a perfect finish, but it is much easier than trying to get a smooth finish with Royal Icing and don’t forget most imperfections can be covered by decoration.
In addition the leftover icing can be used to make decorations for the cake such as frills for the sides.
You will need:
Fruitcake covered in marzipan
Sufficient Ready to roll icing to cover the cake. For quantities (see Marzipan and Fondant Cake Coverage Quantities)
Rolling Pin
Icing sugar for dusting
Round Bladed knife
Brandy (or cold boiled water)
Smoothing tool (optional)
Cover the entire surface of the marzipan with brandy. This forms a bond for the icing to stick to. Cool boiled water can be used, but because it does not have the alcohol content can be prone to ‘going off’, therefore water should only be used if the cake is to be eaten shortly after being decorated.
Dust a clean working surface with icing sugar and knead the sugarpaste until it is soft and smooth. If it is particularly cold and hard, pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds only. Any longer and it will dry out and crack as you try to use it.
Roll out the icing to the desired size. This is carried out the same way as when you marzipaned the cake. (see Covering a Fruit Cake with Marzipan). Very carefully lift the icing onto the cake and smooth the top from the centre to the edges with the smoothing tool, or palms of the hands, to remove any air bubbles.
Once the top is smooth, start working down the sides and the corners until the entire cake is covered. Cut off excess at the bottom edge with a round bladed knife and keep in a sealed container to use as decoration.
Using the smoother or hands, smooth over the entire cake until it is flat and shiny. Any air bubbles that have been missed can be removed by inserting a clean needle into the icing and ’smoothing’ the air out. Finally rub gently with the flat of the hand over the whole surface of the cake to smooth it out. This method of rubbing the surface of the icing will also eliminate any cracks that may appear around the top edge of the cake.
Leave cake in a cardboard cake box for at least a day before decorating to provide a stable surface to work on.
Difficulty (3)
Can be fiddly when first tried, but any imperfections will be covered with icing.
What you will need:
Take the cake board and place the cake upside down on it. (Whether to place the cake upside down is a matter of choice) but I find it easier to get a perfect finish when starting with a completely flat surface as nothing spoils a finished cake more than the decorations sitting at ‘jaunty’ angles because the surface is not level.
Take the marzipan and knead it on an icing sugar dusted surface. The marzipan should be very soft and not crack at the edges as you manipulate it.
A tip should the marzipan be particularly cold and hard is to pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds. This is just enough to soften it slightly, any longer and it will dry out. I always use white marzipan. It is softer, more natural and will not show through white icing. Unfortunately it is more expensive, but it is worth the extra money, in texture, flavour and useability.
If the cake has risen slightly and it usually is slightly higher in the middle than the sides, then simply fill in the space at the bottom with a ’sausage’ of marzipan. This has the added advantage of ensuring the cake is completely sealed.
As you place the ’sausage’, gently push it into the space with your fingers. When you have gone round the cake, use a round bladed knife to flatten the marzipan and cut off the excess.
Next, cover the entire cake and marzipan ’sausage’ with a thin layer of jam.
When this is done, put the cake to one side and dust the working surface with icing sugar. Take the marzipan and knead it until soft and smooth.
Roll out evenly. (The cake is covered in one piece to avoid any joins that could allow discolouration of the finished cake through seepage from the cake.) A good check to see that the marzipan is large enough, is to take the cake on its board and hold it over the rolled out marzipan. The marzipan sheet should look approx 2″ larger than the cake board.
When it is large enough, carefully lift the marzipan and place it over the prepared cake and smooth the top working from the centre to the edges using the smoother or flat of the hand. Next smooth down the sides, trying not to create any ‘thick’ patches on the corners.
When the marzipan is smooth with no air bubbles, cut off the excess with a round bladed knife.
Finally rub the flat of the hand over the surface of the cake to create a smooth almost ‘glossy’ finish.
Leave the cake to dry for 3 days. I find it best to put it in a cardboard cake box with the lid sat at an angle.
Difficulty (1)
Easy Make
This very easy to make sponge is moist and tasty and can form the basis of many decorated cakes. It has a firm texture which makes it ideal for cutting to make novelty shapes.
For two 8″ round or two 7″ square tins you will need:
Ingredients
6 oz (170 grams) Margarine (softened)
6 oz (170 grams) Caster Sugar
6 oz (170 grams) Self Raising Flour (sifted)
3 Eggs (beaten)
Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
2 x prepared round cake tins
Set oven to 180 deg C, 350 deg F or Gas Mark 4
Method
Beat the margarine and sugar with a wooden spoon (or electric mixer) until the mixture is soft, creamy and light in colour. (It is important to mix well at this stage to give a light texture).
Add the beaten eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
Finanly add the sifted flour and fold into the mixture with a metal spoon. (I do not use my electric mixer at this stage). Using the spoon, stir round the outside of the mixture and then draw the spoon through the middle, lifting and incorporating air as you do so. Do not over mix at this stage as the sponge will be heavy and leathery.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and smooth the surface.
Bake in the oven for approx 20 – 25 minutes or until the sponge has started to shrink from the edges of the tin and springs back when the top is gently pressed.
Take out of oven and leave in tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto cooling racks and leaving until cold.
Store in a sealed container until required.
I find that leaving the sponge one day before decorating prevents the surface lifting as you cover it with jam/butter icing etc.
The above is for a plain sponge but flavoured sponges are very easy:
For a coffee cake – Disolve two teaspoons of instant coffee in two teaspoons of hot water and add with the eggs.
For a chocolate cake – Substitute 1 oz (28 grams) of flour for cocoa powder (sifted) and half teaspoon of baking powder.