Cap – formed from a ball of sugarpaste, slightly flattened with a finger with a peak attached. Finished with a ball on the top and a contrasting trim around the peak.
Sun hat – made by mixing three or four different shades together to form a ball and flattening the top with a finger. A cut-out circle is attached for the brim.
Frilling
Frills can be used to decorate the side of the cake, or to make the edge of a pillow or a petticoat. You will need a special cutter called a Garrett frill cutter, which is available in two types – circle and straight. The circular cutter comes with three inner circles of different sizes to determine the depth of the frill. To make the frill, use a cocktail stick, a frilling tool, or the end of your paintbrush. Place your chosen tool on the edge of the frill and work it in a backwards and forwards motion, without putting too much pressure on it. The frill will lift where you have rolled. Continue with each section in turn until it is completed. A straight Garrett frill cutter will allow you to make a long frilled strip. The technique for frilling is exactly the same.
Texturing Sugarpaste
A great way of adding interest to your cakes is to use textured patterns in the sugarpaste. Texture can be created using impression mats or with textured rolling pins. These can be used to add designs to a large area, such as a covered cake board, or for smaller details such as clothing. Some of the fantastic textures available are shown here.
Recipes
Before you can get on with the business of decorating your cake, first you need to bake it! While there are thousands of books on cake making for you to refer to, here are my tried-and-tested recipes for both sponge and fruit cakes, for the small cakes that you will find at the end of every project, and for some additional things you will need to make.
Madeira Cake
This is a very nice firm cake that will keep for up to two weeks, giving you plenty of time to decorate it. It can also be frozen. I use it because it stays firm and will not sink when you place sugarpaste characters on the top. The recipe here is for a plain cake, but you can flavour both the sponge and the buttercream to suit your own taste.
Tip
The temperatures stated and baking times given are for fan-assisted ovens, which is what I use. If you are using a conventional oven, you will need to adjust the timings accordingly.
Ingredients
For a 20cm (8in) cake
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF, Gas Mark 2–3). Grease the tin and line with greaseproof paper, then grease the paper as well.
2 Sift the flours into a large mixing bowl and add the butter and sugar. Beat together until the mixture is pale and smooth. Add the eggs and beat well, adding more flour if the mixture becomes too loose.
3 Spoon the mixture into the tin, and then make a dip in the top with the back of a spoon to prevent the cake from rising too much.
4 Bake in the centre of the oven for 1–1¼ hours. Test the cake (see tip) and when it is cooked, remove it from the oven and leave it to stand in the tin for about five minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool fully.
5 Cover the cake around the sides and top with a coating of buttercream, then cover with sugarpaste (see covering cakes)
Rich Fruit Cake
This delicious cake improves with time, so always store it away before decorating it. I find it is generally at its best four weeks after baking, provided it is stored properly and fed with a little extra brandy!
Tip
Test whether a cake is ready by inserting a fine cake skewer into the centre. If the cake is ready, the skewer will come out clean, if not, replace the cake for a few more minutes and then test it again.
Ingredients
For a 20cm (8in) cake