Method
1 Place all the fruit and peel into a bowl and mix in the brandy. Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to soak for 24 hours.
2 Preheat the oven to 140ºC (275ºF, Gas Mark 1). Grease the tin and line with greaseproof paper, then grease the paper as well.
3 Sieve the flour, salt and spices into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4 Beat the eggs and then add a little at a time to the creamed butter and sugar, beating well after each addition. If the mixture looks as though it is going to curdle, add a little flour.
5 When all the eggs have been added, fold in the flour and spices. Then stir in the soaked fruit and peel, the chopped almonds, treacle and the grated orange and lemon zest.
6 Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread it out evenly with the back of a spoon.
7 Tie some cardboard or brown paper around the outside of the tin to prevent the cake from overcooking on the outside before the inside is done, then cover the top with a double thickness of greaseproof paper with a small hole in the centre to let any steam escape.
8 Bake the cake on the lower shelf of the oven for 4¼–4¾ hours. Do not look at the cake until at least 4 hours have passed, then test it (see tip).
9 When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin. When quite cold, remove from the tin but leave the greaseproof paper on as this helps to keep the cake moist. Turn the cake upside down and wrap in more greaseproof paper, then loosely in polythene and store in an airtight tin. Store in a cool, dry place.
10 You can feed the cake with brandy during the storage time. To do this, make a few holes in the surface of the cake with a fine skewer and sprinkle a few drops of brandy on to the surface. Reseal and store as above. Do not do this too often though or you will make the cake soggy.
11 Glaze the cake with apricot glaze (see essential purchases), then cover with marzipan and sugarpaste (see covering cakes).
Giant Cupcake
This is the recipe you will need in order to make the Cupcake Heaven cake, using the Wilton large cupcake pan (see Suppliers).
Ingredients
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF, Gas Mark 2–3).
2 Place the flour, baking powder, sugar, margarine and eggs into a mixing bowl, add the milk. Mix together with a wooden spoon and then beat for two to three minutes until smooth and glossy. Alternatively use an electric mixer and beat for one minute only.
3 Grease and flour the tin very well and fill each cavity with the cake mixture, leaving room at the top for the cake to rise. Level the top of the mixture and tap the tin to remove any air bubbles.
4 Place in the oven and cook for 1–1½ hours until the cake springs back when pressed in the centre.
5 Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in the tin to cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.
Mini Car Cakes
This recipe for mini cakes is used to create the small cars in the Motor Mania cake. You will need the Wilton small egg tin (see Suppliers) – this recipe will fill one tray to make eight half eggs, which will make four cars.
Ingredients
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF, Gas Mark 2–3).
2 Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix with a wooden spoon, then beat for two to three minutes until smooth and glossy. Alternatively use an electric mixer and beat for one minute only.
3 Grease the tin well and fill each cavity two-thirds of the way up with the cake mixture. Level the top of the mixture and tap the tin to remove any air bubbles.
4 Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes until the cakes spring back when pressed in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave cakes in the tin to cool before turning out onto a wire rack.
5 Level the top of the cakes then sandwich two halves together with buttercream to form a whole egg shape.
Cupcakes
This recipe creates a wonderful vanilla-flavoured muffin-type cupcake with a rounded top, as opposed to a flatter-topped fairy cake. This recipe is used to create all the cupcakes featured in the book.
Ingredients