Our own 'makes'

[finleysmaid]

Been a bit busy with a little update on last year's cake for the same little chap

[Mouseketeer]

Brilliant FM!

[zigzag]

That’s brilliant, bet he loves it.

[Panders]

That's fab Finleysmaild.      Have you any guidance for me?  I have been asked if I will make a Gluten Free Mr. Kipling french fancy cake for a 40th birthday!   It's in June.    I feel I could do it, but the recipe I have been given calls for the fondant icing to have water added to it in a mixing bowl and then whizzed until it's pouring consistency - will it work?    Also says I should put the sponge in the fridge for a while, this goes against everything I know. 😂  It's a recipe devised by a blogger rather than, say, a Mary Berry or Delia |

[finleysmaid]

9 hours ago, Panders said:

That's fab Finleysmaild.      Have you any guidance for me?  I have been asked if I will make a Gluten Free Mr. Kipling french fancy cake for a 40th birthday!   It's in June.    I feel I could do it, but the recipe I have been given calls for the fondant icing to have water added to it in a mixing bowl and then whizzed until it's pouring consistency - will it work?    Also says I should put the sponge in the fridge for a while, this goes against everything I know. 😂  It's a recipe devised by a blogger rather than, say, a Mary Berry or Delia |

leave that with me for a bit !! i'll go and have a think. never done the fondant watered down thing!!! interesting .

As to putting the sponge in the fridge i would always recommend doing a crumb coat of butter icing then putting in a fridge to set. Sometimes you even need to do 2 coats of this if the result needs to be really smooth. Never use 'fresh' cake ....best baked the day before! 

[finleysmaid]

9 hours ago, Panders said:

That's fab Finleysmaild.      Have you any guidance for me?  I have been asked if I will make a Gluten Free Mr. Kipling french fancy cake for a 40th birthday!   It's in June.    I feel I could do it, but the recipe I have been given calls for the fondant icing to have water added to it in a mixing bowl and then whizzed until it's pouring consistency - will it work?    Also says I should put the sponge in the fridge for a while, this goes against everything I know. 😂  It's a recipe devised by a blogger rather than, say, a Mary Berry or Delia |

ok i can see why this might be done like this. have you thought about whether you will do a buttercream dome or will you do a cake dome (i think that much buttercream might be a bit much??  normally i would use fondant but if you are going for a buttercream dome then i can see the watery fondant system would be lighter and therefore work.

[Panders]

I've copied the recipe out Finleysmaid.      What we actually want to do is to make one large cake.   I was thinking of sandwiching the two cakes together with buttercream and jam, like a vicky sponge.   Then maybe a smaller dome shaped sponge for the top, and covering the whole thing with the fondant.

I just don't know if its do-able.   The yellow french fancy was her favourite thing and since she has been diagnosed intolerant. coeliac  (sp?) we thought it might make a cute birthday cake for her.

My Gluten Free French Fancies Recipe.docx

[Cait]

On 04/05/2021 at 09:32, Panders said:

That's fab Finleysmaild.      Have you any guidance for me?  I have been asked if I will make a Gluten Free Mr. Kipling french fancy cake for a 40th birthday!   It's in June.    I feel I could do it, but the recipe I have been given calls for the fondant icing to have water added to it in a mixing bowl and then whizzed until it's pouring consistency - will it work?    Also says I should put the sponge in the fridge for a while, this goes against everything I know. 😂  It's a recipe devised by a blogger rather than, say, a Mary Berry or Delia |

Yes you can put cake in the fridge with the layer of buttercream crumb coat on.  I do it.   As to the watered down fondant, that’s the way they did it on ‘Bake off’ if you can find that episode.   What GF flour are you going to use? 

[Panders]

Thanks Cait, in this area Doves Farm is easy to get.   I had  run through with the sponge last weekend - unbeknownst to the birthday girl she tried it and said she liked it (do hope she wasn't being kind for the sake of it😂)  Long story short when she tried it it had been in a cake tin for 2 days!   but it cut really really well, and I sandwiched and butter creamed it that morning.  So in my book successful.

I'll see if I can track down the episode - I have actually just ordered some fondant stuff from Amazon, which I think you "melt" like chocolate over hot water. 

[Panders]

As ever, Cait, found what was needed on youtube, thank you, I can see how it works with little ones - now I just have to make it work with a big one!   Strangely, the recipes call for a very very thin layer of marzipan - not sure if Mr. Kipling put marzipan on his - but I am am striving for reasonable amount of accuracy here!

[Froglet]

22 hours ago, Panders said:

As ever, Cait, found what was needed on youtube, thank you, I can see how it works with little ones - now I just have to make it work with a big one!   Strangely, the recipes call for a very very thin layer of marzipan - not sure if Mr. Kipling put marzipan on his - but I am am striving for reasonable amount of accuracy here!

Good luck! I can confirm that my recent experiences involved no marzipan but in my book marzipan is always a good thing!

[Cait]

Personally I wouldn’t marzipan unless I knew that the recipient liked it.  
And in my experience, GF cakes are lighter and lovelier than their Muggle counterparts!  😊😊😊🤪

[finleysmaid]

i would agree a decent crumb coat will be fine and if it's not smooth enough do 2 crumb coats!

[Cait]

So how did it go?  Did it work out well?

[Panders]

I'm having a run through today - baked one layer and the dome shape yesterday afternoon.   It's in the fridge atm waiting for the buttercream crumb coat.  Then I shall attempt a quick fondant covering (that's what I am most scared about😉)

Her birthday is next weekend, cake needs to be finished by Sunday!!  This run through better help, can't keep making cakes etc., wouldn't know what to do with them 😱

[Cait]

It sounds good.  Are you putting a buttercream layer under the dome too like a princess torte?  There are ways of making buttercream that aren’t sickly sweet, or use a custard/whipped cream combo like a princess torte. 

Edited June 11, 2021 by Cait
Grammar

[Panders]

Well for this run through, I'e baked a small pudding basin sized cake, sliced it and put raspberry jam and butter cream and then sandwiched back together.  I've just crumb coated the lot and put it back in the fridge.

At the moment, I'm thinking the pudding basin sponge i a little heavy and maybe a lighter sponge is required.   

The difficulty I have is this:      A real Mr. Kipling fondant fancy has a very thin layer of fondant, this can be achieved on homebakes (small ones) by using a block of fondant icing and rather than rolling it out, you add water and whisk it until it is runny and smooth then dip in the little cakes.   I will need to pour it over the large cake!   I didn't think a blob of cream would be able to take the fondant this way, that's why I have baked the pudding basin job,😱

[Cait]

No.  Cream wouldn’t take it, you’re right.   On bake off they used straight buttercream and dipped into the runny fondant, didn’t they?  Hmm. 
The pudding basin is a good idea though, for the dome bit of the cake.  If you put the top dome buttercreamed onto your square cake, that would give a perfect illusion of the cream dome.   

[Panders]

Yes it has Cait, however, it's too large so now I know it has to be trimmed right down really.  The fondant icing in water has worked, I have made it a bit thick, the buttercream crumbing not really smooth enough - sounds a delight doesn't it?😆  Thank heavens it's a family party  😉  Looks more like a lego brick.

[Panders]

oh my - how ugly is that cake       

[Cait]

Hmm.  I think perhaps you just needed the dome bit of the mixing bowl, rather than the whole thing, it just needs to be a ‘blister’ on the top.   Maybe apply another layer of buttercream on top of your thinner crumb coat, so you get a smoother finish.  

[Cait]

But as a duplo brick, it succeeds admirably 😂😂

[sunnyday]

I'd eat it (but then I would eat any sort of cake🤷‍♀️🤣)

[Panders]

In terms of the icing it looks better today, it's dried out and dulled down, Ive put some chocolate squiggles on top.   The dome part I will shave down considerably when I do it next week.   Ive not done a crumb coat before and I was unaware how tricky that was and how crucial to get it just right.   I will try harder next week when I do it for real.   Must try harder as my old Maths Teacher used to say on my report.

If I could send it to you Sunnyday I would!    My husband said today "what exactly is it supposed to represent?    A golf tee?"    Not sure what type of golf tee he has seen 😆.

It has reminded me a little of when my boys were small and it was not as easy as walking into M&S and picking up a caterpillar cake - if you wanted novelty you had to make it yourself!

[Cait]

You may find it a lot easier to do a thin crumb coat - it is just to trap the crumbs.   Then once that’s chilled and set a bit, apply another layer of buttercream and get it nice and smooth with a knife dipped in hot water and quickly wiped dry.  

[Froglet]

Just finished another pair of socks. These are for my dad. By the way how did the final fondant fancy cake turn out?

[zigzag]

Froglet, those are fab, you are very clever.

[Panders]

[Panders]

In my defence it tasted far far better than it looked 🤣

[Mouseketeer]

6 minutes ago, Panders said:

In my defence it tasted far far better than it looked 🤣

It looks pretty good, I can see it’s a huge french fancy and lemon ones are my favs!