The Little Kitchen Cake Factory

16/12/2013

Step 4 of the Christmas Cake series

Sorry I am a bit late with this one!

This step simply involves putting the marzipan on your cake. You could just go out and buy ready made marzipan , roll it out and pop it on. But if you want to make your own marzipan its really easy too.

You will need 6 ozs ground almounds, 4 ozs caster sugar, 4 ozs icing sugar, 2 eggs, a few drops of almond essence and 2 tablespoons of whiskey or amaretto if you have it.

Mix the dry ingredients together and whisk the eggs with the essence and liquor. Add the dry ingredient mix to the egg mixture and combine thoroughly. And just like that you have your marzipan!

Dust a surface with icing sugar and roll out your marzipan to a circle about the size of your cake. Brush some apricot jam (or I used peach conserve) on to your cake and stick the marzipan on. Step four complete!

02/12/2013

29/11/2013

The boat cake finally looks like a boat! Pictures tomorrow once its finished!

29/10/2013

Step two in the christmas cake series :)

For this step you will need: 100g dark brown sugar, 90g softened butter, 250g flour, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon of marmalade, 1/2 teaspoon each of almond essence and mixed spice, a pinch each of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Phew! However if you don't have all the spices you can leave some out and add in more of the ones you have.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius. Line the inside of your tin (roughly 18cm in diameter) and wrap the outside of your tin with a double thickness of brown paper tied on with string (see photo). This is to prevent the outside if the cake from being scorched while the inside is yet to cook!

Cream the butter and sugar and lemon zest together in as big a bowl as you can find. Beat the eggs in one at a time and then add the marmalade and almond essence. Sift all the remaining ingredients together in another bowl.

Now add the dry ingredients and the fruit to the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. Put the mixture into your tin and bake in the preheated oven for 2-2 and a half hours or until a cake tester come up clean.

Once the cake is cooked leave it to cool in the tin. Once cool, remove the cake from the tin and wrap in tinfoil and put in an airtight container or tin. Ideally the cake should not be touched for another 3 weeks or more before the decorating is done.

28/10/2013

I've decided to post a step by step guide (with photos!) to making a christmas cake so you can bake one along at your own pace. There will be 5 steps :)

For the first step you will need 50g each of glace cherries, mixed peel and currants, 300g of sultanas and 150g of raisins. You will also need approx 60mls of either brandy, sherry or rum (whatever you have handy). I've used spiced rum in mine.

Place all this fruit in a large bowl and add the liquor. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave the fruit to soak overnight.

Well done. First step to a scrumptious christmas cake complete!

28/10/2013

Rose water macaroons. So yummy they are nearly all gone already!

27/10/2013

A fun way of doing meringues. Get the recipe at http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/2013/10/spooky-halloween-meringues.html

22/10/2013

Bought all my ingredients for my Christmas cake today! Going to soak the fruit over night so I can make the cake tomorrow. I'm going to use rum this year but you can also use whiskey, sherry, or brandy. What do you make your Christmas cake with?

18/10/2013

Easy Halloween marshmallow pops!

BOO! Did I scare ya? Probably not, as you intentionally logged onto this post. :) One of my very favorite holidays is upon us. Halloween is

17/10/2013

08/10/2013

Here's the recipe I used for the last Clandestine Cake Club meeting in Worthing. It was yummy and really easy to do.

Not only is this one of the easiest cakes to make, it happens - joyously - to be one of the most delicious. My household is totally addicted! Please don't feel…

07/10/2013

There's an idea to stop thieves from cutting the first slice :P