TH E ART OF
GUIDE TO BAKING
www.theartofcakepainting.com
Guide TO BAKING
BEFORE YOU START…
This series will give you the skills, the confidence and the inspiration to paint original and exciting designs onto cakes. But before you can begin, you need to create the perfect canvas. In this supplement, you will find some tried-and-tested recipes to get you started and a guide to layering, filling and icing your cakes to get a perfect finish – ready for your beautiful painted designs.
BASIC EQUIPMENT There are a few basic items that are worth investing in if you enjoy baking and decorating cakes. These tools make the process much easier and will help you achieve the best results. • Rolling Pin
A large, good-quality wooden rolling pin will make rolling out sugarpaste sheets much easier.
• Non Stick Board
A large wooden, marble or plastic board will ensure your sugarpaste doesn’t stick.
• Sharp Knives
• Turntable
A turntable is priceless when painting cakes. It helps you avoid mistakes while painting and icing. FREE when you SUBSCRIBE!
• Cake Tins
Invest in a set of round and square tins. Heavyweight tins always produce better cakes.
You need a large serrated knife for splitting cakes into layers and a small paring knife for trimming.
• Smoothers
• Palette Knives
• Metal Ruler
It’s handy to have two: a small one for frosting and a large one for moving and covering large cakes.
These are used to create a flawless surface to your icing. Another vital tool for splitting cakes, spacing your design and measuring sugarpaste.
• Measuring Spoons & Cups The spoons are essential for measuring small quantities. Use the cups for measuring liquids.
• Spirit Level
An invaluable tool for when you’re stacking cakes into tiers.
• Parchment paper
Use this to line your baking tins and for tracing templates and transfering them onto your cakes.
• Dowling rods
Wide, hollow plastic ones can be cut for any size of cake. For anything larger for a three-tiered cake, use wooden ones.
Classic SPONGE
Preheat your oven to 160ºC/325ºF/ Gas Mark 3 and line your tins with parchment paper. Mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Use an electric mixer if you have one or a large wooden spoon. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well between each addition. Then add any flavouring. Sift the flour into the mixture and combine together carefully.
INGREDIENTS
Use this conversion chart to bake light, fluffy vanilla cakes of all sizes. These quantities will give you cakes that are about 3inches deep. Cake size 13cm (5in) round 10cm (4in) square 10 - 12 cupcakes
15.5cm 18cm
20cm
23cm
25.5cm 28cm
(6in)
(7in)
(8in)
(9in)
(10in)
(11in)
round 13cm
round round 15.5cm 18cm
round 20cm
round 23cm
round 25.5cm
(5in)
(6in)
(8in)
(9in)
(10in)
Unsalted butter
150g
200g
250g
Caster sugar
150g
200g
250g
3
4
5
150g
200g
250g
Tip your mixture into your baking tins and spread with a palette knife.
Medium eggs
Bake in the oven until ready. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre – it should come out clean. 20 mins for smaller cakes. 40 mins for larger cakes.
Selfraising flour
Allow your cake to cool and then cover until you’re ready to use it.
teaspoon
Chocolate CAKE
Preheat your oven to 160ºC/325ºF/ Gas Mark 3 and line two tins with parchment paper. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well between each one. Add half the dry ingredients into the mixture and combine together carefully. Add half the milk, then mix in the rest of the ingredients. Tip your mixture into your baking tins and spread with a palette knife. Bake until ready. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre. 20 mins for small cakes. 40 mins for large cakes. Allow your cake to cool and then cover until you’re ready to use it.
Vanilla extract
(5½oz)
(5½oz)
(5½oz)
½
square square (7oz)
(7oz)
(7oz)
1
(9oz)
(9oz)
(9oz)
1
(7in)
square square
square square
325g
450g
525g
625g
325g
450g
525g
625g
6
9
10
12
325g
450g
525g
625g
2
2.5
(11½oz)
(11½oz)
(11½oz)
(1lb)
(1lb)
(1lb)
1.5
2
(1lb 3oz)
(1lb 3oz)
(1lb 3oz)
(1lb 6oz)
(1lb 6oz)
(1lb 6oz)
INGREDIENTS Cake size 13cm (5in) round 10cm (4in) square 10 - 12 cupcakes
15.5cm 18cm
20cm
23cm
25.5cm 28cm
(6in)
(7in)
(8in)
(9in)
(10in)
(11in)
round 13cm
round round 15.5cm 18cm
round 20cm
round 23cm
round 25.5cm
(5in)
(6in)
(8in)
(9in)
(10in)
Unsalted butter
150g
200g
130g
175g
220g
2½
3
4
Caster sugar Large eggs
(5½oz)
(4½oz)
Plain flour
170g
Cocoa powder
(1oz)
Baking powder
(6oz)
30g
1½
(7in)
square square square square (7oz)
(6oz)
225g (8oz)
40g
250g (9oz)
(8oz)
280g
(10oz)
50g
325g
(11½oz)
285g
(10oz)
5 365g
450g (1lb)
400g
square square 525g
(1lb 3oz)
460g
625g
(1lb 6oz)
550g
(14oz)
(1lb 1oz)
(1lb 4oz)
7
8½
10
500g
585g
700g
(12½oz) (1lb 2oz) (1lb 4½oz) (1lb 9oz)
65g
90g
100g
125g
(1½oz)
(1¾oz)
(2¼oz)
(3¼oz)
(3½oz)
(4½oz)
2
2½
3¼
4½
5¼
6¼
170ml
220ml
300ml
350ml
425ml
(teaspoons)
Full-fat milk
100ml
135ml
(3½fl oz) (4½fl oz) (5¾fl oz) (8fl oz)
(10fl oz) (12fl oz)
(15fl oz)
Vanilla COOKIES
This wonderfully simple recipe makes 12 large or 25 medium cookies. You can make this dough and store it in clingfilm for up to two weeks in the fridge until needed. 250g (9oz) unsalted butter 250g (9oz) caster sugar 2 medium eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 500g (1lb 2oz) plain flour Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix together until well combined.
Chocolate GANACHE
This rich, smooth filling is made from chocolate and cream. It is important to use good-quality chocolate, with at least 53% cocoa solids, to achieve the best results. This makes about 500g (1lb 2 oz), enough for an 18-20cm (7-8 inch) cake, or about 20-24 cupcakes. If you want white ganache, replace the dark chocolate with white chocolate and half the amount of cream.
Buttercream Buttercream adds flavour and moisture to a cake. Use it as a decorative topping, in between layers, or to create a smooth surface for your sugarpaste icing to cling to. Try adding flavours to your buttercream, like lemon juice or coffee. This recipe makes about 500g (1lb 2 oz), enough for an 18-20cm (7-8 inch) round or square layered cake, or 20-24 cupcakes.
Start sifting the flour into the bowl and mix together in stages. Use your hands to knead it into a smooth dough and wrap in clingfilm. Refrigerate this for around 30 minutes. Dust your work surface and your rolling pin lightly with flour and roll out the dough to about 4mm thick. Cut out your shapes with cutters and place them on some parchment paper on a baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 for about 10-12 minutes or until turning golden. Place them on a rack until completely cooled before decorating them.
250g (9oz) dark chocolate 250g (9oz) double cream Break the chocolate up into a bowl. Bring the cream to a gentle boil in a saucepan, then pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has all melted and is perfectly combined with the cream. Leave it to cool and cover. You can store it in the fridge for up to a week.
175g (6oz) slightly salted butter, softened 340g (11¾oz) icing sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or alternative flavouring. Stir the butter and icing sugar together until creamy. Add the water and the flavouring and beat it in really well, until it becomes pale, light and fluffy. You can store it in an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to two weeks.
LAYERING AND FILLING
IMPORTANT Prepare your cake tins before you bake to prevent your cake from sticking. Grease the inside of your tin with a little melted butter. Cut a circle of baking parchment the same size as your tin so that it sits snugly in the bottom. Put to one side. Cut a long strip of baking parchment at least 9cm (3½in) wide. Fold over one of the long sides about 1cm (½inch) and open out. Put this strip into the tin, folded edge down. Put the parchment circle in over the folded section and smooth.
Cut the dark crust from the base of your cakes. If you have two sponges of equal depths, use a ruler and a serrated knife or a cake leveller to cut them to the same height. If you have one thin and one thick sponge, cut your thickest one in half using a large serrated knife or a cake leveller. You will need to shape each layer to the size of your cake board. To do this, place your cake board on top of each layer and cut straight down without angling the knife inwards or outwards. Use a small paring knife for round cakes and a large serrated one for square cakes. Once you have cut two or three layers of sponge, put them together to check that they are
all even and level, trimming away any excess if necessary. Place your cake board on a turntable. Using a palette knife, spread a small amount of buttercream on to the cake board and stick down your first layer of sponge. You could brush some sugar syrup on top to add moisture, before spreading an even layer of buttercream or ganache. Then add a thin layer of jam or conserve if you are using any. Repeat this procedure for the next layer. Cover the sides in buttercream or ganache and then the top. You only need a thin layer. If it starts to pick up crumbs, pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes then add a thin second coat. Refrigerate for at least an hour.
COVERING YOUR CAKE
Cut a piece of baking parchment about 7.5cm (3in) larger all round than your cake. Lay it next to your work area and place your cake on top. Knead your sugarpaste until really soft and roll it out with a rolling pin onto a large non-stick board. Put a rubber mat or a teatowel under the board to stop it slipping about and add a dusting of icing sugar to stop the sugarpaste sticking as you roll. You can pick up the sugarpaste with your rolling pin and turn it a quarter before rolling some more to ensure it is not sticking and to keep the shape nice and round. You want your icing to be about 5mm thick and big enough to cover your cake entirely. Pick the sugarpaste up on your rolling pin
and lay it over your cake. Quickly but carefully use your hands to smooth it around and down the side of your cake, working from top to bottom. You need to work quite quickly or the icing will soon start to dry out and crack. Try to push out any air bubbles or use a scribing needle to burst them carefully. When the icing is on, use a smoother to go over the top of your cake in a circular motion. For the side of the cake, go around in forward circular movements, almost cutting the excess paste at the base. Trim the excess with a small, sharp knife and use the smoother to go round the cake one final time to make sure that it is perfectly smooth.
REMEMBER! Make sure that your cake is perfectly covered in ganache or buttercream before you ice it.
SQUARE CAKES Pay attention to the corners to ensure the sugarpaste doesn’t tear. Use your hands to carefully cup the icing around the corners before you start working it down the sides. Mend any tears with clean, soft icing as soon as possible so that the icing blends together.
TOP TIP Wait a few minutes before moving the assembled cakes so that the icing has had time to set a bit.
ASSEMBLING TIERED CAKES
ICING CAKE BOARDS To get a perfect finish to your cake, you can ice the cake board. Moisten the board with some water. Roll out the sugarpaste to 4mm. Pick the icing up on the rolling pin and lay it over the cake board. Place the board either on a turntable or bring it towards the edge of the work surface so that the icing is hanging down over it. Use your icing smoother in a downwards motion to make a smooth edge around the board. Cut away any excess. Finish by smoothing the top using circular movements to achieve a flat and smooth surface for your cake to sit on. Leave to dry overnight.
When you’re stacking cakes one on top of the other, it’s really important to use dowels for support so that the cake is structurally sound. We have used hollow plastic dowels here, as they are strong and easy to cut. As a general rule, use three dowels for a round cake and four for a square cake. Use more for larger cakes. Find the centre of your base cake and using a scriber, or similar tool, mark where the dowels should go. These need to be positioned well inside the diameter of the cake to be stacked on top so that they don’t show. Push a dowel into the cake where it has been marked. If your cake is slightly uneven, push this first dowel into the tallest part of the
cake. Use an edible pen to mark the dowel where it meets the top of the cake. Remove the dowel and cut it at the mark with a serrated knife. Cut the other dowels to the same height and insert them into the cake. Place a cake board onto the dowels and check that they are equal in height by using a spirit level on the board. Stick your base cake onto the centre of your cake board with some stiff royal icing. Use your smoothers to move it into position if necessary. Allow the icing to set for a few minutes before stacking on the next tier. Repeat to attach a third tier if you are using one.
FILLING AND COVERING QUANTITIES This chart will tell you how much buttercream or ganache you will need to layer and cover different-sized cakes. Cake size
10cm (4in)
13cm (5in)
15.5cm (6in)
18cm (7in)
20cm (8in)
23cm (9in)
25.5cm (10in)
Buttercream or ganache
175g (6oz)
250g (9oz)
350g (12oz)
500g (1lb 2oz)
650g (1lb 7oz)
800g (1lb 12oz)
1.1kg (2lb 8oz)
SUGARPASTE QUANTITIES This chart gives an estimate of the quantities you will need to cover different-sized cakes; square cakes will require slightly more than round cakes. These quantities are based on cakes about 9cm (3½in) deep. Cake size
10cm (4in)
13cm (5in)
15.5cm (6in)
18cm (7in)
Sugarpaste
400g (14oz)
500g (1lb 2oz)
650g (1lb 7oz)
750g (1lb 10oz)
PLANNING AHEAD
20cm (8in) 850g (1lb 14oz)
Sugarpaste
Stage One
Royal Icing
Stage Two
Fondant Icing
Stage Three
Flower Paste
Wait until your buttercream or ganache coating has set firm. Now you can cover it in sugarpaste and create your tiers if necessary. 24 hours should be sufficient for your sugarpaste icing to have hardened. If it is still feeling soft to touch, you will need to wait a little longer before you can start painting your designs. You need your icing to be hard and smooth.
25.5cm (10in)
1kg (2lb 4oz)
1.25kg (2lb 12oz)
KNOW YOUR ICING
When planning an elaborate cake painting project, you need to allow enough time for each stage, ensuring you get the very best results…
Bake your sponge and leave for several hours to completely cool, before splitting the layers, filling and covering with ganache or buttercream.
23cm (9in)
The soft icing that you can roll out. It dries hard and smooth. In the US and in some supermarkets, it is referred to as ‘fondant’. A spreadable icing that sets hard and ready to paint. Made using egg whites, lemon juice and water or from a specialist powder. This is a glossy, liquid icing, used for icing fondant fancies and for dip-frosting cupcakes. Look out for flavoured varieties in the shops. Very strong and pliable, it is used for making decorative features like flowers.
Pastillage
A strengthened paste that is used for making solid, structural features.