9 minute read
Summertime Sweetness by Sarah Hunter
SUMMERTIME __sweetness__
This cake is inspired by summer ’s warm sunshine, golden flowers and thirst-quenching lemonade. The pretty isomalt lollipops with edible pressed flowers and candied lemons really make this cake stand out as a summer celebration piece.
Advertisement
EDIBLES EQUIPMENT
Lemons: 2 Sugar: 250g (83/4oz) Water: 250ml (81/2fl oz) Round, filled sponge cake, 20.5cm (8") deep: 15cm (6") wide Round, filled sponge cake, 15cm (6") deep: 10cm (4") wide Plain buttercream: 2kg (4lb 61/2oz) SK Professional Paste Food Colours: Marigold (Tangerine) and Daffodil Yellow SK Designer Edible Effect Paint: Gold SK Ready Tempered Isomalt: 125g (43/8oz) Colourless Scrumptious Sugar Pearls: 4mm (3/16") Gold Gold dragées: 2mm (1/16") and 1cm (3/8") Edible dried, pressed viola flowers: yellow and orange Round cake drum: 25.5cm (10") Round single thick cake card: 10cm (4") Cake dowels: 3 Turntable Tall metal side scraper Palette knives: large and small SK-GI Silicone Mould: Blossom 1 Silicone lollipop mould: 5-cavity Bamboo skewers or lollipop sticks Heavy bottom saucepan with pouring spout Latex or rubber gloves Baking paper Silicone spatula Silicone mat Baking tray SK High-Quality Paintbrush: no. 4 Cocktail sticks
MAKING THE CANDIED LEMONS
1Thinly slice two lemons. In a wide saucepan, add the water and sugar and then bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and reduce to a simmer.
2Add the lemon slices so they have space to float on the surface of the sugar water and allow to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, turning the lemons over halfway through.
3Once the lemons are translucent, remove them one at a time with a fork and place them onto a baking tray lined with some parchment paper. Allow the lemons to dry overnight or in an oven at 50˚C (120˚F/Gas Mark Very Low) for one hour. Store the dry candied lemons in an airtight container until you are ready to use them.
TO P T I P
Make your candied lemons ahead of time, up to a few days in advance, and store them in an airtight container until needed.
1Before making your isomalt lollipops and decorations, you will need to prepare your workspace. Do this by laying out everything you will need on the surface, making sure you are close to your stove top. You will be working with
A
B
C
D
the hot isomalt, which easily burns so you don’t want to leave this on the stove any longer than you need to. Gather the heavy bottom saucepan with a pouring spout, the Colourless isomalt, a silicone heat-proof spatula, a silicone lollipop mould, the Blossom 1 mould, lollipop sticks or bamboo skewers, the edible viola flowers, dry candied lemons and the 2mm (1/16") gold dragées.
2Start preparing your lollipop moulds by placing the lollipop sticks or bamboo skewers into the base of the mould.
3On the stove, heat the isomalt granules in the saucepan until they are fully melted and translucent (A, B). Once the isomalt has bubbled up and fully melted, turn off the heat and wait for any bubbles to subside. Do not stir the isomalt as this will introduce more air bubbles!
4Move the saucepan over to the lollipop mould and carefully pour the melted isomalt into the cavities of the mould, making sure you only fill them halfway.
5While the isomalt is still fluid, place the decorations you wish to use into the moulds. For example, in one mould you could add a small lemon slice, and in another you could add half a lemon slice and a pressed edible flower. In the remaining moulds, add some edible pressed flowers. Once the decorations have been added to each mould, fill the second half of the moulds with more melted isomalt. Finish by sprinkling some of the 2mm (1/16") gold dragées over the top of each lollipop (C).
6Paint a little Daffodil Yellow paste food colour into the middle of the Blossom 1 mould using a cocktail stick. Pour some of the remaining melted isomalt into the mould until full and sprinkle a few 2mm (1/16") gold dragées into the centre of the blossom (D).
7Allow the lollipops and the individual blossom decoration to set for at least 20 minutes. Once hardened, carefully demould the decorations and set aside until ready to assemble on the cake.
8Repeat steps 6–7 to make and demould some more individual blossom decorations. Make as many as the remaining melted isomalt will allow you to make. Also pour some leftover melted isomalt in circles on a silicone mat and attach an edible viola flower and some 2mm (1/16") gold dragées (E).
E
TO P T I P
Isomalt clouds over when exposed to humidity, so don't put it in the fridge with your cake. Instead, wait until the last minute to attach the decorations.
COVERING THE CAKES
1Secure the 15cm (6") wide tier centrally to the 25.5cm (10") cake drum using a little buttercream.
2Place the cake on a turntable and begin to cover with buttercream. Use a large palette knife to crumb coat the
TO P T I P
Prepare your cakes with a crumb coat of buttercream before adding your final layer. The crumb coat is a thin layer of buttercream that keeps any loose crumbs stuck to your cake and stops them from getting into your final layer of buttercream.
cake with plain buttercream. Once crumbcoated, place the cake in the fridge for at least 15 minutes until it’s hardened. Once set, remove and crumb coat the cake again in another layer of buttercream. Once finished, refrigerate the cake until the buttercream is hard.
3Secure the 10cm (4") wide tier centrally to the cake card of the same size using a little buttercream. Now repeat step 2 to crumb coat the 10cm (4") wide cake with layers of plain buttercream.
4While the cakes are chilling, transfer a few tablespoons of plain buttercream into two separate bowls. Set the remaining plain buttercream aside. Colour one bowl of buttercream a pale yellow shade using a little Daffodil Yellow paste food colour. Colour the other bowl a soft orange shade using a small amount of Marigold (Tangerine) paste food colour. Apply the food colours with a toothpick – you only need to add a tiny amount, as you can always add more if needed but you can’t take colour away. 3 Smooth the excess buttercream from the top down the sides of the cake, and cover the sides in a liberal rough coating of plain buttercream.
4Hold the side scraper at a 45˚ angle to the cake and turn the turntable so that you are lightly smoothing down the buttercream onto the cake as you work.
5Fill any holes on the cake with a little extra buttercream using your palette knife and repeat step 4 with your side scraper until you are happy with the smooth finish. Place the cake back in the fridge to harden.
TO P T I P
I like to use a Swiss meringue buttercream as it is silky and smooth, but you can use any kind you like. Just make sure it is soft enough that you can spread it easily onto the cake. You can do this by giving it short blasts in the microwave but be careful not to melt it!
TOP TIER
1Once set, carefully transfer the 10cm (4") wide crumb-coated cake to your turntable.
2Use the large palette knife to add a thick layer of the remaining plain softened buttercream to the top of the cake. Smooth it over the top of the cake using back and forth motions while turning the turntable to create a flat surface.
BOTTOM TIER
1This tier has an ombre and wave effect on the buttercream. To do this, you will need to apply your buttercream in three parts using the palette knife. Start by setting the 15cm (6") wide cake on the turntable, before spreading a thick layer of the remaining plain buttercream over the top of the cake. Don’t forget to bring the excess buttercream down the side of the cake as you work.
2Add a rough coat of plain buttercream to the top two thirds of the side of your cake.
3On the bottom third of the cake, apply a rough line of the yellow buttercream you mixed up earlier. At the base of the cake, add some of the soft orange buttercream you previously made. Do not worry at this point if the colours look messy as it will look blended once you’ve finished.
4Repeat steps 4–5 from the ‘Covering The Cake: Top Tier’ to smooth down the buttercream and fill in any gaps on the cake (F, G). Don’t place your cake back in the fridge (H).
TO P T I P
Isomalt can be dangerous as it gets extremely hot, so make sure to wear rubber/latex gloves and long sleeves when handling to prevent burns. F
G
H
I
J K L
5Take the corner of your scraper and angle it so only the bottom corner is in contact with the cake. Making ever so slight up and down motions, work your way up the cake while turning the turntable at the same time (I). This will create a wavelike effect in your buttercream. Continue making the waves around the cake until you reach the top (J). Once finished, refrigerate the cake until the buttercream is set hard.
STACKING THE CAKES
1Insert three evenly distributed dowels into the top of the 15cm (6") wide cake. Mark the points at which the dowels exit the cake, remove and trim them to size. Reinsert the dowels back into their original holes and spread some buttercream over the dowelled area.
2Place the 10cm (4") cake centrally on top of the bottom tier. Chill the stacked cake in the fridge for a few hours until set.
M
DECORATING THE CAKE
1To decorate the cake, start by colouring the marked wave effect on the buttercream using a no. 4 paintbrush and some Gold edible metallic paint (K). Carefully paint the wave all the way around the cake.
2Gather together all your decorations, including any loose leftover edible flowers, 4mm (3/16") sugar pearls and 1cm (3/8") dragées. Begin attaching them to the cake wherever you like; the choice of design is entirely up to you. You can use as many or as few decorations as you like. I secured the isomalt blossom decorations around the side of each cake and added the candied lemons at the base of each tier to balance out the design. To attach the smaller decorations, gently press them into the cake until adhered (L, M). For the larger decorations, you may need to use a dab of remaining buttercream to attach them to the side of the cake.
N
3To finish, push the isomalt lollipops down into the top of the cake so they are poking out (N). Your cake will now be looking beautiful and sun-kissed, ready for your celebration!
