Simple two-tiered wedding cake
Less than 30 mins preparation time
Over 2 hours cooking time
Serves 120
Veg
For the 18cm/7in cake
· 40g/1½oz golden syrup
· 40g/1½oz black treacle
· 25g/1oz honey
· 125g/4½oz dark brown sugar
· 1200ml/3½fl oz double cream
· 1 tbsp mixed spice
· 125g/4½oz unsalted butter
· ½ tsp orange extract
· ½ tsp lemon extract
· 3 medium free-range eggs
· 175g/6oz currants
· 175g/6oz raisins
· 175g/6oz chopped pitted prunes
· 175g/6oz glacé cherries or more dried fruit
· 250g/9oz strong white bread flour
· ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
· brandy, whisky or orange juice, to finish
For the 25cm/10in cake
· 80g/2¾oz golden syrup
· 80g/2¾oz black treacle
· 50g/1¾oz honey
· 250g/9oz dark brown sugar
· 200ml/7fl oz double cream
· 15g/½oz (about 2 tbsp) mixed spice
· 250g/9oz unsalted butter
· 1 tsp orange extract
· 1 tsp lemon extract
· 6 medium free-range eggs
· 350g/12oz currants
· 350g/12oz raisins
· 350g/12oz chopped pitted prunes
· 350g/12oz glacé cherries or more dried fruit
· 500g/1lb 2oz strong white bread flour
· ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
· brandy, whisky or orange juice, to finish
To decorate the cakes
· 1 x 340g/12oz jar apricot jam
· 2.25kg/5lb marzipan
· 2.25kg/5lb fondant icing
· ribbons, fresh flowers or fondant flowers, to decorate
Preparation method
1. Preheat the oven to 170C/335F/Gas 3 and line a 18cm/7in round cake tin
and a 25cm/10in round cake tin with non-stick paper.
2. For the 18cm/7in cake, place the syrup, treacle, honey, sugar, cream
and spices in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour the mixture into a large
mixing bowl, add the butter in pieces and stir until melted, then add the
orange and lemon extracts.
3. Beat in the eggs until smooth, then stir in the fruit. Mix the flour
and soda together, then stir this through evenly. Spoon the mixture into the
tin and bake for about 1½-2 hours, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tin, then carefully remove from the tin.
4. For the 25cm/10in cake, repeat steps 2 and 3 and bake the cake for 2-2½
hours.
5. When the cakes are cold, spoon the top liberally with brandy, whisky or
boiled orange juice, wrap well and leave for 3-4 days before icing.
6. To cover the cakes in marzipan, thin the apricot jam with a little
water so it's the consistency of double cream and bring this to the boil. Pour
the hot jam through a sieve into a bowl, pressing any fruit pieces through to
extract the liquid, then leave until warm before using.
7. If the cakes have peaked in the middle during baking you will want to
carefully slice it flat. But if the cake is just gently domed then there's no
need.
8. For the 18cm/7in cake, knead about half of the marzipan until smooth,
then roll it out on a worktop dusted with icing sugar. Roll the marzipan into a
disc about 1cm/½in thick and 1-2cm/½-1in wider than the diameter of your cake
(check the marzipan isn't sticking to the worktop by dusting underneath it
again with icing sugar).
9. Brush the top of the cake with the sieved jam then leave a few minutes
for it to set. Turn the cake upside down onto the marzipan, place the 18cm/7in
cake board onto the bottom and wiggle the cake gently so the top is stuck
firmly to the marzipan.
10. Trim any excess marzipan leaving a 2cm/1in border. Using a knife, gently
press up into the gap caused by the curve of the cake, then scrape it up
smoothly so it is level with the side of the cake. Carefully turn the cake the
right way up and you should be left with a perfectly flat top surface and
straight sides.
11. Knead the marzipan trimmings until smooth, then roll out into a long strip
that's wide enough to cover the sides of the cake. (I roll two or three strips,
each a half or a third of the circumference, as this is easier to manage. ) Cut
one side of the strip so it has a straight edge. Brush the strip with apricot
jam and stick into onto the cake, straight edge at the bottom. Carefully smooth
it around the cake, trim off any excess along the top edge and repeat with the
next strip until all of the cake is covered. Smooth the edges with a cake
smoother and dry in a cool, dark place for 4-5 days.
12. For the 25cm/10in cake, repeat steps 8-11 using the remaining marzipan.
13. To cover the 18m/7in cake in fondant icing, brush the surface of the
marzipan-covered cake evenly and lightly with water.
14. Next, lightly knead about half of the icing until it's soft, then roll it
out onto a worktop dusted with icing sugar. Roll the icing into a disc large
enough to cover the top and drape over the sides of the cake, with some excess
to trim. Aim for the icing to be just under 1cm/½in thick, as it's liable to
tear if rolled thinner.
15. Roll the icing carefully onto the rolling pin then unroll it onto the cake
so it drapes down the sides evenly. Using the cake smoother, press it evenly
across the top of the cake to push out any air bubbles then run it carefully
down and around the side of the cake to seal it. If you have any air bubbles
prick them with a pin to remove the air and use the smoother to press the area
flat. Leave to set for 2-3 days before decorating.
16. To cover the 25cm/10in cake in fondant icing, repeat steps 13-15.
17. To assemble the cake, wrap the outside of the cakes with ribbon, if using.
Place the 25cm/10in cake onto the 30cm/12in cake drum. Place the 12cm/4½in cake
board into the middle of the 25cm/10in cake and mark four points around the
edge in a square. Push a dowelling rod into the cake and mark where it reaches
the top of the cake. Cut the rod and three others to the same length and insert
them into the cake at the four points.
18. Place the 12cm/4½in cake board onto the top of the dowelling rods and top
with the 12cm/4½in polystyrene cake spacer. Place the 18cm/7in cake on top.
Decorate with fresh or fondant flowers.
~ Enjoy the recipes and bon appettit ~
Arlette Arthur
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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