Learning to make creative cakes is something I’ve always wanted to do. Having only a couple hours of a sugar craft course, I did made a few creative cakes like a Batman cake and Spider-man cupcakes I made for my son’s birthday.
So recently, I got in touch with Tuttle Publishing who have a range of brilliant cake making books and 50 Easy Party Cakes by Debbie Brown caught my eyes! They are available on Amazon.
Inside this book, the first couple of pages explains to you the equipment, the basic recipes for the sponge cake, buttercream, royal icing etc. It also comes with a very handy chart which clearly show you the amount of ingredients to use and also what to use for the bake ware.
Each cake recipe is explained very clearly in her step by step instructions accompanied with colour photos. I really enjoy using this book as it comes with so many ideas for me to try out!
The mini monsters recipe stood out. In fact, it is the easiest for me (as a beginner) to attempt! It didn’t require me to bake too much Madeira sponge cake as I just want to make two mini monsters! If you want to make 10-12 mini monsters, you will need these ingredients to make the Madeira sponge:
- 315g self-raising flour
- 155g plain flour
- 315g butter
- 315g caster sugar
- 5 eggs, beaten
Method:
- Sift both flours together and set it aside.
- Whisk the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Add the beaten egg approximately one egg at a time to the mixture.
- Fold the flour into the mixture.
- Bake for 1 hour in the oven at 160°C.
- Cool it completely before storing in an airtight container.
- Divide the cake into 10-12 portions and trim the corners to round each piece off, then cover each cake with a layer of buttercream to help the fondant stick.
To make buttercream, you will need:
- 125g butter
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 375g icing sugar
To make these mini monsters, you will need:
- 25 kg fondant
- Varieties of food colouring
- Icing sugar
- Sugar glue
Method:
- Divide the fondant into 100g each of colour. Wrap the fondant around the piece of cake, smoothing the join completely closed.
- Use scissors to snip up the fondant a couple of times to create tufts of hair. As it was my first time making it, I have patched it with more fondant on top!
- Press the circle cutter in at an angle to indent the smile.
- To make the feet and hands, model teardrop shapes and flatten slightly. Make two cuts in the wider end and smooth to remove ridges. For the feet, pinch around the centre to indent and flatten under the toes. For hands, pinch to create a wrist. Model uneven ball-shaped noses. Secure all the eyes, noses, feet and hands in place with sugar glue.
This was my first time making it and I hope in no time, I will be able to master the skills of modelling sugarpaste and make a better monster!
I would recommend this book for beginners as she has written the recipes very clearly and the instructions are easy to follow. The only ‘skill’ that beginners lack, is experience. Just like me! So the more you practise, the better you should be! Also, not forgetting using the right tools.
Disclosure: I have received this book to write this honest review. Contains affiliate link.
