Making Fruit Cakes, Icing and Suprise Parties

I was fortunate that as a child mum let me bake.  As a teenager I was allowed to decorate the fairy cakes that we had in our pack-ups on a Sunday afternoon after dinner and I learnt a little bit, bit by bit through trial and error.  My preferred method of icing is what is known as Royal Icing compared to the moulded icing.  Most people find this complicated but it is my preferred method.

I have never been taught to ice.  I was not even taught how to make a Christmas pudding let alone a Christmas cake.  The school I went to was a very good secondary modern school in Deeping St James with a fully equipped domestic science room.  We had about 5 hours of cookery per week. I loved it. The school had a proud tradition of letting the third year girls make their own Christmas cakes and Christmas puddings - that is until it came to our year and they missed us out.  Why, because technically we were the last year secondary modern first year comprehensive girls.

Roll on a few years and I am married due to celebrate my first Christmas with my new husband.  We needed a Christmas cake so I set too and read up and had a go. I then had to marzipan it and then deal with the icing.  I really did not have a clue but I read up extensively on this (at the time we did not have the Internet).  That first cake I did not soak the fruit although it was not too bad.  I have learnt to do this since.

I had also been bought a Kenwood Chef stand mixer and made my Royal Icing for my Christmas cake in this  (it needs a couple of days standing after making with a damp cloth on it  to let the air bubbles disburse) but this is the way I have continued to make my icing). I did a simple snow scene frosting It came out well and I continued to make our own Christmas cake until I got divorced and then went home.  After I moved in with my current partner my Nan started making my Christmas cake as her present to me for Christmas.  It also gave her something to do and giving of herself so that she was actively involved with our Christmas as after losing my Pop she missed having someone to look after and I went to stay with her regularly.  She also spent every Christmas with my mum and dad and we would go over.  I therefore for a few years did not make the Christmas cake.

In between times my parents celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversary (Pearl) and I researched making a cake.  Not any cake I was a bit ambitious and baked two different sized square fruit cakes.  I marzipanned the cakes, then iced them and then bought pillars and stacked the two cakes one on the other.  I used Royal icing and piped the cake with intricate borders and flowers. It was not perfect it was my first attempt but it did not look too bad.  I had practiced with the piping bag on the counter.  I had also done intricate lattice work on the cake.  All I know about cake icing has been found out from books and by practice on the work top.  I get by.

In between making the cakes Mum was coming every Friday night and spending time with me whilst Dad went to see a friend.  I nearly got caught out a couple of times with mum arriving early whilst I was doing some additional icing to the cake and I ended up shoving and hiding the cake in the airing cupboard rather hurriedly so she did not see it or suspect what was going on.(don't ask).

Mum never suspected a thing.

It had been arranged with my brother that we would prepare a surprise 30th anniversary party for my parents.  My brother was based full time in Germany in the forces so the bulk of it fell to me although he went halves financially.  I managed to arrange for all the family on both sides to attend.  Still my parents did not suspect a thing.  They were told that we were taking them out to a fund raiser for the Grateful Ladies Cancer fund. Dad muttered that he was not going but we persuaded him that he was.  My brother bought them to the venue and when they walked through the door the whole of the family was there.  Mum burst into tears and walked out.  Dad for the first time in his life was speechless.  We had never known him lost for words before.  Needless to say everyone had a lovely evening.

When they saw the cake they were flabbergasted - they just did not have an idea and mum was amazed that I had managed to do it so well on a first real attempt let alone do all the food for the party (all by myself).  

What is the point of this post.   Well really that you need not be frightened by icing.  It is really just down to practice and having a go.  I was never taught how to use a piping bag but I read on how to use it and it worked.  Its about getting a  feel for what you are working with and each time you do something you will get that bit better especially if you read or these days I believe that there are tutorials on You Tube.  If you believe it is complicated you will make it so.

For the Christmas cake to start with, with the Royal icing I plastered it on the cake and then flicked the icing up with a fork to give the effect of snow and snow drifts and then popped some little figurines on as well. 

Recently I also bought some fancy piping nozzles from Lakeland the other day with which to decorate cakes, cup cakes etc.  They are flowers i.e. roses, tulips, leaves etc. and they look very effective.  I had prior to this bought some similar icing nozzles off the Internet but fortunately although a couple of nozzles are duplicated for the best part they are not.  They are in Lakeland at the moment at quite a reasonable price.

You too can learn to ice "posh cakes" with a little time and practice and the beauty of this set is that you are learning how to ice cakes i.e. little cup cakes quite fancifully.  The same process is used for icing the cakes it is just the medium that changes.  On little cup cakes you use a very stiff buttercream but on the posh cakes you use Royal icing.  You can get different colour combinations as well and instructions on how to do this are included in the pack and there are various links on the Internet.

So do not say you cannot ice.  There is no such thing as  cannot ice, what you need is the practice and what better way than making fairy cakes and cupcakes.  Practice makes perfect and doesn't the cake look lovely on the box to the nozzles.

You too can do this so dip the toe in the water and have a go.  Yes you will make mistakes but to learn you have to do this to find your own parameters; and next time round you don't make the same mistakes.  It is a learning curve.  So want to ice your own cake for Christmas start practicing now its worth it.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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