Cakes For Romantic Occasions (2 page)

Here is the complete list of all the cake-making equipment used for the designs in the book, but you will not need everything every time. Check the materials and equipment lists at the beginning of each chapter for the specific tools required.

1 Greaseproof paper
To line the cake tins.

2 Spirit level
To ensure that stacked cakes are level.

3 Large and small palette knives
For smoothing buttercream and jam onto cakes.

4 Pastry brush
For brushing water onto under iced cakes.

5 Large rolling pin
For rolling out the sugarpaste cake coverings.

6 Small rolling pin
For rolling out the flowerpaste and icing for the sugarcraft details.

7 Icing smoother
For achieving a really smooth icing finish.

8 Small plastic board
To roll out flowerpaste and icing for the sugarcraft details.

9 Cocktail sticks
For applying food colourings to sugarpaste icing.

10 Flower foam pad
Also called a celpad. Used to thin and curl the flowerpaste.

11 Cake boards
Drum and thin hardboard, various sizes, round (see individual projects for specific size required).

12 Plastic dowels
Used to support tiered cakes.

13 Paintbrushes
A range of sizes for painting, dusting and dabbing.

14 PME1 bone tool
Used with the flower foam pad to form and curl flower petals.

15 Cutters
Small leaf; rose leaf; small blossom plunger; large and small butterfly; large and small flower; large, medium and small daisy; various round; large and small star; large and small rose petal; large and small heart plunger; small primrose; small heart.

16 PME piping nozzles
No.1.5, No.2, No.3, leaf, savoy star.

17 Tilting turntable
For use when a cake is being decorated.

18 Stay-fresh plastic mat
To cover up flowerpaste to stop it drying out.

19 White stamens
For flower centres.

20 Various food colourings
To create the icing colours used in the designs.

21 Edible lustre
Snowflake and pink, to make cakes and decorations sparkle and shimmer.

22 Edible glitters
Used as a highlight on rose petals and cupcakes.

23 PME6 scriber needle
Used to score details onto cakes.

24 Sharp knife or scalpel
For cutting straight edges or shapes precisely.

25 Ruler
To help with levelling cakes and to measure sugarpaste strips.

26 Florists’ tape and wire in green and white
For fresh flower details and to wire up sugar flower displays.

27 Card butterfly former
For creating a butterfly shape.

28 Cake tins
Various shapes and sizes, mini heart and mini round tins.

29 Sugar shaker
For decorative dusting on cakes, cookies and brownies.

30 Rose leaf veiner
For giving texture to cut-out sugar rose leaves.

31 PME blade and shell tool
For scoring lines and cutting into icing.

To maximize your enjoyment of the whole cake-making process, always start with a clear workspace, with all the equipment and ingredients you need to hand. You will also have some time in between each step (while your cake cools, or your icing sets) to make flowers and to clean down your work surface in preparation for the next task.

A greaseproof lining is the best way to prevent the cake sticking to the bottom and sides of the cake tin. This is cut precisely to fit the tin and attached with melted butter or sunflower oil.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

Cake tin

Greaseproof paper

Pencil

Scissors

Melted butter or sunflower oil

Pastry brush

tip
Try using a spray-on sunflower oil as a quick greasing method. This can be purchased from most well-stocked supermarkets.

one
Lay out a sheet of greaseproof paper and place your cake tin on top. Draw around it with a pencil and cut out the circle or square (
a
).

two
From the roll, cut a length of greaseproof paper 11cm (4½in) wide. Fold the length in half and in half again. Cut snips, about 2.5cm (1in) deep, along the bottom of the paper (
b
), then unfold.

three
Melt some butter (or use sunflower oil) and brush it over the inside base and round the sides of the tin.

five
If you are making a fruit cake, cover the outside of the tin with folded newspaper and tie on with string to prevent the outside from burning before the centre is cooked.

four
Stick the length of greaseproof paper around the sides of the tin allowing the tabs to sit on the base (
c
). Place the cut-out circle or square on top, covering the tabs.