January was a busy month for us, there was packing away of Christmas decorations, which I like to do over a few days. I love decorations up and for me the putting of them away makes the home look so bare. By putting a little bit away each day, I get use to my ornaments missing.
The cutting out of dress patterns and then the full sized linings, add in a bit of figure fittings and alterations.
The process of getting back to work and all that in tales; getting up early, squeezing in jobs before and after work. The catching up of paperwork and the Christmas stories from my work colleagues and workshop visitors.
But we also had two very important dates in January, first being the 18th.
It was Poppy’s 18th birthday on the 18th January.
It was Poppy’s 18th birthday on the 18th January.
We had a cake to make .... we had a cake to make because I forgot to order a cake, so I decided I would try my hand at decorating a cake:
Firstly I tracked down a cake tin from Sugar Celebrations in Swindon; to hire this cake tin cost just £2.00 for two days. A lady called Shelley was incredible helpful. I had no idea how much mixture to even make. So for those of you like me who have no idea and a record for me:
Firstly I tracked down a cake tin from Sugar Celebrations in Swindon; to hire this cake tin cost just £2.00 for two days. A lady called Shelley was incredible helpful. I had no idea how much mixture to even make. So for those of you like me who have no idea and a record for me:
Weigh 6 eggs in their shells = EW
EW = Margarine i.e. Utterly Butterly or Spreadable Stock (not packet),
EW = Margarine i.e. Utterly Butterly or Spreadable Stock (not packet),
reason so I am told, butter has salt in and can damage the tin.
EW = Castor Sugar
EW = Sieved flour
A bit of vanilla flavouring
EW = Castor Sugar
EW = Sieved flour
A bit of vanilla flavouring
Mix in normal way, (happy to help if you need to know more).
Prepare the tin by giving a covering of margarine over the inside of the tin and then shake a tablespoon of floor over the butter, for easy removal.
Do not overfill, the above picture there is too much mixture in.
Do not overfill, the above picture there is too much mixture in.
Please ignore the not so clean oven ...
Cook at about 180 degrees for 50-80 minutes; check at the 50 minute mark.
Shelley helped me with the ‘rolley’ icing and how much to buy and what to do with it.
I didn’t like the pink colours, so asked if I could mix them and she told me how.
I also put a call for help on the forum and Lobbyj, came to my help and gave me all this advice:
These were my questions (more for my information, than yours);
I do know there are some cake people out there i.e. Loobyj, I need tips for laying 'rolly' icing on top of sponge please.
I am going to chop off the bows, who has bows on their ballet shoes
Do I place it straight onto the sponge?
Also can I cut this difficult shape in half so that I can still put jam and butter icing in the middle?
Loobyj’s answers, for all of us;
Okey doke. Nice tin - but from the measurements it doesn't look that deep, and given the complicated shape of it I think you'd need to be quite brave to cut it in half I don't think I would.
You need to make sure the icing can stick to the cake surface. To do that melt some jam in a bowl and then sieve it to get rid of the bits. It's traditional to use apricot, for the pale colour, but you can use a red jam if you'd prefer. Brush it generously all over the cake - this will help with the moistness too if there's no filling.
Knead the icing so it's a bit pliable, then roll it out on a mixture of icing sugar and cornflour until it's a circle a good five inches bigger all round than the cake.
Lift it over the cake ( I find it easier to use the rolling pin to support it) and lay it down gently. Lift and ease it into all the crevices - I'd start with the insides of the shoes. Try not to push out and down as you do it - rather push in and up using the excess to ease it. - smoothing as you go, smooth from the top rather than the bottom. You'll see the shape of the cake start to appear. When you're happy that the shape of the shoes shows well trim the excess icing off from the base of the cake.
Some useful tips:
You need to make sure the icing can stick to the cake surface. To do that melt some jam in a bowl and then sieve it to get rid of the bits. It's traditional to use apricot, for the pale colour, but you can use a red jam if you'd prefer. Brush it generously all over the cake - this will help with the moistness too if there's no filling.
Knead the icing so it's a bit pliable, then roll it out on a mixture of icing sugar and cornflour until it's a circle a good five inches bigger all round than the cake.
Lift it over the cake ( I find it easier to use the rolling pin to support it) and lay it down gently. Lift and ease it into all the crevices - I'd start with the insides of the shoes. Try not to push out and down as you do it - rather push in and up using the excess to ease it. - smoothing as you go, smooth from the top rather than the bottom. You'll see the shape of the cake start to appear. When you're happy that the shape of the shoes shows well trim the excess icing off from the base of the cake.
Some useful tips:
- if you see an air bubble after you've done your smoothing, prick it with a pin and rub gently to get the air out
- cornflour on your hands will stop you and the icing sticking together, and does a good job of polishing
- any cracks that appear can be gently smoothed until they disappear
- you'll be the only person who notices any imperfections when the cake's complete - everyone else will be wowed by the complicated shape and the bling, bask in the reflected glory
I know you probably don't need any advice on styling - but raising the cake up on a tin or stand always makes it stand out - cover the raiser with some gauzy fabric and scatter sparkly bits over that, it lifts (groan) it out of the ordinary!
Phew - mammoth answer, hope it helps
Toby and Louise came down for the weekend to help with the celebrations, just as well because Poppy’s babysitting job got cancelled which meant she didn’t go out for the evening for me to bake the cake, putting the whole schedule behind. So on the Saturday afternoon with the bribery of a new dress (this cake is beginning to cost a lot of money now). Louise and Poppy went into town, which left Noel, Toby and I.
Poppy had decided to do a sleep over at Kaan’s the night before so at 10pm the cake was baked, which left us, the cake trio, the afternoon to decorate. We had so much fun; we worked well together, all putting ideas into the cake, from how to layer the pink shoes onto the white base (grease proof paper and doing like the magicians table cloth trick)or to attach the bling bling diamond ribbon round the base (lots of pins).
I forgot to sieve the apricot jam and had to pick out the lumps and the rolling of the icing needed a bit of practise on Toby’s part (it kept sticking to the measuring mat). The kitchen and the three of us was covered and I mean head to toe covered in icing sugar and cornflower. So much so that Toby’s black jeans were pale grey and he had to ring Louise to buy him some new one in town as he didn’t have any clean jeans for the evening and we just didn’t have time to wash and dry them in time.
I forgot to sieve the apricot jam and had to pick out the lumps and the rolling of the icing needed a bit of practise on Toby’s part (it kept sticking to the measuring mat). The kitchen and the three of us was covered and I mean head to toe covered in icing sugar and cornflower. So much so that Toby’s black jeans were pale grey and he had to ring Louise to buy him some new one in town as he didn’t have any clean jeans for the evening and we just didn’t have time to wash and dry them in time.
I used pink edible pink glitter on the pink ballet shoes and peach edible powder paint for the insides of the ballet shoes.
Told you it was an expensive cake LOL
The ribbons and ballet figurines were bought as a keepsake.
The cake was delivered to the pub before the girls got home – just – phew.
Then for 19:30 we all went to The Crown Inn at Broad Hinton, run by our neighbours Dave and Alla. They decorated the ‘library’ beautifully for the birthday girl.
Poppy being given a very special gift by her Godmother Linda, she is sat in her new coat, one of her chosen presents from Toby and Louise.
Inside the pretty package
and inside the box, with Linda looking on.
An opal and ruby ring; Linda decided to give this ring, that had been given to her in the 70’s, when Poppy was about 7 or 8. Neither of us could believe that the time had come and she was celebrating her 18th birthday. Beforehand I was given the task of finding out Poppy's ring size, without giving anything away and then Linda’s husband took the ring to a jewellers in Southampton to be resized and cleaned.
The birthday group and then below is David, Linda’s son and Toby’s close friend since the age of 5. David took his own picture, (so no complaining that you look silly)!
The firework candle lit, Poppy just loved this
Poppy had a lovely birthday, even though the poor thing had tonsillitis and really wasn’t too well.
And the cake, she never wanted to cut it and to date it is still sat on the side of the kitchen, I think we can call that a success.
And the cake, she never wanted to cut it and to date it is still sat on the side of the kitchen, I think we can call that a success.
Within 12 hours, Noel and I was sat here ...
