Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Food/recipes

For related content, visit our food content hub.

Please tell me how to make a great christening cake

30 replies

mousemole · 11/06/2008 12:05

So, i got some quotes from cakemakers and with the creditc crunch they are tooo expensive. I want to make a simple sponge with royal icing which I will then decorate simply.
So, a few questions:

  1. How far in advance can I make the cake ?
  2. When I have made the sponge, do I sandwich it all together as normal, cover it with butter cream and then put the royal icing on top ?
  3. How do I get a really smooth crease free finish to the icing ?

Any other tips gratefully received !

OP posts:
CountessDracula · 11/06/2008 12:08
  1. Dunno I try and make the day before usually
  2. I usually sandwich with jam and cream
  3. Fondant icing would give the smoothest finish - royal icing is the hard xmas cake one that you do in peaks usually. You can buy it in cake decorating places, along with a paddle thing to smooth it
CountessDracula · 11/06/2008 12:09

where do you live?

mousemole · 11/06/2008 12:20

near kingston on thames. Fondant icing - that is indeed what I am after. CD are you a cake maker ?

OP posts:
CountessDracula · 11/06/2008 12:24

Only an amateur one
my latest creation (for my drama school student niece's 21st) is on my profile

I live close to you...when do you need it?

I am not working fridays as of next week so in theory I could make for you but don't know if it would be much cheaper than you have been quoted, I guess it would depend on what you wanted...

CountessDracula · 11/06/2008 12:49

email me countessdrac at gmail dot com if you like!

popmum · 11/06/2008 12:57

you can make the cake in advance, then freeze it before decorating. Freezing makes it easier to cut/ trim if needed.

you need roll out icing (sugarpaste, like this which you can get from cake decorating shops, or on that site!

mousemole · 11/06/2008 13:21

thanks Popmum.

OP posts:
Astrophe · 11/06/2008 13:35

You can buy roll out icing at supermarkets, either in a white block (which you can knead colours into), or ready rolled (white). If you want to colour it you will need 'gel' colouring (its about £3 or £4 a little bottle - don't get the cheap ones from supermarkets).

Beware of putting fondant icing on a frozen cake - the icing will get cold and condensation will settle on it and change the look of it as it dries.

I usually put two layers of fondant on to get a smooth finish. You can also do a layer of marzipan and one of fondant.

You may be better off making a mud cake or similar - as they are full of butter they last better, so you could make it a few days ahead. I have also found that light sponges don't hold the weight of the fondant well.

(see DS's tractor cake on my profile...just showing off )

mousemole · 11/06/2008 13:48

Atrophe and Countess, I am seriously impressed with your cake making skills ! Countess, thanks so much for the offer of helping me but bizaarely I am now very up for the challenge of making it !
Astrophe, if I wanted pale blue fondant icing to make some shapes out of to decorate how would I do this ? Buy the gel colouring and add a little bit to white fondant and then kneed it in ? What is a mud cake ?

OP posts:
Astrophe · 11/06/2008 14:08

Yes, buy a bottle of blue gel colouring, and just use a tiny drop, kned it in, add more if you need to. The colour develops as you knead, so don't add too much. Wear latex gloves, it stains your hands. I have shopped here before. They may sell fondant ising as well, although our local Sainsbury's has that.

Mud Cake: (maybe its not called mud cake in England?.. Fudge cake?)

250g butter
150g white or dark chocolate
2 cups caster sugar
1 cup milk

  1. Microwave or melt in saucepan the above ingredients until smooth (not boiling). Alow to cool for 10 mins or so.

sift in:
1 and 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup SR flour
whisk or beat with electric mixer until well mixed

Mix in:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Pour into greased 20cm round pan (or equivilent) and bake at 180 degrees celcius for 45 mins. Check with a skewer, return to oven if needed, cover with foil if its browning. The skewer should have sticky little crumbs on it, but not runny cake mix.

Getting the cooking time right is the trick with this cake. On my old oven it cooked in 45 mins...new oven is about 1 hour 10 mins...but you just need to keep checking it. It is always a bit solid and seriously 'muddy' in the middle, but so long as its is solid and not runny its good. I always make this for birthday cakes. Its really easy to cut and shape, and doesn't sag under weight of the icing. It freezes well, but defrost before icing.

You might need to make two for a tall baptism cake. I would use a carving knfe to flatten off the top (it will be domed) of both cakes, then just stack them with nothing in between, or stick a couple of wooden skewers in if you think they will move around.

Stick the first layer of fondant to the cake with either strained, warmed apricot jam, or a bit of the fondant icing mixed with water to make a spreadable paste/liquid. Paint all over the cake with a pastry brush.

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:10

CD do you do cakes too? Mousemole I am just down the road from you, and do cakes (see profile) Out of interest what were you quoted?

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:11

There is a fab shop in E molesey that sells sugarcraft/cake making supplies. I'll post a link.

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:12

Of course I remeber the thread about the cake. It turned out really well.

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:13

Shop here.

Astrophe · 11/06/2008 14:15

CoV - love those cake towers. Is the icing (not decorations) fondant circles?

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:20

Yes. I emboss them either with a textured rolling pin or an embossing mat, then cut them out awith a circle cutter.

Astrophe · 11/06/2008 14:23

Gorgeous How long have you been doing cakes? I started with DD's Thanksgiving cake 3 years ago...but am quite splap dash really, and not very exacting! The kids don't mind. Yours look very detailed though - really beautiful. I'd love to try a stack like that...might have to buy in the decorations...don't know that I'd have the patience for them.

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:27

Self taught over the last year. AM planning on attending a few courses next year when ds starts school to improve my skills. I also need to sell a few more cakes to fund my equipment buying addiction . I now have 5 30 litre (or they may be 50litre) plastic storage boxes full of tools/cutters/icing nozzles/veiners etc etc

I also do decorated biscuits, and want to try my hand at flavoured macaroons.

CountessDracula · 11/06/2008 14:43

Oh I am very amateur
I make the odd cake for bdays etc
none of that amazing sugarcrafty stuff you can do CoV!

CountessDracula · 11/06/2008 14:44

I quite fancy a course too

COV have you seen the ones at cakes4fun in putney?

CountessDracula · 11/06/2008 14:45

here

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:46

No I haven't. There is a place in Farnham that does courses. I want to work on my sugarpaste flowers. Got a fab book in Chicago last month with step by step details of how to make loads of different realistic flowers but it isn't so easy to follow pictures as it is with a real demo.

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:47

Looks good I may book a couple.

ComeOVeneer · 11/06/2008 14:49

I think I will see if the sugar flower one on Sat 2nd August still has spaces. Children finish at 3.30 so I can't do the weekday ones.

persil24 · 11/06/2008 14:50

COV/Countess anyone else... what are your prices?
I Particularly like that tower one COV.

I hadn't thought about a cake and we have got ds's christening coming up next month.
Please email
muppet583 at yahoo do co dot uk