Help - are there any fairycake experts on here tonight??

[sleepyhorse]

Hi

It's been a long time since I made them (probably when I was at school!!) and Im trying to do a load for DS's birthday party on Saturday so just practicing a few now so I can try out different icing decors etc hence get it right on the day when I make them fresh. My question is how the hell are you supposed to get the top of the sponge to stay flat and not rise to a peak??

just hope they turn up on time!

DoubleDegree - some good tips there.
I will try it on a lower tempertaure tomorrow.
Re the icing - thats exactly what happened, the icing sunk into the top that I cut off as like you said its more porous. Will try it a lot thicker next time too. Lots of trial and error I think :-)

Nice! Have seen a few cases I might buy! Off to shop now!

Why don't you just stick HAPPY BIRTHDAY candles across them?

If you pipe the cake filling about 2/3 in the cases that helps......from a non baker

If you get really stuck you could cut off the tops, stick on little disks of ready roll fondant icing and then writing ice on that. But that sounds like the sort of thing that would drive me up the wall faffing with making the right sized disks

Yes they are nice cup cases aren't they, I nearly bought the plain deep brown ones but I have got a thing about spots at the mo!

Jetgirl - thanks for offering me your shape cutters but I live in bucks. I will try wilkinson tomorrow. Do they do brown food colouring for the icing anywhere as want to do writing in chocolate brown colour?

They are really good quality paper cases, they don't go transparent like the cheaper ones.

If you can't get cutters, the sainsburys icing tubes come in a range of colours and they do a chocolate range. Supercook icing tubes with buttercream style icing are also easy to use.

"so basically on each fairy cake I will put one letter and so once complete I will line all cakes up so that it spells "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DS"."

I did this for DS first birthday. I bought
supermarket fairy cakes
a huge tub of betty crocker vanilla frosting
and
cakecraft icing pen

by the time I put it all together it all looked home-made, took half the time and a quarter of the mess.

Libras - I like your style :-)

I've put a photo on my profile, as you can see it looks very homemade! Not sure why I added the exclamation mark, maybe because I was so surprised that he made it to one without me losing him somewhere. I don't think any professional cupcake makers are quaking in their boots.

Brown icing can be made by mixing cocoa into the icing sugar. HTH
also use your silicone cases lined with the paper ones to cook the mix.

Can I also recommend double sifting. It's fallen a bit out of fashion but it's in all my cookbooks and it makes a real difference.

Laurie - what is double sifting?

Yes I managed to get some alphabet cutters which is great. I did the chocolate fondant icing with cocoa and it's not too bad actually although slightly too sticky I think hence not great with the letter cutters so might have another attempt tomorrow adding slightly more icing sugar so that its a bot more doughey.

So should the cakes go on top shelf of oven?

Literally, sift the flour and baking powder twice holding the sieve in the air so you get lots of air in it

I am tired thanks to this thread I have just made and iced 42 fairycakes with swirly icing and club penguin decor.

sleepy I might be competely wrong here not being a cake baking wizard but I think royal icing is slightly thicker/easier for fondant icing if you were going to do letters.

thanks libras - will buy some today for my final go run at them before the show begins!!!!

I think they should stay flatter if they are lower in the oven, but it might depend on how efficient your oven is I suppose