Veined Flowers: 3D Flower Veiner

I'm not a huge fan of super-realistic sugar flowers. (I'm alone in that, I know. I can handle it!)
I fully appreciate the incredible skill that goes into making them; I just don't want to do it myself.
I don't have the patience for perfectly proportioned pistils or carefully correct calyces...
But a little bit of realism is a pretty thing, especially if it's simple, easy and quick!

How to use a 3D flower veiner:

Roll out CMC/ tylose paste

Cut with a 5 petal- blossom cutter.

Dust the petal veiner with a little corn flour.

Position the petals upon the veiner (you can use either side).

Press the two parts together - too much pressure will break the petals, too little will leave little imprint.

Carefully lift the flower away from the veiner.

Dry in a flower former.


Complete with a little dusting and a few sprinkles in the centres ...


...so realistic  ;o)

If you want to see my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe, you'll find it here.
And here for this creamy, dreamy chocolate icing.

Happy baking and flower making!

xxM 

Royal Icing Transfers: Horse Silhouette Cookies

A year ago I started priming my niece for the kind of cake that I wanted to make for her next party. (Generous aunt that I am!) It's a theme I've been wanting to do for a while, but haven't had the opportunity yet. And I still haven't, because then Tyla went and fell in love with horses and horse riding, and... well, it's her party and she can have a horse theme if she wants to!

So, I made a cake and some decorated cookies in a very short space of time (it was one of those crazy weeks). And to speed up the decorating I used royal icing transfers for the cookies.

Here's how...

Royal Icing Transfers: Horse Silhouette Cookies 

Print out a template. Tape onto work surface.

Secure a sheet of acetate over the template.

  

Using piping consistency royal icing, outline the design 

then flood the area with flooding consistency royal icing

Once completely dry (allow 24hrs), slide a pallet knife underneath each decoration to remove from the acetate 

Flood a cookie with royal icing. 

 And gently place the royal icing transfer onto the still wet cookie.

You'll find  a recipe and explanation of royal icing consistencies here. 

Happy decorating!

xxM

Mothers Day Lavender and Lemon Shortbread

You'd think that it would be a good idea to post a recipe that you're suggesting for Mothers Day tea a few days before M-Day. On Wednesday, perhaps. That would be timeous.
But that would be presupposing that (my) life traveled along neat, linear lines.
It doesn't.
I had put Wednesday morning aside to do some baking and blogging, but found myself in theatre, prodding a brain instead.
The great juggling act of life.  And baking.

So, here's to all you mothers, grandmothers and great women out there who are expert jugglers
- I hope someone else made tea for you today (but if they didn't, I know you'll have managed perfectly well doing it yourself!)

Lavender and Lemon Shortbread

This melt-in-your-mouth all-butter shortbread has a lovely fragrant, fresh flavour - it's a perfect mid-morning teatime treat.
And prettily packaged, it would make a great gift. (Bookmark for Mothers Day next year!)

Lavender and Lemon Shortbread
Recipe by Tea, Cake and Create

Preheat the oven to 160'C
Grease and line a 20cm square baking pan

Ingredients
250g butter
60g caster sugar
420g cake flour
20g cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbs lavender florets, finely chopped
1 tbs lemon zest

In the bowl of an an electric mixer, beat together the butter and caster sugar until light and creamy. Add the lavender, lemon zest and vanilla.
Sift in the flours. Mix on low speed until just combined.
Bring the mixture together with your fingertips to form a stiff dough.
Press into the prepared pan.
Mark into fingers or squares with a sharp knife and prick with a fork.

Bake at 160'C for approx. 1 hr or until slightly browned and shrunk from the sides of the tin.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with caster sugar.
Allow to cool in the tin for 15min, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
Store in an airtight container.

Happy Mothers Day!

xxM

Mini Cake and Cake Stand Tutorial

Why is it that things in miniature are just so darn cute?! 

It's why the internet abounds with pictures of kittens.  You could just eat them right up, right?! 

Well, you can if they're mini food made out of modelling chocolate and fondant. 

(Unlike kittens ...um... eeuw! ) 

                     

So, in case you couldn't join us for our Tea-Time Treats Cupcakes classes, here's a mini tutorial for you...

Mini Cake and Cake Stand Tutorial 

You'll need:

A small fondant roller 

Modelling chocolate / fondant mix in turquoise, pink and white

(Fondant with CMC powder added to it will work too) 

Small round and scalloped cutters

Small blossom cutters 

Cake smoother

Toothpick

CMC/ tylose glue or water** and a brush 

(** if you don't have CMC glue, water will do) 

Roll 2/3 of the turquoise paste into a long tear drop

Flatten its base and top on your work surface 

Cut out the top of the mini cake stand using the scalloped cutter. 

And place a toothpick into the stand. 

Allow both to firm up before assembling.  

To make the mini cake, take two balls of pink paste, one larger than the other...

..and use your cake smoother to roll 

and flatten them into cake shapes 

 Stack; use a little glue to secure them together.

Roll out a long thin ribbon  of white paste and position it around the join of the two cakes. Cut off the excess. 

Add some small flowers. 

Cut out a round of white paste to "plate" the mini cake. 

Once the top of the cake stand is firm, place it onto the base before putting the cake on top. The tooth pick should go through the cake, too. 

Happy decorating!

xxM 

Autumn Leaves Tutorial

A couple of years ago I made another autumn themed cake.  It had a lot of leaves on it. A lot. 

They hid the myriad cracks, craters, bubbles and other blemishes that were a feature of my early fondant cakes. 

I've learnt a few things since then. Thankfully! So I can decorate with a more minimalist autumn look these days....

Autumn Leaves Tutorial

You'll need:

Sugar paste in autumn colours*

Small fondant roller 

Leaf cutters

Bone tool

Dresden tool / veining tool

Petal pad

Egg box for drying (the shallower "lid" part works particularly well)

Dusting colours - 

Flat tipped brush 

*(I'm using a mix of fondant and CMC (tylose) paste here, but you can use pure CMC paste/ gum paste. To get russet, colour the paste with red and brown gel). 

Roll out paste, and cut out leaves

Thin and curl leaf edges
with bone tool 

                                                      Add veins.

Dry leaves with edges curled up

 Once dry, dust with dusting colours 

 Add little brown dusting to enhance the veins

All done.

Autumn Themed Wedding Cake

Happy decorating! 

xxM

Sea Themed Cake Pops

I almost forgot about these - snapped on my phone amidst the chaos of birthday prep a month ago. But a busy March, transitioned into a busier April and I'm needing to play a little catch-up.
So, this is a gone-fishing kind of filler while I work on some meatier posts.
;o)

Sea Themed Cake Pops

You'll need:

• cake balls ready for dipping (See how I make cake pops here.) 
• cake pop sticks
• melted white chocolate, coloured aqua/ sea green
• finely crushed cookie crumbs
• small edible fish (of course most fish are edible... but you know what I mean!)  
• piping consistency royal icing

After you've secured the cake ball onto the stick with chocolate, dip it  into the aqua-coloured chocolate; tap it gently on the side of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to drip off.

Before the chocolate sets completely (but has stopped dripping), dip the base of the cake pop into finely crushed cookie crumbs. 

If you get the timing right, and the chocolate hasn't set yet, the fish will stick to the cake pop. Otherwise use a little chocolate to glue it in place. 

Once the chocolate has set completely, pipe on small dots of royal icing to imitate bubbles (you can use melted white chocolate, but my chocolate piping skills are not so hot, so I'll stick with what I know!)  It's an important step - the bubbles really bring it to life (breathing air does that, I guess...!)

Nestle the finished cake pops in a bed of cookie crumbs to serve (for the realistic ocean floor look!).

Happy creating!
xxM

Must-Make Chocolate Tart

Would you feel I'm rushing you if I said it's time to move on from Easter and use up all those left over chocolate eggs?
Ok, maybe you don't have any left  (I have a friend who makes a point of eating all of hers on Easter Sunday - just to make sure they don't tempt her again on Monday. Makes sense...!); well, then use normal baking chocolate. Because trust me  - this is a  must make chocolate tart! And it's so easy. It's my new go-to desert.
 I first made it using only 70% dark chocolate. But I've modified the recipe, and lightened it up a bit. It's better.  Not too bitter, not too sweet. Rich and chocolatey.  It's what Easter eggs want to be when they grow up ;o)

Must-Make Chocolate  Tarts
Recipe adapted from Nigella 

Preheat the oven to 160'C
Grease 2 x 20cm tart pans


Base

300g cookie crumbs
100g butter
160g dark chocolate

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler, or slowly in the microwave.
Mix well with the cookie crumbs and press firmly into the base of your tart pans.

Bake for 10 minutes at 160'C

Filling

250g dark chocolate - I used half  Callebaut 70% dark callets, and half normal baking chocolate (dark)
185g butter
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
75g caster sugar

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler. Cool slightly

Beat the eggs, yolks and sugar together until doubled in volume.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Beat well.

Pour into the prepared tart pans.

Bake  for 10-12 minutes.

Cool completely.

Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Enjoy!

xxM