Here
are a few hints
to making the perfect wedding cake. These guidelines will help you
achieve the best results when making any cake.
A cake recipe is different from any other
recipe, the
recipe must be followed accurately. Measure all the ingredients
carefully with scales or measuring cups, spoons and measuring jugs. If
you are tempted to add a little more of any ingredient it can upset the
balance.
To achieve the perfect wedding cake shape
always have the
correct shape and size of tin for the recipe, otherwise this will
effect the texture and cooking time.
image by buzzbishop
To have nice square corners on a cake, you
should
take care
in lining the tin. Don't allow the
paper to become
embedded in the mixture and when you remove the paper be careful that
the paper does not pull away some of the cake.
Have all the necessary ingredients that are
stated in
the
recipe and that they are at the correct temperature.
Always wash currants, raisins and sultanas and
dry
throughly by spreading evenly on trays and leave to dry. Remove pips
and stalks and cut the large pieces of fruit such as dates, apricots
and raisins to about the same size as the smaller fruit. Don't mince
the fruit, you will not be able to separate it in the cake mixture.
Always use dry fruit.
Allow the fruit to stand in an air tight
container
for
several days or even longer in the alcohol, this will improve the
flavor of the cake.
The eggs and butter should be a room
temperature. The
eggs
should be added one at a time beating after each addition, but do not
over beat as it tends to separate the creamed ingredients.
You can use an electric mixer to beat the
butter and
eggs
together, then place it in a large mixing bowl and continue to mix by
hand.
If the mixture does separate after you have
added the
eggs,
use some of the measured flour from the ingredients list and blend
through the mixture.
Sift all the dry ingredients (flour, spices and
salt)
twice
to aerate the mixture and to disperse lumps.
When making cakes by hand, beat well with a
wooden
spoon
until the mixture is light and glossy. Scrape down the mixture with a
spatula to ensure even mixing.
Level the mixture in the tin before baking to
ensure
that
the cake top is flat when baked.
Test the cake before the stated cooking time as
this
is a
guide only. Test the cake again before taking it from the oven.
To get the perfect wedding cake results do
check that
the
oven is level and the temperature is correct.
A rich fruit cake mix does not have to be cooked the same day.
