HALLOWEEN CAKES
H A L L O W E E N U N I C O RN C A K E Serves 18 Takes 1 hr 30 mins, plus 1 day drying Cost per serve 65p
RECIPES VAL BARRETT AND HEATHER WHINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY GARETH MORGANS AND TOBY SCOTT FOOD STYLING JOY SKIPPER AND HANNAH YEADON PROP STYLING TAMZIN FERDINANDO AND JENNY IGGLEDEN
2 x 250g packs ready-to-roll black icing 2 finest* Victoria sponges 50g ready-to-roll white icing 1 x 15g tube green gel food colour 1 ice cream cone gold shimmer spray edible gold glitter For the buttercream 150g unsalted butter, softened 300g icing sugar, sifted For the fondant drip icing 150g fondant icing sugar For the royal icing 250g royal icing sugar
1 Make the ears 1 day ahead. Start by rolling out 65g black icing until very thin. Halve, then cut into 4 petal shapes about 5cm long. Fix 2 cocktail sticks at the base of 2 petals. Place the other 2 petals on top to enclose the sticks. Squeeze the ends together to make ears. Leave to dry on nonstick paper for 24 hrs, turning occasionally. 2 On the day of serving, make the buttercream. Put the butter in a bowl and gradually beat in the icing sugar. Put a Victoria sponge on a 22cm cake board (we’ve covered our board with icing, see expert tips, right). Stick the second sponge on top with a little buttercream, flat base facing up. Spread the rest of the buttercream over the sponges and smooth with a palette knife. 3 Roll 120g black icing into a 17cm circle on nonstick baking paper. Brush very sparingly with a little cold water. Place on top of the cake, wet side down, and trim away any overhang, reserving the trimmings. Measure the height and circumference of the cake and roll out 200g icing to a rectangle of that size. Brush it very sparingly with water and stick the wet side to the side of the cake. Smooth the sides gently with a plastic cake smoother or your hands. 4 On a clean work surface, knead the white icing briefly with your hands to soften, then add a few drops of green food colour and knead in until bright green all over. Roll into a 50cm-long sausage, and do the same with 50g black icing. Twist together into a rope, then wrap around the base of the cake. To make the fondant icing, whisk the sugar
with a little water until it holds stiff peaks. Mix in food colour to match the rope. Put in a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle, then pipe around the top of the cake, piping drips down the side as you go. Leave a gap at the front. 5 Make the royal icing to a stiff consistency to pack instructions. Mix in food colour to match the rope. Put in a piping bag fitted with a large rose or star nozzle. Pipe rosettes on the cake for a mane, starting from the front and going down the side. Pipe the forelock of the mane in the gap at the front. 6 Spray the cone with shimmer spray and attach to the top with a little royal icing. Paint glitter in each ear with a small paintbrush, then attach them with the cocktail sticks. Put a drop of water in a cup and add enough glitter to mix to a paste. Use to paint arcs and lashes on the front of the cake for eyes.
PARTY TIME
Either of these cakes are perfect for Halloween celebrations. We advise enjoying as a treat as part of a balanced diet. D RE A D F U L D RI P C A K E Serves 16 Takes 40 mins, plus cooling Cost per serve 76p
Each serving contains Energy
2050kJ 481kcal 24%
Fat
Saturates
Sugars
Salt
15g 9g 76g 0.1g 21% 43% 84% 2%
of the reference intake. See page 134. Carbohydrate 86g Protein 2g Fibre 1g
YOU WILL NEED
A palette knife, rolling pin, cake smoother, piping bags, small plain nozzle, rose or star nozzle, small paintbrush, a clean pastry brush and a ruler.
2 finest* Victoria sponges 150g unsalted butter 300g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting 2 x 250g packs ready-to-roll black icing For the drip icing 300g white chocolate, finely chopped 150ml double cream 1 x 15g tube green gel food colour
1 Cut around 1 sponge so it has a diameter of 10cm. Make the buttercream as per step 2 of the unicorn method and spread it over both sponges. Don’t stack yet. 2 Cover both cakes in black icing as per step 3 of the unicorn method, rolling a 10cm circle for the small cake. 3 Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a pan over a medium heat until bubbles just begin to form, then pour over the chocolate in the bowl and stir. Leave to cool for 5 mins, then stir in food colour until smooth and bright green. Leave to cool to almost room temperature. 4 Pour or pipe the green icing onto the cakes, letting it drip down the sides. Leave to set slightly, then put the smaller sponge on top. Use a skewer to hold the cakes in place, if necessary. Each serving contains Energy
2496kJ 595kcal 30%
Fat
Saturates
Sugars
Salt
28g 17g 71g 0.3g 40% 85% 79% 4%
of the reference intake. See page 134. Carbohydrate 83g Protein 3g Fibre 1g
Expert tips If the buttercream is hard to spread, beat in a little hot water.
Put piping bags in a cup or jug and fold the top over to make them easier to fill. To cut icing cleanly, use a pizza cutter and ruler.
To cover the cake board, roll out an extra 250g black icing and stick it on with icing sugar mixed with water. Trim, leave to dry, then place the cake on top.
For more frightful Halloween ideas, visit tesco.com/realfood <#Y#>
