CHRISTENING CAKE

We’ve chosen a popular, subtle Madeira sponge for both this baby celebration naming cake and the Birthday Cake (overleaf). Made with ground almonds, Madeira cake has a moist texture so it keeps for longer, and a little lemon zest and juice gives a mild citrus flavour. If you prefer, try our alternative flavour variations overleaf. Hands-on time about 4hr, plus cooling and chilling. Cooking time 1hr 15min. Serves 35-40

Madeira cake

◆ 675g (1lb 8oz) unsalted butter, softened ◆ 675g (1lb 8oz) golden caster sugar ◆ 12 medium eggs, beaten ◆ 450g (1lb) self-raising flour ◆ Finely grated zest 3 lemons, plus

6tbsp juice ◆ 1tbsp vanilla extract, we used

Nielsen-massey ◆ 225g (8oz) ground almonds ◆ 3tbsp milk

Buttercream

◆ 350g (12oz) unsalted butter, softened ◆ 600g (1lb 5oz) icing sugar ◆ 1tsp vanilla extract ◆ About 2tbsp milk ◆ 2tbsp apricot glaze (see box on

page 149)

For the decoration

◆ 1.3kg (2lb 14½oz) white sugarpaste or fondant, we used Renshaw Regalice Décor ◆ Food colouring paste, we used Wilton Golden Yellow, Pink, Sky Blue and Black (available from Cake Craft Company) ◆ Cornflour, to dust ◆ Vodka or freshly boiled and cooled water ◆ 1 large egg white ◆ 250g (9oz) icing sugar, sifted

For the elephant

◆ 300g (11oz) white sugarpaste or fondant, we used Renshaw Professional Regalice Décor ◆ ¾tsp Tylo Powder, from Lakeland ◆ Food colouring paste, in Black and

Pink, as above you will also need ◆ The Kit (see opening page) ◆ Elephant cookie cutter, about 5cm (2in),

we used one from craftcompany.co.uk ◆ 1 x 2.5cm (1in) triangle stencil made

from card, or a triangular cookie cutter ◆ 4cm (1½in) and 3.5cm (1⅓in)

round cutters ◆ Disposable piping bags ◆ 1.5mm and 2mm plain piping nozzles 1 Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3. Grease and line 2 x 23cm (9in) round springform cake tins. 2 For the cake, using a freestanding mixer (or a very large bowl and handheld electric whisk), beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Very gradually add a third of the beaten egg, whisking continuously until combined and smooth. Whisk in a third of the flour, then repeat twice more, alternating the egg and flour until all is incorporated. Add the lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, then fold in the almonds and a good pinch of salt. Finally, fold in the milk. 3 Divide equally between the 2 tins and level – you can weigh the mixture in each tin to be precise. Bake in the oven for 1hr 15min or until risen, pale golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10min, then remove from the tin and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

TO ASSEMBLE

4 Level and halve the sponges to make 4 even layers (for instructions, see How to level and halve cakes box on previous spread). 5 To make the buttercream, using a freestanding mixer (or a large bowl and handheld electric whisk), whisk the butter until smooth, then add the icing sugar and continue whisking until light and fluffy. Briefly whisk in the vanilla and milk until smooth and spreadable. 6 To secure, spread 1tbsp buttercream on to a 23cm (9in) round cake board, then place the bottom layer of sponge on top, cut-side up. Spread about 5tbsp buttercream on top of the first layer, then repeat with each sponge layer, carefully sandwiching them together as neatly as you can. Then, using a sharp knife, carefully trim the sides of the cake to make them as neat and straight as possible. Transfer 250g (9oz) of the remaining buttercream to a separate bowl. 7 Put the cake on a turntable, if you have one. Spread the reserved 250g (9oz) buttercream over the cake to make a crumb coat (see box on previous spread). Chill the cake for 30min to firm up. 8 When the buttercream is firm, cover with a smooth layer of remaining buttercream. Set aside and brush all over with apricot glaze.

TO DECORATE

9 Take 1kg (2lb 3½oz) sugarpaste and break off a golf-ball-sized piece. Add a pea-sized amount of yellow food colouring to this smaller piece. Knead until it’s bright yellow (see picture A overleaf), then knead this into remainder of 1kg (2lb 3½oz) icing until evenly coloured (this helps prevent streaking) – wear disposable gloves, as the colouring can stain. Use a little sifted cornflour if it becomes sticky. Shape into a ball, then, on a lightly cornfloured surface, roll into a circle about 40.5cm (16in) – big enough to cover the top and sides of the cake with a little excess. Pop any trapped air bubbles with a pin if needed. 10 Using the rolling pin, carefully lift the sugarpaste over the cake. Starting at one edge, unroll it, allowing it to cover the cake loosely. With clean, dry hands, lightly smooth the sugarpaste over the top, then ease it gently around the sides, smoothing evenly from the top down (rather than doing one side first) to avoid pleats. Using a small, sharp knife, trim off excess sugarpaste at the base of the cake. With your hands or a cake smoother, gently smooth the surface in a circular motion. 11 To make bunting and elephant shapes: colour 100g (3½oz) of the sugarpaste pale pink. On a lightly cornfloured surface, roll out to about 2-3mm (⅛in) thick. Using your elephant biscuit cutter, cut out 4 elephants and 4 elephant ears. Then, using triangular stencil, cut out 8 x 2.5cm (1in) triangles. Keep shapes between layers of clingfilm as you work. Repeat twice more, once with blue food colouring to make baby blue shapes and once with black food colouring to make grey shapes (see picture B overleaf). 12 Using a clean paintbrush, brush vodka (or cooled water) on to the underside of each elephant, then stick them around the base of the cake, alternating the colours – about 1cm (½in) apart. Then stick on the elephants’ ears in different colours. Next, stick the bunting ‘flags’ in the shape of upside-down arches around the cake – you will pipe on the string afterwards. You will need about 5 strings of bunting all together

[continued from previous page] – do them whatever length you like, to fit the length of the baby’s name.

13 For the royal icing, beat the egg white in a large clean bowl with a handheld electric whisk to form stiff peaks. Add the icing sugar and whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy. Cover with a clean, damp cloth and leave in the fridge until you are ready to use. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 2mm plain nozzle (or if you don’t have a nozzle, snip the end off to the same size). Pipe the bunting ‘string’ on to the cake following the top of the bunting flags (see picture C). Then choose the neatest side to be the front of your cake, and pipe the letters of the baby’s name on to each flag. Finally, pipe a dot on to each elephant to make an eye. Reserve some royal icing to pipe eyes on to the modelled elephant figure.

FOR THE MODELLED ELEPHANT

14 Colour 250g (9oz) of the sugarpaste grey, as above. Add the Tylo Powder and knead to make the sugarpaste more malleable. Split the sugarpaste into the following portions: 1 x 75g/3oz (body), 1 x 50g/2oz (head), 2 x 15g/½oz (arms), 2 x 20g/¾oz (legs). You should have some grey icing left. Keep them all in a sealable plastic food bag while you work. Colour remaining 50g (2oz) sugarpaste pale pink to match the other elephants.

15 Take a pea-sized piece of the remaining grey fondant and blend with 1tbsp of hot water to make a thick mixture – you’ll use this as ‘glue’ to stick the elephant together. It’s important to build the elephant as you go, to prevent the parts drying out. Using picture D as a guide, begin with the body: roll into a ball, then roll into a fat teardrop shape with a flat base. For the head do the same but continue to roll the thinner end to form a long trunk. Shape it up at one end and mark on detail with the blunt edge of a knife. Twist a cocktail stick into the centre of the body and put the head on top to secure. For each arm, roll into a 5cm (2in) sausage shape, flattening out at one end. For each leg, roll into a 3cm (1¼in) fat sausage shape, then evenly thin one end to make it look like a bowling pin. Using the edible glue, stick the arms on the front of the body, thin end nearest the head. Then stick the legs either side, thin end nearest the body.

16 For the ears, roll out the remaining grey sugarpaste to 2-3mm(⅛in) and cut out 2 circles using the 4cm (1½in) round cookie cutter, then roll out the pink sugarpaste and cut out 2 circles using the 3.5cm (1⅓in) cutter. Stick the pink circles on to the grey circles, then stick these on to the back of the elephant’s head. Using an upturned plain piping nozzle (about 1.5cm/⅔in) as a cutter, stamp out 2 small round circles from the pink sugarpaste to make the soles of the feet; stick these on. Using a small tool or sharp knife, make some indentations around the feet. Pipe on eyes with the leftover royal icing. With the remaining pink sugarpaste, make the bow: cut out 3 x 8cm (3¼in) strips, about 1.5cm (½in wide), and 1 x 3cm (1¼in) strip the same width. Take one long strip and paint a little glue in the middle, fold in each end to meet in the middle, and pinch slightly to form a bow. Cut one end of each of the remaining long strips as shown in picture D. Stick these on to the elephant’s neck, then stick the short strip over the middle of the bow and stick the bow on to the elephant’s neck.

17 When you’re happy with your elephant, place it off-centre on top of your cake.

PER SERVING (for 40) 516cals, 4g protein, 27g fat (15g saturates), 62g carbs (53g total sugars), 0.9g fibre