For years, since I reached the age people start asking about kids, I have said that I wanted to be the type of mum that is always cooking. When my children get home from school, they will know there is some sort of treat waiting for them. If they need cakes or cookies for a bake sale, I'll be more than happy to do it. Someone that will teach them how to cook, and always give them homemade birthday cakes!
My daughter is only 19 months and I think so far I'm succeeding. Everyone I know, all make jokes about how I'm always cooking, which just makes me so happy!
I can't say I'll always cook and make homemade birthday cakes if I have never made anything with fondant before.
I thought I better get the practice in now, before my daughter is old enough to want to pick what shape I make her cake.
There is no better time to practice than for family birthdays!
This strawberry cake is the first cake I have ever made into a shape or with fondant!
My dad's always loved strawberries, he can not resist them. I thought what better to start with than my dad's favourite fruit for his birthday.
It helped that strawberries are quite simple to make, I thought that'll make the perfect first cake to make.
Boy was I wrong!
I made it on his birthday, we were seeing the family that evening so I had the whole day to make the cake.
Of course, everything that could go wrong did.
The first cake I made didn't rise, the next one was super crumbly.
Maxine was clingy which made it even harder to do.
Of course when it had a time frame, everything goes wrong! That's just typical!
Eventually I made a cake that I could use, something I've made a million times before so it shouldn't have been so difficult.
I then spent a very long time trying to shape the cake, putting more and more pressure on myself.
After a little help from a friend to get the shape right, I was finally on my way!
I was so impressed by the result! I was so over the moon to have finally gotten it right!
The cake was a huge hit at my dads dinner! Everybody loved it! And of course we had a good giggle about how much pressure I had put on myself.
I hope that this means I will have learnt and the next time I wont freak myself out.
My advice to all of you is to take it slow, and remind yourself that it'll taste good and will be worse the more you stress!
Keep calm and this cake will come out looking great and will taste even better!
Everyone will be super impressed by this one and you will be too!
I would love to see all of your versions of this cake! Please send me a picture or tag me on instagram @marisasveganrecipes
Ingredients
Cake;
1 ⅓ Cup Self Raising Flour
1 Cup Caster Sugar
1 tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
1 Cup Milk I use Oat milk but any plant based milk will work.
2 tsp Vanilla Essence
⅓ Cup Veg Oil
1 tbsp White Vinegar
Buttercream;
140g Butter I use Pure but any plant based butter will work.
280g Icing Sugar
Vanilla - Amount depends on you
Milk if needed - Just a drop or two
Fondant;
¾ tsp Agar Agar
⅛ Cup Cold Water
¼ Cup Glucose
1 tbsp Trex - Vegetable Shortening You can buy this for about 75p in Morrisons. It's kept by the butter.
½ tbap Glycerin
4 Cups Icing Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Red and Green Colouring
Method
Cake;
* Preheat the oven 180C
* Line a small round cake tin.
* In a small bowl mix the milk and vinegar together. This makes buttermilk. It helps your cakes have a smoother texture and a bigger body.
* In a large bowl, sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda.
* Add the sugar.
* Mix the oil with the milk mix.
* Add the vanilla.
* Add the wet to the dry.
* Mix until smooth.
* Pour the mix into your prepared tin.
* Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clear.
* Let cool completely before adding the buttercream.
Buttercream;
* While the cake is in the oven make the butter cream.
* In a large bowl, cream the butter.
* Sift the icing sugar into the bowl.
* Mix them together until smooth.
* Add the vanilla essence.
* Add a couple of drops of milk if mix is too thick.
* Place in the fridge until needed.
Fondant;
* Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl.
* Split the icing sugar in half, one half in a separate bowl.
* In a small saucepan, mix the agar agar with the water.
* Simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes.
* Stir constantly.
* Take off the heat, add the glucose and trex.
* Stir until the trex is dissolved.
* Add the glycerin and vanilla.
* Pour into one half of the icing sugar.
* Stir with a wooden spoon, slowly adding a little of the other icing sugar at a time.
* Once you can’t stir with the spoon anymore, knead with your hands until there is no icing sugar left.
* Knead in the colour. You want about a quarter of the fondant green and the rest red.
* If you aren’t using it straight away keep in an airtight container. Don’t put in the fridge.
Assembling;
* Slice, the completely cooled cake, into 2.
* Buttercream the layer and place the second piece of cake on top.
* Cut the cake into the correct shape.
It helps to have a picture in front of you.
Cut the sides to be round. By the stem is a sort of heart shape. The top is round.
I had to use some of the excess cake to put on the top to get some extra roundness.
Strawberries aren’t all the same so this helps with shape a little.
* Buttercream all over the cake.
* Roll out the red fondant and gently place it over the cake. Gently smooth it out and cut away the excess.
* Roll out the green fondant and cut into leaf shapes. You can do this as one or separate leaves.
* Place the leaves in place on the strawberry. You can use a little water to stick it on or some buttercream.
* Using a fondant tool, gently make indents for the seeds on the strawberry.
* Place in the fridge for an hour or longer to give it a chance to set.
Serve
Enjoy!
Check out my youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3t5h_0RUlaNR207gZdXzcQ
Follow my facebook page for updates - https://www.facebook.com/Marisas-Vegan-Recipes-475379413198108/?modal=admin_todo_tour
Follow my instagram - https://www.instagram.com/marisasveganrecipes/
Check out some of my other recipes;
Commentaires