Additional Ingredients

	20cm square/23cm round Fruit Cake
625 grams	Currants
225 grams	Sultanas Golden
225 grams	Raisins
175 grams	Glace Cherries (Billington's)
100 grams	Mixed Peel
3 tbsp	Brandy
400 grams	Plain White Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly)
1 tsp	Mixed Spice
1 tsp	Cinnamon
350 grams	Butter
100 grams	Almonds Whole, chopped
350 grams	Light Muscovado Sugar (Billington's)
	quarter, grated lemon rind
6	Free Range Eggs beaten
	Baking Time: 4 Hours

Further Additional Ingredients

	25cm square/28cm round Fruit Cake
1 kg	Currants
400 grams	Sultanas Golden
400 grams	Raisins
275 grams	Glace Cherries (Billington's)
200 grams	Mixed Peel
4 tbsp	Brandy
700 grams	Plain White Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly)
2 tsp	Mixed Spice
2 tsp	Cinnamon
600 grams	Butter
200 grams	Almonds Whole, chopped
600 grams	Light Muscovado Sugar (Billington's)
	half, grated lemon rind
11	Free Range Eggs beaten
	Baking Time: 6 Hours

How to make Three Tier Fruit Wedding Cake

• Click on the text to highlight the different stages as you go along,
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1. For the fruit cakes: Preheat the oven to 150°C, fan oven 130°C, 300°F, Gas Mark 2.
2. Grease and line the appropriate cake tin using a double thickness of baking paper. Tie a double thickness of brown paper round the outside of the tin and than stand the tin a baking sheet also lines with a double thickness of brown paper.
3. Place currants, sultanas, raisins, glace cherries and mixed peel in a large mixing bowl. Add the brandy, mix well and cover with cling film. Leave to soak for a few hours, preferably over night.
4. Sift the flour, mixed spice and cinnamon together in another large bow. Add the almonds.
5. Place the butter, sugar and grated lemon rind into a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. This would be better done with an electric mixer, especially for the larger sizes.
6. Gradually add the beaten eggs, adding a tablespoon of flour, if the mixture starts to curdle.
7. Fold in the flour and spice mix until well combined. Finally add the soaked fruits along with any remaining liquid that may be in the bowl. Fold until evenly distributed through the mixture.
8. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly. Tap the tin on the work surface a few times so to get rid of any air pockets. Smooth the surface with a back of a spoon, making a light dip in the middle of the cake.
9. Bake in the center of the oven. Test the cake about 15 minutes before the end of the recommended time, by inserting a skewer in the center of the cake. If the skewer comes out clean the cake is cooked, if not return to the oven and re-test in 15 minutes. When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin.
10. When cool, remove form the tin, but do not remove the baking paper. Prick the top of the cakes and spoon over half the remaining brandy. Wrap in foil and store. Unwrap and feed with the remaining brandy. Wrap again until ready to decorate.
11. Basic Butter icing recipe: 150g butter, softened 300g Silver Spoon icing sugar, sifted 1-2 tbsp milk few drops food colouring
12. Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Add half of the icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add the remaining icing sugar and one tablespoon of the milk and beat the mixture until creamy and smooth. Beat in the milk, if necessary, to loosen the mixture. Stir in the food colouring until well combined.
13. How to marzipan a cake If using a fruit cake; Brush the top and sides of the fruitcake with warmed smooth apricot jam. If using a sponge cake; cover the cakes with butter icing – see above.
14. Lightly dust the work surface and rolling pin with sifted icing sugar. Roll the marzipan, turning the marzipan 90 degrees after every roll to get an even thickness. Roll the marzipan to a thickness of a £1 coin.
15. Using the rolling pin, lift the marzipan and ease it over the cake. Use your hands to smooth the marzipan into place, making sure there are no air pockets. Trim away the excess marzipan from the base of the cake using a small knife.
16. Lightly dust your hands with icing sugar and gently run over the cake with your hands to even out any lumps or bumps. Let the marzipan set for 1 to 2 days at room temperature before icing.
17. Icing wedding cakes To cover the cake board. Dust the cake board with icing sugar and then brush with a little water so to make icing glue.
18. Lightly dust the work surface and rolling pin with sifted icing sugar. Take about 250g Silver Spoon Ready to roll icing, and roll to a thickness of 3mm and large enough to cover the cake board
19. Using the rolling pin, lift the icing and ease onto the cake board. Use your hands to smooth the icing into place, making sure there are no air pockets. Using a knife or a cake smoother, ease cut the icing around the edge of the board. If possible leave to dry of 1 to 2 days. Once the icing is dry cover the edge of the board with a ribbon, fixing the ends with a pin.
20. Building the tiers: If building up tiers – Cut a template the same size as the second layer and sit in the position of the second tier. Mark each corner with a needle. Push a plastic dowel into the cake and mark with a pencil where it comes out of the cake. Lift out of the dowels and trim the dowels about 1-2mm above the mark then stick them back into the cake. Pipe some royal icing onto the center of the bottom tier to secure the second tier. Carefully place the second tier onto the bottom one. Mix some icing to match the colour of the cake icing and pipe a thin line along the bottom edge of each tier. While wet run a finger over the line to smooth the icing and fill any gap between the two cake layers. A ribbon and also be added here to hide any unevenness that may appear.
21. Spotty shapes Take white ready to roll white Silver Spoon Cake Craft Icing. Add a few drops Silver Spoon Cake craft Food Colouring (this can be done by dipping a wooden skewer into the food colouring and piercing the icing all over) Knead until you get a nice even colour.
22. Lightly dust a surface with icing sugar and roll the coloured icing and cut spotty shapes – either use small cutters or the end of a piping nozzle. Pipe a little white Silver Spoon writing icing onto the fondant shape and use to stick the icing shapes to iced cake.
23. For the piped dots. Place a plain nozzle in a piping bag. Fill with the icing, twist and hold in your writing hand. Squeeze the icing at the top of the bag to make it flow through. The icing should be smooth, soft but still with a little resistance.
24. To make dots, hold the bag vertically with the nozzle close to the surface, squeeze a little icing out to make a dot the desired size, then to finish, stop squeezing, push down and then draw up sharply. If the dot has a little peak flatten carefully with a damp knifepoint or paintbrush.

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