This recipe comes from the Australian Women’s Weekly, originally shared by a dear cake friend Effie, it has quickly become a very popular recipe amongst the cake friend community. It even spawned a peppermint crisp version. So don’t be scared to experiment! I have also been told that most people increase the amount of cherry ripe as well!

Cherry Ripe Mud Cake

This recipe comes from our cake friend Fran, passed onto her by one of her teachers, she shares this with us as her favourite paste to use.

Modelling/Flowerpaste

Est Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves: Makes around 500 grams of paste

Ingredients:

500 grams of rolled fondant (Fran uses Bakels Pettinice, but any will do)

2 teaspoons of Cellogen (if you use CMC or Gum Trag then only use 1 to 1.5 teaspoons)

1/3 teaspoon raw egg white

2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar

Instructions:

Use a little Crisco on your work surface and knead up your fondant so it’s nice and soft.

Sprinkle the Cellogen, or alternative, over the work surface and knead it into the fondant.

Make a well in the mix and pour in the egg white, knead until mixed through, it may feel a little sticky, add more Crisco to the surface if you need to.

Sprinkle the Cream of Tartar on the work surface and knead into the mix until all incorporated.

Here is a taste of some of the amazing things you can create with this modelling paste, straight from Fran’s Flickr stream.

Additional Info/Comments direct from Fran:

Wrap the paste in cling wrap tightly, a few times and place in an air tight container, leave for at least 12 hours before use.

You don’t need to refrigerate it, and it will last for months.

I cut mine up into four pieces, and generally freeze it. It defrosts with the heat of your hands in minutes.

Photos courtesy of Fran

Inspired by a recent discussion on a toblerone mud cake (yes I have one in the cupboard ready to go – OK I ate it and need to buy a new one ) I decided to play with one of my white chocolate recipes, by adding flake mmmm chocolate.

I took the easy route with the frosting and used solite. Next time I would probably use the Decorator’s Buttercream mixed with White Chocolate Ganache and some Bailey’s of course, because I am a Bailey’s girl! My taste testers loved the cake but a couple did say after a while the frosting was too much, so feel free to play! Just remember to let me know what you did!

White Chocolate Flake Muffins

Est Prep Time: 10-15 mins
Est Cooking Time: 30 mins
Oven Temp: 150C approx

Serves: 16-30 dependent on how deep you fill the case

Ingredients:

250g butter

4 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla or a splosh whatever works for you!

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup white chocolate

1 x 12 mini flake bag

Instructions:

In a bowl soften/melt the butter, add the eggs and vanilla, whisk together.

Melt the white chocolate.

In a separate bowl sift the dry ingredients together.

Mix in the butter/egg/vanilla mixture and when nearly combined add the white chocolate in and mix till just combined. (I do this all by hand not in a mixer).

Add 8-10 of the flakes, crumbled up and just fold gently through 4 or 5 folds and that’s it.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop (or spoon) into cases.

Bake for approx 30 minutes on 150C. Everyone’s oven’s vary so check regularly, I don’t test them I just pull them out when they look cooked, you may like to try a batch and alter cooking times according to your own tastes.

They looked like little creme brulee’s before they were baked!

A chance to practice my swirl… more practice required!

A chance to eat something yummy! I tried one almost straight out of the oven and it tasted a bit like warm yummy cookie dough. Cooler it was just as yummy without the icing as it was with the icing….

Taste testers reported still nice up to 4 days after baking.

Additional Info/Comments:

I filled the cases quite full and got 16, so filling half full is likely to get you 24-30.

White Chocolate Bailey’s Flake Frosting

Est Prep Time: 10-15 mins

Serves: Will be enough to cover 16-20 muffins, if you make more you may need to double the recipe

Ingredients:

100g solite

100mls water

750g icing sugar (approx)

1 cap full of baileys or a splosh whatever works for you!

1/2 cup or so of white chocolate

flake to decorate

Instructions:

Put the solite in a mixer and start alternating icing sugar with water, keep adding icing sugar until you are happy with the consistency, I didn’t actually measure and probably could have added more for a better swirl. Add in the baileys and more icing sugar if needed, mix for a couple of minutes. Pipe and sprinkle with flake…. mmmmm

If you try this recipe let me know what you thought…. were you inspired to alter something (changing the flake or Bailey’s for your own favourite chocolate or alcohol?) let me know how it worked out for you.

This is my favourite buttercream recipe it comes from The Well Decorated Cake by Toba Garrett. The original recipe makes alot and basically it is written in American… hahahaha .

So I include the original recipe for all our American Cake friends, and then I include the half batch Australian version.

Decorator’s Buttercream

Source: The Well Decorated Cake

Author Remark: This decorator’s staple remains an old reliable when all else fails. It even performs well in warm weather.

Ingredients:
2 cups (454 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (230 gr) vegetable shortening or hi-ratio shortening
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice or
1 1/2 tsp lemon extract, vanilla extract or almond extract
1.36 kg 10X confectioner’s sugar
1/2 + 1 Tbsp ( 135 ml) water, milk, or clear liqueur
3 Tbsp meringue powder
1 tsp salt

Method:
1. Cream shortening & butter with mixer. Add flavouring and salt. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time. Add meringue powder. ( The mixture will appear dry)
2. Add liquid of choice and beat until light and fluffy ( approximately 5 to 8 minutes). Keep teh bowl covered with damp cloth or plastic wrap.

Additional Info:
Storage: Store the icing in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Yield: (2.37 L)

Decorator’s Buttercream Aussie Translation & Half Batch

Ingredients:
250g butter
250g copha or solite
good splosh of vanilla essence
around 750g icing sugar (or bag and a half from the supermarket) (just keep adding till you are happy with the consistency)
one and a half tablespoons of pavlova magic
1/4 cup of water (don’t freak out if the icing seems to curdle, it comes together fine.)

Method:
Melt/soften the copha (make sure soft all the way through, or just melt) (Solite is already soft, so just add straight to the bowl).

Add copha/solite and softened butter to mixer, start mixing, splosh in the vanilla (you can see I’m very precise in my measurements!).

Add the icing sugar a cup at a time, once combined add pav magic, and water. Leave to mix for about 10 minutes.

I dare you to not stick your finger in for a taste test! :oops: hahahah I mean spoon of course!

Additional Information:

For a chocolate version melt a cup of dark chocolate and pour in while in the final mixing stage OR mix it with ganache 50/50.

Or mix defrosted leftovers with chocolate or ganache as well.

You can change flavours, at the vanilla or water point add different liquids or flavours in, alcohol. oh dear I MUST try a Bailey’s version!

As in the original recipe freezable.

• Copha is available in the supermarket in the same place you get the butter.
• Solite is available from Cake Decorating Suppliers such as Cake Decorating Central and Caroline’s Sugar Art Services

This easy Fruit Cake recipe came from cake friend mzsweet. She tells us the original recipe came from Dawn at Champagne Cakes, but goes on to describe the method she’s developed to get the cake she wants out of it.

Easy Fruit Cake

The cake has a lovely flavour, keeps well and has converted non fruit cake eaters.

Est Prep Time:
Est Cooking Time: 4.5 hours depending on size
Oven Temp: 150C for 1/2 hour then down to 100C
Serves: 1 & 1/2 x the recipe makes 2 7inch round cakes or double the recipe for 1 10 inch square or 12 inch round fcake.

Ingredients:
250g Butter/Margarine
250g dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. bicarb soda
1/2 tsp. each of vanilla, almond and lemon essence
1/2 tsp. each of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and ground cloves (i use one tablespoon of mixed spice, easier to measure one spice)
1/4 cup marmalade
375g plain flour
1 kg mixed fruit
approx 1/2 cup Sherry or Brandy
I use McWilliams Cream Sherry or sweet sherry I use a bit over a third of a cup into the mix as I soak the fruit in a generous amount of sherry

Instructions:

Mix fruit and spices, essences, bicarb soda and sugar in a basin.

Melt butter and milk on stove (or in microwave while measuring out all the other ingredients) and pour over fruit mixture, mix well and add eggs one at a time, beating well.

Add marmalade.
Add sifted flour.
Add sherry or brandy.

Place mixture in a tin lined with baking paper, tie a strip of folded newspaper or brown paper around the outside edge of the tin as this helps to prevent the edges cooking too much (or try the homemade bake even strips). Then place some folded paper on the top and bake in a slow oven (approx 130 – 135c) for 4 – 4 1/2 hours.

Test with a skewer, if skewer comes out clean, cake is cooked, cool in tin.

Additional Info/Comments by mzsweet:

Above is the recipe as it was given to me. I like to high bake my cakes so I pile this recipe into an eight inch tin. If I do one and a half this recipe I get two nice seven inch Christmas Cakes.

I soak my mixed fruit for about three days to a week in plenty of sherry, I measure it soaked.

I line the cake tin with two layers of baking paper and wrap 3-4 layers of paper around the outside of the tin.

I cover the cake with foil for the whole of the baking time, sometimes I take it off for the last ten minutes but only if I think of it.

Before you put it in the oven pat the top of the cake with some water on your hand, this gives a very moist surface and the cake doesn’t seem to crack as much

I bake it at 150 celcius for half an hour and then I turn the oven right down to 100. I will give the tin a turn every hour and a half. If I am cooking two cakes at once I will swap their positions in the oven as well.

With two cakes in the oven in eight inch tins cooked at the above temperature, this recipe takes about 4.5 hours in total to cook. A little less if you have one cake in the oven. I take it out of the oven and test it with a steak knife. If I see wet crumbs on the knife to me that’s done! I paint a little sherry on the top of the cake and then I place a round glad bake on the top of the cake and wrap it in a big old sheet and leave it to cool in the tin, wrapped in the sheet, top of the cake on the bottom. When it’s cool I wrap it well in cling wrap then foil, and throw it in the cupboard till I need it.

I have based the cooking times from experimenting with my oven and this recipe. It may take you a couple of goes to adjust the cooking times and temperature to suit your oven. When I first tried this cake I cooked it at 130 in my oven and it was dry on the outside. When I changed the cooking method to my mum’s method the whole cake changed to the beautiful moist cake it should be. I double the mix for a ten inch square cake and it takes about 5 1/2 to six hours and it’s moist from corner to centre.

Photos courtesy of Sharon