Candlebridge Bakery Special Wedding Anniversary Cake Recipe at MyDish

Candlebridge Bakery Special Wedding Anniversary Cake

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Method

  • 1. Melt about an ounce of butter in the microwave and using a clean pastry brush, buttergrease your baking tin (I used a 9" Square Tin) (No electric mixer required for this recipe).

  • 2. In a bowl pour in the freshly brewed strong tea, Natural Almond Essence and Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry and add the sultanas and cherries. Stir them well but gently and leave to marinate for about 40 minutes while you prepare the cake batter.

  • 3. In a extra large wide bowl, sieve through the muscavado sugar & castor sugar and heat the corn oil to hand hot temperature (you should be able to put your hand on the side of the jug comfortably) and mix together using a fork to smooth any lumps that naturally occur with muscavado sugar..

  • 4. Add the Almond and Vanilla essence and mix well together.

  • 5. Now add the VS Martell Brandy and mix well and leave to settle for a few minutes. You'll find that the oil and alcohol will separate, but don't worry, that's natural, the main thing is that you have the sugar well mixed through.

  • 6. Crack the eggs into a measuring jug and beat them and leave aside for a few minutes while you prepare the spiced flour mix

  • 7. In a separate bowl, sieve the self raising flour, ground almonds, baking powder, mixed spice and all spice together. Certain grains that don't sieve, don't worry, just add them to the dry mix and blend well together

  • 8. Now is the time to go back to your sugar mix. Take note of how many mls of beaten eggs you have and just add half of the beaten egg, add the egg to the sugary mix and mix well together. The result you're looking for is what we call "gloopy" and the colour should resemble a rich caramel.

  • 9. Now, start folding in half of the spiced flour mix. Begin by holding your sieve over the sugary mix and sieve three tablespoons of spiced flour into the mix and stir with your fork as this is great for producing a nice smooth creamy mixture.. Continue to do this until you have used half of your spiced flour mix before adding the remaining egg mix. Blend the remainder of the egg gently through.

  • 10. Now is the time to add in the fruit mix and stir gently but well making sure that all the fruit is evenly mixed through. and the remaining spiced flour mix.

  • 11. Pour the batter into your prepared baking tin and chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes while your oven is preheating to 170oC. This is called "The Settling Period" and this is the original method used by The Candlebridge Bakery for quite a while now and the result is a soft, light and moist fruit cake.

  • 12. Place your cake on the middle shelf of your oven and set your timer for 30 minutes

  • 13. After 30 minutes, place a sheet of shiny side silver foil over the cake and place some stainless steel cutlery on top to hold the foil in place

  • 14. Close the oven door and set your timer for another 30 minutes

  • 15. After which time, you can perform the Skewer test and see if your cake is ready.. If the skewer comes out clean, it's ready if not, leave the cake in the oven for a further 5 minutes and try again.. Stand guard over your oven!!

  • 16. When the cake is ready, turn out onto a wire tray and using the skewer make several gentle spike holes and taking a few caps of brandy, gently drizzle it over the base of the cake.

  • 17. Sprinkle over a spiced sugar mix of 3 tablespoons of cinnamon and 1oz of castor sugar over the base of the cake

  • 18. Leave for 30 minutes before turning the cake topside up! Repeat steps no.16 & no. 17.

  • 19. After a couple of hours or so have passed and the cake is completely cool, you can start heating some jam and begin painting the cake thoroughly, this acts as a glue for your marzipan or the pre-rolled icing.

  • 20. Unravel the icing and gently drape it over your cake and trim off any excess. You can use it to demonstrate any skills you may have for sugar craft!

  • **Original Recipe by L.Shannon, The Candlebridge Bakery & Soup Kitchen, 19 July 2010**


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    Tips

    • ** My Star Tips **

      a) This cake is best made when you have at least a couple of hours to spare and you're in no particular hurry. The fact that you don't have to preheat your oven until the very end is brilliant! Saves on electricity!

      b) If you want a darker colour to your cake, then you could always use a dark muscavado sugar, but I find that personally a wee bit bitter, so I opt for the light colour for my recipes!

      c) A wonderfully light, soft and moist fruit cake whereby you can add some walnut halves if you wish to the mix as long as your boozy fruit mix (sultanas & cherries) do not exceed 375g so have fun creating your own personal combination.

      d) For folk who don't like a very heavy Christmas cake, then this is the perfect alternative! Be creative as you can when decorating and just have fun in the kitchen!


      ** The icing used in this cake was a pre rolled square shaped white fondant icing and it was easy to use... **

      Now, I have discovered FINALLY how to make a beautiful fondant icing and delighted to share my own creative recipe with you...

      The Candlebridge Bakery Soft Vanilla Fondant Icing

      Suitable for: 9" Square or 9" Round Cake (for cakes with marzipan layers or fairy cake toppings)


      Ingredients for Top of Cake:

      4oz Icing Sugar sieved
      1 Tablespoon of Natural Vanilla Essence
      1 Tablespoon of Glycerine (for cakes!)
      1/2 Tablespoon of Liquid Glucose
      100mls boiling water

      1. Sieve the icing sugar (powdered sugar) into a plastic bowl.

      2. Next you measure 100mls of boiling water into a pyrex jug (2 fluid ounces approx.)

      3. Now add the Natural Vanilla Essence & Glycerine and stir well

      4. Now add the half tablespoon of Liquid Glucose and stir

      5. Make a well in the icing sugar and add a little of the boiled sugary solution and stir

      6. Keep adding the water slowly until the icing reaches a paste like state and is gloopy on the spoon!

      7. Gloopy basically means that it is a thick constitency that when it drips off the spoon it takes a while... so Gloopy!

      8. Anyway, spoon the icing on and using the back of a spatula, spread it over your cake (most iced cakes have a marzipan layer)



      Ingredients for the Sides of the Cake:

      8oz Icing Sugar sieved
      1 Tablespoon of Natural Vanilla Essence
      1 Tablespoon of Glycerine (for cakes!)
      1/2 Tablespoon of Liquid Glucose
      100mls boiling water

      1. Sieve the icing sugar (powdered sugar) into a plastic bowl.

      2. Next you measure 100mls of boiling water into a pyrex jug (2 fluid ounces approx.)

      3. Now add the Natural Vanilla Essence & Glycerine and stir well

      4. Now add the half tablespoon of Liquid Glucose and stir

      5. Make a well in the icing sugar and add a little of the boiled sugary solution and stir

      6. Keep adding the water slowly until the icing reaches a paste like state and is gloopy on the spoon!

      7. Gloopy basically means that it is a thick constitency that when it drips off the spoon it takes a while... so Gloopy!

      8. Anyway, spoon the icing on and using the back of a spatula, spread it over your cake (most iced cakes have a marzipan layer)


      The result when it settles is a shiny fondant icing with a slight stretch to it but it's so soft! It's the first time I have made an icing for a cake that resembles something out of a proper bakery!

    Comments Add your comment

    • Five million stars rate the wonderful marriage that I continue to enjoy with my lovely husband and this cake is absolutely beautiful and it's my first attempt at a wedding style cake! Yay!! Five Baker Stars to me too!

      by candlebridgebakery on Mon Jul 19 2010   reply to this comment

    Ingredients

    • SPICED FLOUR MIX
    • 8oz Self Raising Flour
    • 2oz Ground Almonds
    • 2 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
    • 2 Tablespoons Ground Mixed Spice
    • 2 Tablespoons Ground Allspice
    • SUGARY MIX
    • 4oz Light Muscavado Sugar
    • 2oz Castor Sugar
    • 2 Teaspoons Natural Almond Essence
    • 1 Teaspoon Natural Vanilla Essence
    • 5 Tablespoons VS Martell Cognac Brandy
    • 175mls Corn Oil
    • 2 Large Farmhouse Eggs
    • DECORATING YOUR CAKE!
    • 1 Packet Dr. Oekters Pre-Rolled Fondant Icing
    • 1 Packet Sugar Craft Daisies
    • 6 Tablespoons Heated Apricot Jam
    • 1 Packet Tesco Finest Natural Marzipan
    • BOOZY FRUIT MIX
    • 225g Sultanas
    • 150g French Glace Cherries (½ then ¼ )
    • 4 Lyons Gold Tea bags!
    • 300mls Freshly Boiled Water
    • 2 Tablespoons Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry

    By Views 1150  Added Mon Jul 19 2010


    This is an original recipe especially created to celebrate 14 years of wonderful marriage to Mister Hubs! Created on July 19th 2010, day before our wedding anniversary!

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