How to marzipan bird cage shaped cake

How to Marzipan bird shaped cake by Torie Jayne

Yesterday I shared with you my Christmas cake, shaped like a bird cage. Today I am showing you how I marzipan it. I decided to place each cake section on a 15cm diameter, 2mm thick cake board so that when it comes to serving it I can cut manageable slices instead of very thin long slices. I am pretty happy with the results and definitely found my new rolling pin measures gave me a more even layer of marzipan. Next up is icing it! Not looking forward to that.....

How to marzipan bird cage shaped cake
Ingredients


Method
Marzipan bird cage shape cake steps 1-4
  • Lightly sieve icing sugar on to your work top
  • Knead 500g of marzipan until soft and pliable, and roll into a ball
  • Using a rolling pin, roll out marzipan, turning the marzipan around after every few rolls so it stays in a rough circle and does not stick to your work top
  • Roll until about 5mm thick. I used rolling pin measures to get a super even layer of marzipan


Marzipan bird cage shape cake steps 9-12
  • Place half ball cake onto cake board
  • Get cake level on board and fill in any gaps by pushing marzipan into them
  • Gently heat jam in microwave
  • Brush jam over entire cake


Marzipan bird cage shape cake steps 9-12
  • Carefully lift up marzipan and place on cake
  • Very lightly run your hands over marzipan so it adheres to the jam
  • Using a sharp knife, cut off excess marzipan from bottom of cake
  • Place to one side


Marzipan bird cage shape cake steps 13-16
  • Lightly sieve icing sugar on to your work top
  • Knead 500g of marzipan until soft and pliable, and roll into a sausage shape
  • Using a rolling pin, roll out marzipan, turning marzipan around after every few rolls so it stays in a rectangle and does not stick to your work top
  • Check it will fit the height and circumference of your cakes (the height of my two cakes was just about the size of my cake smoother)
  • Roll until about 5mm thick


Marzipan bird cage shape cake steps 17-20
  • Place each cake on to a cake board and stack on top of each other
  • Gently heat jam in microwave
  • Brush jam over entire cake
  • Carefully lift up marzipan and place on cake. Very lightly run your hands over marzipan so it adheres to the jam


Marzipan bird cage shape cake steps 17-20
  • Using a sharp knife, cut off excess marzipan from top and bottom of cake
  • The ends will overlap, so using a sharp knife cut a straight line down through both layers of marzipan and remove excess marzipan from either side of your line
  • Using a cake smoother, smooth ends together so that join starts to disappear
  • Place marzipan half ball cake on top of marzipan stacked cakes and gently smooth marzipan at bottom of half cake to marzipan at top of the stacked cakes


Have a sweet day!

Made It Seller Picks

Last week it was my turn as a Madeit seller to provide some of my favourite items for everyone to see on the Picks page of their website...
I didn't get a chance to link it up then so I thought I'd share with you a few them here 
- some of these thing are things I've purchased and some are thing I'd love to buy... Enjoy!


















My birdcage shaped, gluten free Christmas Cake

My birdcage shaped, gluten free Christmas Cake by Torie Jayne

This Christmas I am planning on a making a birdcage-decorated cake to sit on my Winter Wonderland dessert table. To get the shape I need, I have baked two 15cm (6") round cakes and half a 15cm (6") ball cake. Below you will find my recipe for a rich fruit cake that is gluten free.

Fruit cakes are ideally made at least a month before you need to decorate and eat it. They should be fed regularly and left to ripen. I feed mine every week.

Gluten free Christmas cake (makes one 15cm (6") round cake)

Ingredients
225g (8 oz) currants
90g (3.5 oz) sultanas
90g (3.5 oz) raisins
650g (2.5 oz) chopped glace cherries
50g (2 oz) cut mixed peel
3 tbsp cream sherry
50g (2 oz) chopped almonds
175g (6 oz) plain gluten-free flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
pinch of salt
150g (5 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
150g (5 ounces) soft brown sugar
3 medium eggs
grated zest of half a lemon
grated zest of half a orange
3 tbsp brandy

Cooking instructions
  1. Place all dried fruit and mixed peel in a bowl, pour in sherry and mix well. Cover with a clean cloth. Leave for 12 hours or overnight so fruit can absorb the sherry
  2. Preheat oven to 150 deg C (300 deg F)
  3. Grease and line tin with baking parchment
  4. Wrap newspaper/brown paper around tin and secure with baker's twine
  5. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture turns a pale colour
  6. Beat in eggs slowly on medium speed
  7. Sieve flour, salt and spices into the mixture and mix slowly on low speed
  8. Fold in soaked fruit, almonds, lemon & orange zest until well mixed
  9. Pour mixture into tin, level with spatula
  10. Place sheet of grease proof paper on top, and make sure to leave a small circle missing from centre
  11. Bake for 3 hours and 15 minutes on middle shelf
  12. Place cake on a wire rack to cool
  13. When cake is completely cool, remove cake from tin
  14. Pierce cake several times with skewer
  15. Pour 3 tsp of brandy over the top of the cake (feeding)
  16. Wrap in baking parchment
  17. Wrap in foil or store in an airtight container
  18. Feed at regular intervals over the next few weeks


Soaking dried fruit in sherry ready for Christmas cake
Cake tins for birdcage cake

Cake tins are available in my store on page 2.

After at least a few weeks comes the fun part - decorating it!

In case you missed it, here's last year's Winter Woodland Christmas cake with full instructions on how you can create it yourself.


Winter Woodland Christmas cake

Have a sweet day!

A new love....

my dear blog I have been negelcting you ..... I'm so sorry but I have found another love and just finding it so hard to keep in touch with all my social media bits and pieces.

I promise I will be back but look how fun instagram is.


Do you instagram? 
Leave your profile name so I can see what you've been up to.



This week I'm grateful for... being grateful x 200


Today marks an amazing 201 things that I've been grateful for since I started this grateful thingy on my blog. I posted my first 100 things a while back, and today I'm celebrating the next 200. Next week I'll post my 101 - 200 list.


Hi you. Thank you for being a part of the grateful thingy (I think that's it's new name...). Maybe you read along each week and visit the links, maybe you're one of the grateful ones, maybe this your first time here and you're wondering WTF?... whatever you're up to, I thank you.


This week I'm grateful for...


199. Regulars - my lovely grateful regulars, you have become my friends and online community. I look forward to seeing you every week and sharing a special moment or two in your life.


200. Newcomers - I may have 200 things down on the grateful thingy list, but every week is an opportunity for someone to begin at one. Being grateful as a regular thing slows you down and makes you reflect on what's good in the past and the present, rather than always thinking about what's around the next corner. There is something in that. The past and present are full of memories and feelings, the future is full of maybes and perhaps.


201. Number celebrations - I have no idea why we are all so obsessed with celebrating groups of 10, 100, etc, but we are. And don't you think it's funny how we still celebrate our 21st when 18 has been the new 21 for over 50 years? Regardless, counting down the numbers with a celebration here and there is fine by me!




So, what's making you smile today? Add your post to the list below (and please, we love you, but it really does matter that your post is a Grateful one and not just a random) and pretty-please add a link back to this linky. Then pop over to visit other bloggers who are spreading a little sunshine.




[Image by Reny Photography]

Being Thankful

Well tomorrow is Thanksgiving in America! I love reading tweets and blogs about this special holiday! It makes me envious that we don't have it over here in Australia. Just one more thing to add to my to-do list. Spend thanksgiving over in America! Actually my dream holiday would be to spend Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in America. 3 whole months of pure bliss! How truly amazing would that be! But for now I have to look at the gorgeous pumpkin and crimson coloured photos from all my American friends and loose myself in words like turkey and pie and simply dream. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Australia and I love our laid back love of life but once, just once, I would love to experience these cozy and special American holidays.

I guess the reason why I am so intrigued by this holiday is because I love the meaning behind it. To give thanks. People take so much for granted and I think it is really important to take the time to give thanks for all that you have. So I am not in America, my house isn't filled with acorns and dried maple leaves, my oven doesn't smell of warm pumpkin pie but I can sit and be thankful.

I am thankful for...

Our home ~ It's 27 years old and its all ours! Its not renovated, it has yellow walls and lots of stuff. Its always messy and we can't walk into our spare rooms. But it's us. Its filled with possessions and memories that have created who we are today! I will sort it out and clean it soon but right now I'm not ready to throw it all away!

Rob falling asleep on the couch every night ~ because it gives me comfort and sense of pride that he has worked extremely hard all day and has been giving his all. He's at home...with me and that it special.

My Mum ~ through EVERYTHING she is my rock. I take everything out on her and yet she still is always there. She supports me, comforts me, pushes me, pulls me back to reality, trusts me, inspires me and loves me.

Sunsets ~ They make me happy. They are always so breathtaking and they ALWAYS make me smile. What a beautiful way to end the day...smiling.

My Sister ~ She doesn't know it yet but we are goign to be best friends one day. For now I'll sit back and support her through this journey she is going through. Even though I completely annoy her and she cant stand to be around me, I know she knows I love her and I am always here...just waiting...in the background...ready for whenever she needs me. She is a star. She will do big things in her life.

Stinky animal kisses ~ who else will love you unconditionally even after you yell at them for doing something wrong. They look at you with those big eyes and cheeky grins and scream kiss me hug me love me!!! 

My eyes ~ I am so thankful to be able to see all the beauty in this world! A lot of people don't get to witness this spectacular gift.

My friendships ~ I am so lucky for old friends and new friends. They are all a special part of my life and I am very lucky to have unique and wonderful people to share my life with.

My optimism ~ This is my special gift that I will truly treasure forever and I hope will never change. 

Skittles ~ They are so bright and colourful and make me smile and they give me that sugar hit when I need them!

Instragram ~ What a perfect way to capture my journey.

Marriage ~ I am so thankful I have found an amazing man who will always keep me on my toes and ensure our life is fun for the rest of our lives. He still gives me butterflies and makes me laugh. What a special gift. 

YOU ~ I am so thankful to you, my readers, for coming along on my journey. Supporting me and caring about me with your precious words. Your "online" friendship means so much to me! Thank You!

What are you Thankful for???

Hand-made cool mint lip balm

Hand-made cool mint lip balm by Torie Jayne

On Tuesday I showed you the sparkly strawberry lip balms I made for my Christmas cracker gifts. They'd be great for the gals, but I also needed something for the lads so I made cool mint lip balms with a white leaf atop.

Christmas gift : Cool mint lip balm
Ingredients

Packaging

Equipment
  • Mini leaf mould
  • Pipettes
  • Microwavable glass jug
  • Microwavable small glass jar
  • Metal spoon
  • Scissors
  • Sharp knife


Cool mint lip balm labels by Torie Jayne


Cool mint lip balm, How-to step by step
Hand made cool mint lip balm
Hand-made mint lip balm - steps 9-12
Start by placing the beeswax pellets and oil in a glass jug and heating in the microwave on low to medium power until the beeswax pellets have melted. Remove jug from microwave and stir with a metal spoon. Using a pipette, add a few drops of mint oil. Add a tiny amount of food colouring to jug of liquid. Stir mixture with metal spoon and continue adding colouring till you achieve desired shade and colour is even. Using a clean pipette, transfer lip balm to pots.

In a small glass pot, melt half a teaspoon of beeswax with a teaspoon of oil in the microwave until beeswax pellets have melted. Add a drop of cool mint oil and stir with a metal spoon. Then using a clean pipette, fill leaf mould with lip balm. As soon as the lip balm turns white, use a sharp knife to remove excess from back. Wait a minute then turn out leaf on to top of aqua cool mint lip balm. Repeat until all cool mint lip balms have a white leaf atop. Leave to set for one hour.

Wrap washi tape around each jar to secure lids. Double click on the artwork above, which will open it up in a new page, and print onto a sheet of P1 address label. Cut a rectangle of self adhesive film large enough to cover all the labels and adhere to printed labels. Carefully, using a sharp pair of scissors, cut around edge of labels then remove backing paper from the labels and attach to bottom of cool mint lip balm jars.

See hand-made strawberry lip balm here, with fully illustrated photos.


Hand-made lip balms for Christmas

Have a sweet day!
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)