little peach cakery – Little Peach Cakery

Lion cake with flower mane

I had a request for a lion cake, ordinarily I would be thinking of simba in my head or a great golden lion with a large mane. However, following the style of cakes that I love to make the most I also could picture a white lion with a mane of flowers.

The customer also liked the white lion idea so I was able to set about creating this adorable lion cake.

He was baked as a single deep 5 inch cake and layered with buttercream. I covered the cake with a thin layer of buttercream and then with fondant icing.

The legs and features are hand modelled from fondant icing and placed onto the cake before the buttercream flowers are piped. All except the ears that is, the ears are added last of all.

The colours of the buttercream were chosen to be colourful but also in keeping with a lion, so I started with the golden yellow and went from there.

Not forgetting to add a tail!

Russian piping nozzles – top tips

Get to grips with your Russian piping tips and create beautiful cakes and cupcakes in no time at all.

Once I got the hang of using my Russian piping tips there was no going back. They allowed me to create some of my most famous cake designs back when I had only been making cakes for 6 months. However, my buttercream flowers are by no means perfect but I don’t think that really matters, after all real flowers aren’t all perfect but still look beautiful!

Here I share what I have learnt to be able to make the most of the tips.

1. Use strong piping bags

2. Use a buttercream that is 1:2 ratio of unsalted butter and icing sugar. I. E. 250g butter and 500g icing sugar

3. Have your butter at room temperature.

4. To pipe. Get your tip very close to the cake. It will be easiest to pipe onto freshly coated buttercream but not essential. Squeeze the flower out whilst slowing moving the tip away, then stop squeezing and pull away.

5. To give a two tone effect start by filling the inside sides of the piping bag with a thin layer of buttercream. Then spoon in a darker or lighter colour buttercream into the middle of the same piping bag.

7. Add simple small drop flower tip to fill in the gaps. My first choice in colour for these small flowers is usually white.

6. Add leaves. Choose a fine leaf tip for the most delicate flowers. These are perfect for filling those gaps between the flowers and add a realistic touch.

Troubleshooting

Too mushy flowers /undefined –

The buttercream is too warm. Put the bag in the fridge for 5 mins and try again. If your hands are warm you might have to repeat this often.

Too hard to pipe

Most likely the buttercream is too cold. In the winter I often end up adding a teaspoon or two of cooled boiled water. Alternatively 4 seconds in the microwave (in a suitable container!) and a good stir, may soften it enough.

Flowers won’t stick on the cake

Try a thin layer of buttercream on the cake just before you start piping to help the buttercream stick.

Piping bag leaked

Either the buttercream is too firm/cold or the piping bags just aren’t going to be strong enough. Try softening the buttercream or you may need to get some stronger bags.

Long drooping petals

Try making the flowers shorter by releasing the pressure sooner.

I hope this guide helps you have fun creating beautiful cakes. Please see my other guides for cake decorating including the original Flower Hedgehog cake and cupcakes.

To see me using the nozzles please have a look at my YouTube video https://youtu.be/tWU6h4UMtA0

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And twitter @peachcakery

Cake pizza mould – recipe and tutorial (individual cake slices)

Learn how to bake your own cake pizza by following this easy guide. The flavour and decoration is up to you! Here I have decorated with a buttercream flowers including using nifty nozzles (russian piping tips). The cake pizza idea is by @cakes.n.sprinkles on Instagram.

Equipment:

10 hole silicon cake pizza mould
1 cupcake case
Cake release spray (ideally)
Piping tips and bags
11 inch or larger cake board

Cake Recipe:

350g butter or stork baking block
350g sugar
350g self raising flour
7 medium eggs
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 tbs milk

(for chocolate cake add 35g cocoa powder)

Buttercream:
*you may need more depending on your design

250g unsalted butter
500g icing sugar
1 – 2 tsp of milk or cooled boiled water

(for chocolate buttercream add 20g cocoa powder)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 140°C (fan oven).
2. Mix the butter and sugar.
3. Add eggs and vanilla.
4. Add flour and mix well.
5. Add the milk and mix until all combined and smooth.

6. Grease the cake mould, I use cake release spray but you could use butter to grease.

7. Fill a piping bag with the cake batter and cut the end off the bag. This will allow you to fill the sections of the mould much easier then with a spoon. Try to fill evenly.

8. Don’t forget to half fill the cupcake case.

9. Bake the cupcake for approx 30 minutes and the cake pizza slices for approx 50 – 60 minutes. All ovens vary so keep an eye on the cakes. You want them to bounce back when pressed on top and a skewer to come out clean when poked into the cake.

10. Allow the cakes to completely cool in the mould.

11. Using a knife carefully trim any excess from the tops of the cakes so that they are level with the cake mould.

12. Gently separate the cakes from the mould and push them out from the bottom.

13. Cut the individual cakes in half and pipe in the buttercream filling. Use a dab of buttercream to secure the cake to the board if needed. With the cupcake in the centre.

14. Add the buttercream or decorations as desired to the top of the cake. I used piped flowers and leaves.

This cake will be best eaten within 1-2 days of baking. Store at cool room temperature.

I hope you found this guide helpful. I will be making a chocolate overload version of the cake pizza soon. I’ll pop a pic on here once it’s finished.

Cute Hamster Cake Tutorial

This hamster cake possibly one of cutest cakes I’ve ever made!

The first week of January was time off from baking for me however I couldn’t keep myself completely away. So when my little boy suggested I made a hamster cake (including a wheel – no way I was attempting a hamster wheel!) I couldn’t say no.

I like to use both buttercream and fondant icing on my animal cakes so here’s how to make a cute Little Peach Cakery Hamster Cake.

You will need:

Sugarcraft tools – rolling pin, knife, cake smoother, small rose petal or circle cutters.

A 5 inch round cake, approx 5 inch tall and domed top.

10 inch cake board and ribbon

Piping tips – Wilton 6B, star and drop flower

Piping bags

Buttercream (250g butter and 500g icing sugar)

Sugarpaste – white, pink and black

Food colour – rose

Edible glaze (optional)

Method:

1. Bake your cake, let it cool. Cut into 3 or 4 even layers.

2. Fill layers with buttercream and cover cake in thin layer of buttercream.

3. Roll out enough fondant to cover the front of the cake.

4. For the cheeks, make a sausage long enough to reach horizontally across the front of the face area. Make a long dip across the middle of one side only.

5. Roll 2 little sausages of fondant, narrower at one end for the arms. Make 2 small pink balls for hands and mark lines on for fingers. Attach together with edible glue.

6. For the feet, use 2 equal sized balls of white fondant. Make 2 little pink feet and mark toes. Attach together with edible glue.

7. The nose is a small ball of pink fondant. Add a touch of edible glaze if desired.

8. Make the ears with small rose or circle cutters. Cut 2 white circles and 2 pink circles. Attach the pink ontop of the white to make 2 ears. Leave to hardern at room temp.

9. Make 2 equal pea sized balls from black fondant for eyes. Add edible glaze or a touch of white for a more realistic look. Do not attach to cake yet!

10. Colour the buttercream into 3 shades. Divide into 3 piping bags.

11. Start piping the largest tip first. Then go back and fill in the gaps with the smaller tips. Pip up to the cheeks on the face.

12. Add the ears into the buttercream.

13. Add the eyes onto the buttercream on the face.

14. I like to use Sweet Stamps letter’s to finish off the cake board. Painted with edible gold.

You’re finished, admire the cute little cake you have made!