Week 1 – Cake Week
**Contains Subtle Spoilers**
Were you inspired by Cake Week? Do you want to make a set of perfect sandwich cakes, or a stunning Red Velvet Cake with Syabira? Then look no further – we have some tips and recipes for you to make things a bit easier at home!
The bakers faced cake-related tasks this week, from making 12 perfect sandwich cakes, to a Red Velvet Cake in the Technical Challenge, moving on to making their home out of cake in the Showstopper. Some bakers rose to the challenge, while others crumbled with the pressure – but don’t worry, we won’t reveal the Star Baker or Leaving Contestant here!
The Showstopper Task challenged the bakers to deliver on both style and substance, ensuring their cake delivered a delicious balance of flavours, while being cooked perfectly, and presented with detailed decoration. Easy….right?
For anyone wanting to try baking a simple sponge cake, or just needs a reliable recipe, subscribe here to gain access to our Beginners’ recipe and video guide for a Victoria Sponge. It’s a great way to start your baking career, and needs very few ingredients.
If you’re confident with your sponge texture, and can make a Victoria Sponge with your eyes closed, why not try testing your icing skills? For use with meringue (for macaroons), or just icing for cakes, check out our chefs’ top tips below;
Tip 1 – Roll the top of the piping bag down over your hands to prevent getting messy, and prevent the icing from popping out over the top of the bag while icing
Tip 2 – Use a spatula to transfer your icing or meringue mix to the piping bag, pressing it down in to the bag each time. Do not overfill the bag – start with 2-3 scoops of mix to prevent the bag from the bursting and give you enough material to twist the end at the top of the bag.
Tip 3 – When piping, position one hand underneath the nozzle to guide the icing, and one hand behind the top of the bag to control the pressure (and speed) of the icing.
Want to see more? Check out our video to see our chefs in action in our video HERE
Let us know how you get on – tag us on Instagram @theonlinepastryschoool to feature on our page!
