I talked to a friend this week about the Great British Bake-Off (and judging by this post you will know I’ve finally watched the final!), and she told me that she had been making the technical challenges after each episode. What a fun idea! I on the other hand, have a tendency to jump in at the deep end with such things…
Wednesday was a special day… Seb & me had been together for two years… and I decided that baking something would be the most appropriate option. After all, we all know the way to a man’s heart! (And no, Henry, it’s not through his rib-cage… that’s just morbid. Halloween is next Wednesday). I felt that Seb would be more pleased with something tricky, something impressive, something beautiful… how about French Fondant Fancies?
It took me until about halfway through making these that I realised I had taken rather a large risk, and was potentially going to offer him something spodgy, congealed, and a complete mess. I mean, some cupcakes would have been so much easier, and it’s basically the same ingredients put together in a different order right?
Well despite the fact that these are horrendously finicky to make, and I really had thought they were a disaster all the way up until I piped the chocolate over… and suddenly they became things of beauty. Well, almost. I mean, not bad for a first attempt! Have you been cooking up anything from the Great British Bake Off?
If you fancy having a go, I’ve posted the recipe below. My tips are – you only need 50% (so about 500g) of fondant icing for the decoration (though I lost a few cakes on the way!). And I didn’t dip mine… I actually spooned the icing over instead. Add water to your icing incrementally – it only takes a tiny bit to push it over the edge. And start using the icing in a thicker state than you would expect to work – it’s amazing how much of it still runs off. Enjoy…
Mary Berry’s Fondant Fancies Recipe
- For the sponge
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225g/8oz self-raising flour
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225g/8oz baking spread or softened butter
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225g/8oz caster sugar
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1 lemon, grated rind only
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4 free-range eggs
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- For the buttercream
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250g/9oz unsalted butter, softened
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200g/7oz icing sugar
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- For the marzipan topping
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3 tbsp apricot jam
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200g/7oz marzipan
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- For the icing and decoration
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1 kg/2lb 4oz white fondant icing
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150ml/5fl oz water
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food colouring (any colour)
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flavouring (any flavouring)
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100g/3½oz dark chocolate
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Preparation method
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Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3. Grease and line a 20cm/8in square tin with two strips of parchment paper.
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For the sponge, beat together all the sponge ingredients until smooth. Tip the cake mixture into the tin and tap lightly to level out.
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Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a metal skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely on a wire rack, before putting in the fridge to chill (or alternatively place in the freezer for a few minutes until chilled but not frozen).
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While the cake is chilling, make the buttercream. Beat together the softened butter and icing sugar in a bowl until lighter in colour, and smooth.
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Place 100g/3½oz of the buttercream in a piping bag and allow to slightly firm up in the fridge. Keep the rest in a bowl for the cake sides.
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For the marzipan topping, heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan and sieve it into a bowl.
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Brush the top of the cake with the sieved apricot jam.
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Roll the marzipan out very thinly, cover the top of the cake and chill again.
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Cut the cake into 25 equal squares (each 4cm/1½in square). You may need to cut off the edges if they have rounded and pulled away from the sides of the tin – all the edges must be straight and neat.
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Cover four sides of each square with buttercream (not the marzipan top or the base). Using the buttercream in the piping bag, pipe a blob in the centre of each square on top of the marzipan. Leave to set in the fridge for 20 minutes.
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For the icing and decoration, cut the fondant icing into small cubes. Place in a sturdy free-standing mixer with a paddle. Churn the icing until it stars to break down, adding a splash of water if it’s too hard. Very gradually add the water – the icing will become smooth and more liquid.
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Add flavouring and food colouring to taste – be careful not to add too much at once, you can always add more but can’t undo it!
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Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water). Once melted, place the chocolate in piping bag and set aside.
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Take the cakes out of the fridge and place one onto a fork.
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Dip each square into the icing one at a time and carefully set onto a cooling rack, with parchment underneath to catch the drips. Try not to get finger prints on them – for this reason it is best to insert the fork at an angle so that you can slide the cake off onto the cooling rack easily.
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Leave the fondant to set, but do not put in the fridge as the icing will lose its shine.
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Using the piping bag of melted chocolate, drizzle the chocolate over each fancy in a zig-zag pattern.
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Leave to set and then place on a cake stand to serve.
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