Fiona Cairns recipe: Pansy wreath cake

By Sarah Stephens 730AM GMT eighteen March 2010

Pansy spray baked sweat bread Photo LAURA HYND

Serves 6

Fiona Cairns"s beginner"s guide to baked sweat bread decorating

175g unsalted butter, softened, and some-more for the tin

175g self-raising flour

2 eggs, easily beaten

175g golden caster sugar

the zest, finely grated, and extract of

1 large unwaxed lemon

For the topping

the extract of 1 large lemon

100g white granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas symbol 4. Lightly butter an 18cm, 7.5cm deep, turn springform tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment. Sift the flour with a splash of salt in to a play and set aside.

Melt the butter in a small vessel and set in reserve to cool slightly. Using an electric drive or mixer, kick the eggs and sugarine together until really light and feathery (about five minutes). Blend in the melted butter; afterwards really kindly overlay in the flour and zest. Finally, solemnly overlay in the juice.

Pour the beat in to the tin and bake for 30-35 mins or until the baked sweat bread springs behind to the touch, or a skewer extrinsic in to the centre comes out clean. Meanwhile, have the crunchy commanding by blending the extract and sugarine together. Immediately the baked sweat bread comes from the oven, cut little holes all over it with a excellent skewer or bubbly beverage stick. Pour the lemon syrup uniformly all over the surface. Leave to cool utterly in the tin.

To decorate

150g topping sugar, sifted

purple food colour

20-25 crystallised small violas and pansies (see overleaf)

50g bag white stately icing

Place the baked sweat bread upside down on your portion image or baked sweat bread stand. Tip the topping sugarine in to a small play and supplement 1-2 tablespoons of H2O and a little volume of purple food colour. The topping should be thick sufficient to cloak the behind of a spoon. Spoon it over the baked sweat bread and concede it to drizzle down the sides. Arrange the violas and pansies in a circle, utilizing the stately topping to hitch them, if you like, afterwards place a couple of in the center of the cake. Its as elementary as that.