233269_HiRes Aberdeen

Raring2go! FAMILY FOOD
Christmas Syrup Sponge Cake
Our Editor, Victoria’s daughter Natasha has been baking with Alison,
our star administrator, and they have made this lovely alternative to
the traditional Christmas cake – and you can decorate it as you wish!
Ingredients
For the cake
• 4oz margarine
• 4oz caster sugar
• 6oz plain flour
• ½ t baking powder
• 1 t mixed spice
• 2 eggs
• 2 T boiling water
• 1 T Golden syrup
Ingredients
For the icicing
• 3.5oz butter
• 7oz icing sugar
• ½ t cinnamon
• Brown fondant icing
• Red fondant icing
• White fondant icing
• Black food dye
• Pretzels
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 170 o C fan, line two
7-inch tins with butter and baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together, add
the flour, mixed spice, baking powder and
eggs and mix well until combined. Then
add the syrup and water and mix until
combined.
3. Pour the batter evenly into the two tins
and put in the oven for 15-20 minutes or
until golden brown.
4. Take the cakes out and leave to cool on a
wire rack.
5. To make the buttercream icing put the
butter in a bowl and mix until smooth add
the icing sugar and cinnamon and mix until
combined.
6. When the cake is cool put a small dot of
buttercream icing on a board and place
one cake onto it, then carefully put some
icing onto the top and smooth out into a
smooth flat layer, then place the second
cake on the top. Put more buttercream
onto the top and smooth out into a thin
layer on the top and sides. Roll out the
white fondant icing until it is the thickness
of a one pound coin, then place it on top
and smooth out the top and sides.
7. Then roll out the brown icing and use a
gingerbread man cookie cutter to cut
out the shape of the reindeer (an upside-down
gingerbread man!). Roll out a
circle of red icing and cut with the same
cutter into the desired shape and size of
the nose. Make two small circles of white
fondant and put a black dot with the food
dye on each circle to make the eyes.
8. To assemble the reindeer put the gingerbread
man cut out upside down on a
board and with either edible glue or spare
icing stick the red circle onto the nose of
the reindeer in the desired place do the
same with the eyes then stick the pretzels
on to make antlers. Then stick the shape
onto the cake. finish it off with a ribbon
around the sides of the cake.
9. You don’t need to make
a reindeer you can make
anything you want for
any season of the year.
We also made shortbread
stars to make a Christmas
Tree and iced it in pastel
colours.
26 raring2go.co.uk