French Fancy
About this build
Four square sponge cakes are layered with jam, topped with buttercream and covered with pink fondant and white stripes for an office snack bake-off.
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- The giant French Fancy for a work bake-off cost £15.20 in total: 4 Asda Smart Price sponge mixes at 22p each, Smart Price white piping icing at £1, 1.5kg of ready-to-roll white icing at £3.92, a box of icing sugar at £1.08, 6 medium eggs at £1.48, pink food colouring at £0.84, raspberry jam at £1, butter at £1 and vanilla essence from the cupboard; the writer estimates £3 more for the extra sponge once it was clear that 8 packets would have been needed. The mixes were whisked electrically and baked as 4 sponges in a 10 inch square silicone tin, while the white icing was coloured pink with a lot of elbow grease and the buttercream of butter, icing sugar and vanilla was whisked, with a cloud of icing sugar round the kitchen. The buttercream was pressed into a clingfilm-lined bowl and frozen so the icing could be laid over it, the cooled sponges were stacked with the buttercream dome on top and buttercream smoothed over the ridges, the icing was measured and rolled to fit, and the white lines were drawn onto the top. Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 · Source 4 · Source 5 · Source 6 · Source 7 · Source 8
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Original List of Ingredients
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4 x Asda Smart Price Sponge Mix = 22p each [too lazy to make my own!] 1 x Asda Smart Price White Piping Icing = £1 Ready to Roll White Icing 1.5kg = £3.92 Box of Icing Sugar = £1.08 6 Medium Eggs = £1.48 Pink Food Colouring = £0.84 Raspberry Jam = £1 Butter = £1 Vanilla Essence – Store Cupboard
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The original account
After discovering the Pimp That Snack Website, we couldn’t resist having a bake off at work where we all made a pimped version of our favourite snacks.
I choose to make a ‘Giant French Fancy’ it cost in total £15.20.
Original List of Ingredients
4 x Asda Smart Price Sponge Mix = 22p each [too lazy to make my own!]
1 x Asda Smart Price White Piping Icing = £1
Ready to Roll White Icing 1.5kg = £3.92
Box of Icing Sugar = £1.08
6 Medium Eggs = £1.48
Pink Food Colouring = £0.84
Raspberry Jam = £1
Butter = £1
Vanilla Essence – Store Cupboard
I quickly realised after mixing the first sponge mix that I should have bought 8 packets for the amount of sponge required for the pimp. Therefore I needed to make an additional amount of sponge mixture, I have estimated £3 for the additional ingredients.
Mix the sponge mixtures using an electric whisk to ensure light and fluffy sponges, I made 4 sponges in a silicone square 10″ cake bakewear. Whilst these are cooking it gives you time to mix the pink food colouring in with the white ready to roll icing, this is hard work and requires lots of elbow grease!
Also allows time to make the butter cream, lots of butter, icing sugar and vanilla essence, then mix very carefully with an electric whisk. I ended up with an icing sugar poof of smoke around my kitchen!
I placed the buttercream into the appropriately sized bowl (lined with cling film) and popped it in the freezer to make it easier for applying the icing over the top.
Once the 4 sponges had cooled down I built the sponge tower. Placed the butter cream on top, and painted extra buttercream around the sponges to smooth the ridges before applying the icing.
Measure the sponge, and roll icing to fit. Apply icing, then draw the white lines to the top of the cake.
Then stand back and enjoy the master piece!
