RECIPE
Red Velvet Truffle Baubles
Serves: 6 or 12
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 1 hour
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SPONGE
- 170g self raising flour
- 170g caster sugar
- 170g baking margarine
- 3 eggs
- A few drops of red food colouring
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
- 460g icing sugar
- 225g cream cheese
- 90g unsalted butter
- 1tsp vanilla extract
TO DECORATE
- 1kg ready to roll fondant icing in various colours
- 1 tub ready-made royal icing
- Gold edible lustre
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 160°C / 140°C (fan) / gas mark 3. Grease and line a 15cm round cake tin in preparation. To make the sponge, cream together the caster sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, eggs and food colouring until you have a smooth, red batter. Transfer to the cake tin and bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes.
- Whilst the cake is cooling, make the buttercream by whisking together all the ingredients in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Set aside.
- When the cake is fully cool, break it up into crumbs in a large bowl. Stir in the buttercream a spoonful at a time, until the mixture is tacky enough to be rolled between your hands. Reserve a little buttercream for later. Split the mixture into 6 or 12 and roll into balls. Refrigerate for one hour.
- Remove the baubles from the fridge and lightly coat each one in a thin layer of the remaining buttercream. Roll out the fondant icing to approximately 5mm thick and coat each of the baubles, smoothing the icing with your hands.
- Pop the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a thin nozzle or with approximately 2mm snipped off the end. Pipe a pattern over each bauble and top with a loop of ready to roll icing. Mix a little vanilla extract with the gold lustre and use to paint the design on your baubles.