Farewell Gran

To my Grandma who made the most amazing cakes, who had me using up left over pastry for jam tarts as a little kid, who taught me so much, who appreciated my baking and whom I'll miss for ever and ever.

Jack Daniels

I'm trying to catch up to myself at the moment.  I haven't posted any of my cake creations for a while - since Christmas actually - so I'm just trying to get a grip here!  This is one for a friend who loves Jack Daniels and was turning 60.  I baked an oblong dark chocolate sponge cake (thank you Mum-in-Law for a great choc cake recipe) and then made another one in a loaf tin.  I put a thin layer of sugar-paste over the oblong base cake, then iced the bottle separately.  The neck is made up from pieces of "spare" cake from he loaf tin cut with a round cutter, then cut into semi-circles.  The sides of the presentation box are stuck on with Royal Icing and I mixed Tylo powder with the sugar paste to give some stability.  I let it dry out a bit before sticking to the sides.  The staw/raffia packing is made by extruding sugar paste through a clay gun.  That's fun but takes a while.  Piping is in Royal Icing (let's call it impressionism rather than an entirely accurate depiction of a JD bottle label) and I used a little brown dusting powder to give some dimension to the bottle.  That would have been a great time to have an airbrush I think, but this isn't part of my kit right now.  One day maybe (although I'd need much more room in my kitchen I think.)  Just for extra bite, there was a little drop of Jack Daniels bourbon in the chocolate butter cream filing.  Main thing is the cake was well received and enjoyed!

Jo xoxox