Cake! magazine by Australian Cake Decorating Network November 2017 | Page 44

Chocolate Cookie
Dough
T
Royal Icing
T
he cookie dough can be made a few days ahead or stored in the freezer until
ready to use. The baked cookies will keep for up to 1 month.
Zoe Clark of Zoe Clark Cakes
Ingredients:
250g (9oz) unsalted butter
250g (9oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1–2 medium eggs
1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
425g (1lb 2oz) plain (all-purpose)
flour, plus extra for dusting
75g cocoa powder
ips for making the perfect royal icing, both
for soft-peak royal icing and run-out icing.
1. In a large electric mixer, beat the butter and
sugar together until creamy and quite fluffy.
2. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until they
are well combined.
3. Sift the flour and cocoa together and add to
the bowl of the mixer and mix until all the
ingredients just come together. You may need
to do this in two stages – don’t overmix.
4. Tip the dough into a container lined with cling
film (plastic wrap) and press down firmly.
Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at
least 30 minutes.
5. On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll
out the cookie dough to about 4mm (3/16in)
thick. Sprinkle a little extra flour on top of the
dough as you roll to prevent it from sticking
to the rolling pin.
6. Cut out your shapes either with cutters or using templates and a sharp knife. Place on baking
trays lined with greaseproof or baking paper and return to the fridge to rest for at least 30
minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
7. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, depending on their size, or until they are golden
brown. Leave them to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container until you
are ready to decorate them.

Zoe Clark of Zoe Clark Cakes
Ingredients:
2 medium egg whites or 15g (½oz)
dried egg albumen powder mixed
with 75ml (2½fl oz) water
500g (1lb 2oz) icing (confectioners’)
sugar
Directions
If using dried egg powder, soak it in the water for at
least 30 minutes in advance, but ideally overnight in
the fridge.
Sift the icing sugar into the bowl of a large electric mixer
and add the egg whites or strained reconstituted egg
mixture.
Mix together on a low speed for about 3–4 minutes
until the icing has reached a stiff-peak consistency,
which is what you need for sticking on decorations and
gluing cakes together.
Store the icing in an airtight container covered with a
damp, clean cloth to prevent it from drying out.
Soft-peak royal icing
To pipe decorations easily, you may need to add a tiny amount of water to your royal icing to soften it
slightly.
Run-out icing
Royal icing is thinned down with water to ‘flood’ cookies (see Royal-Iced Cookies). Test for consistency
by lifting your spoon and letting the icing drip back into the bowl – it should remain on the surface for
5 seconds before disappearing. If it’s too runny it will run over the outlines and sides of the cookies, but
if it’s too stiff it won’t spread very well.
Store the icing in an airtight container covered with a damp, clean cloth to prevent it from drying out.