Known to some as a French Fancy, but to us British as Fondant Fancy, the iced sponge cake is a divine dessert that many of us have "fond" memories of. What are they, where do they come from, and can I make them at home - are perhaps the questions at the forefront of your mind right now?
What are they and where do they come from?
\"Dessert Recipes\"
Fondant Fancies were originally produced in the UK by the beloved Mr Kipling. They are incredibly sweet, consisting of a single cube of sponge cake, topped with butter cream, and coated in fondant icing, with chocolate or another colour of icing drizzled on top.
Can I make one now?
Sure, the process is quite long but the results are absolutely worth it. Gather together the following ingredients:
For the cakes:
- 175g unsalted butter
- 150g plain caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 175g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the fondant icing:
- 25g unsalted butter
- 100g dark chocolate
- 90g icing sugar
- 100ml boiling water
- 75g mascarpone cheese
- 75g melted white chocolate to decorate the fancies
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 140C or gas mark 1. Grease up a 9 inch square cake tin.
Using an electric whisk, mix together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, whisking continuously, and only add each one as soon as the last one has been fully mixed in. Fold in the flour and baking powder lastly.
Throw the mixture into the baking tin and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. When done, set aside to cool and cut into 1 inch cubes.
Whiel you're waiting for that, boil a pan half full of water and leave to simmer. Suspend a heatproof mixing bowl on the pan (not allowing the base to touch the water), and add the dark chocolate, butter and icing sugar. Stir until nicely smooth. Gradually add the boiling water (you may not need the whole 100ml) until the mixture is runny enough to fall down the sides of the cakes.
Back to the inch square cakes, begin by placing a small lump of mascarpone on the top. Spoon over the icing and set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the icing to cool and harden.
Finally, drizzle the melted white chocolate on top for effect and allow to cool again.
Divine Dessert Recipes: The Fondant Fancy
Simply divine! Find more of my divine dessert recipes here or at the great dessert recipes [http://dessertrecipes.org/] archive.