“The camera clicked and I thought, ‘Oh good, the photo shoot will soon be over, I’ll be able to pop the champagne and everyone will go home’. And then my mobile rang…”
There’s still a nervous tremble in her voice, when Cairns recalls the day her husband relayed that crucial message from Clarence House.
All thoughts of taking photos for her latest Birthday Cake Book fell away as she heard those three little words: They’ve chosen us. “I’ll never forget that feeling. I was very excited and also worried, because it’s such a big responsibility.”
Cairns and a select small baking team treasured the news they would be producing the wedding cake for the soon-to-be Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in secret, as they liaised with the royal couple. They even hid their work from the rest of the staff, revealing only that it was an ‘important commission’.
“It was an amazing adventure”, says the former pastry chef whose factory produces 120,000 cakes a year, selling to Harrods, Selfridges and Waitrose.
Like any modern bride, Kate took control of proceedings from an early stage, says the cook, and luckily her desires chimed with Cairns’s talents.
“It was a dream brief for us, and very much Catherine’s, right from the very beginning. She’s very creative. We were given some lace, which we assumed was the same as the dress, so the flowers on the cake matched her gown.”
Cairns, who makes Paul McCartney’s Christmas cake every year, spent time with Kate Middleton and her staff, ensuring every detail was perfect, before beginning the construction of the cake.
An interior architect was employed to work out the structure of the creation, made up of 17 cakes and eight tiers.
“It was the biggest cake I’ve ever made,” says Cairns, her voice, quivering.
“One of the most hairy moments was getting it from its little room to the Picture Gallery on a trolley. I ended up carrying the middle sections, so they didn’t get bumped,” she says, letting out a little nervous laugh.
Considering the floral cardigan-wearing mother-of-two looks looks as sweet and light as one of her cakes, the mental image of her lugging kilos worth of fruit cake up the stairs of Buckingham Palace, while dodging DJs carrying massive amplifiers ready for the disco, is rather wonderful.
“I have recovered now, but it did take a long time. Looking back, I still can’t believe it happened,” she says, with relief.
As Cairns explains, whether you’re cooking for the future Queen or your mum, great cake making relies on a few key ingredients.
“Firstly, you have to want to it. And it’s better to do something really simple, that you’re capable of, than attempt something difficult. Either the love – or stress – will come through!
“Secondly, make sure you’re making something not just for yourself. Think about the recipient.”
Cairns’s daughter Tara turns 16 in a few weeks, and naturally her mum will be making her a dream dessert: “A few years ago I baked Tara a chocolate sweetie castle and she wants that again. At 16, you’d think she’d have grown out of it, but she wants to recapture that magic moment when she first saw all those sweets!”
Here are three of Fiona Cairns’s birthday recipes to try…
Allergen-free chocolate cake
(Serves 12)
140ml sunflower oil, plus more for the tins
360g self-raising flour
60g cocoa powder
2tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
400g golden caster sugar
2tsp vanilla extract
4tsp white wine vinegar
400g raspberries
Icing sugar, to dust
Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3½. Oil two 23cm cake tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir in the sugar. In another bowl, measure the oil, 400ml water and vanilla extract, then add to the flour mixture, stirring in the vinegar last of all.
Pour the batter into the prepared tins and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer emerges clean. Leave for a few minutes in the tins, then run a knife around the rims and turn out on to a wire rack. Remove the papers and leave to cool completely.
Put one cake on a cake stand or serving plate, and top with most of the raspberries. Place the other cake on top, and scatter with the remaining raspberries. Sift over an even layer of icing sugar to serve.
All-in-one apricot and almond cake
(Serves 8)
For the cake:
175g unsalted butter, really soft, diced, plus more for the tin
150g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
75g ground almonds
3 eggs, lightly beaten
175g golden caster sugar
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large unwaxed lemon
1tsp almond extract (optional)
250g ripe apricots, stoned and sliced
To decorate:
100g golden caster sugar
2 squeezes of lemon juice
4 apricots, halved
3tbsp apricot jam
Icing sugar, to dust
Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3½. Butter a 20cm round cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.
For this all-in-one recipe, I use an electric mixer with a beater attachment, but you could use a food processor, or a bowl and an electric whisk.
First, sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl of the mixer. Beat in all the other ingredients (except the apricots), being careful not to over-mix, for a light cake.
Spoon half the cake batter into the prepared tin, level it and sprinkle the sliced apricots over the cake. Spoon the remaining mixture over the top and level the batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the centre springs back to the touch. Leave in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool. Remove the papers.
For the decoration: Bring 600ml water and the caster sugar to a simmer and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the halved apricots and gently simmer for a few minutes. Remove from the syrup, dry on a piece of kitchen towel and cool. Place on top of the cooled cake.
Warm the apricot jam, then press it through a sieve. Place into a clean pan and add another squeeze of lemon juice before brushing over the apricots. Dust with icing sugar before serving with a jug of cream.
Butterscotch cake with caramel hazelnut wisps
(Serves 8)
For the cake:
175g unsalted butter, really soft, diced, plus more for the tins
175g self-raising flour, sifted
1tsp baking powder
3 eggs, lightly beaten
100g golden caster sugar
75g light muscovado sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
For the frosting:
500g mascarpone
1tbsp black treacle
1tbsp golden syrup
2tbsp light muscovado sugar
For the Caramel Hazelnut Wisps:
30 hazelnuts, blanched
24 fine, pointed wooden skewers
110g caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Butter two 20cm round sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
I use an electric mixer with beater attachment, but use a food processor, or a bowl and an electric whisk, if you prefer. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the butter, eggs, two types of sugar and vanilla extract, and beat until well blended. Do not over-mix.
Divide the batter between the tins, level the tops and bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer emerges clean. Remove from the oven, leave in the tins for a couple of minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack. Remove the papers and leave to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the butterscotch frosting. Tip the mascarpone into a bowl and beat in the treacle, syrup and sugar. Spread a layer on top of both cakes and sandwich them together.
For the Caramel Hazelnut Wisps, make sure you have both a small and a large bowl of cold water, and a heavy kitchen board to hand. The oven should be turned down to 170C/Gas Mark 3½.
Scatter the hazelnuts on to a baking tray and roast for five minutes. Cool completely then insert the point of a skewer very gently into each nut (you may lose a few!).
Spread newspaper out on the floor and lay a large sheet of baking parchment on it. Place the heavy board on a surface directly above.
Put the sugar and 100ml cold water into a heavy-based saucepan and, over a low heat, allow all the sugar to dissolve, stirring with a metal spoon. Use a damp pastry brush (make sure it’s not nylon) to wipe away any sugar crystals from the side.
When you can no longer see any crystals, increase the heat to a high boil. Do not stir. It will turn a beautiful golden amber. Drop a piece into the small bowl of cold water. If it crackles and forms a ball, it’s ready. Plunge the pan into the large bowl of water and leave to thicken up for a few minutes.
Take a skewered hazelnut and dip into the caramel. Lift, allowing excess to drip into the pan and, when it forms a thin strand, secure the skewer under the heavy board so the caramel can drip on to the baking parchment on the floor. Repeat with all the hazelnuts – you should end up with 20-24 wisps.
If the caramel hardens, return to a very gentle heat to soften. After five minutes, the caramel wisps will have hardened. Snap the lengths as you wish (mine are 10-12cm long).
Very carefully remove the skewers and place the wisps – if possible – directly on to the cake. If not possible, then temporarily rest upright in piece of sugarpaste or buttercream to stop them from rolling around and breaking, and keep in a cool, dry place.