by CICO kidz
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
(makes 12)
1 The day before you need the cupcakes pick the fresh pansies from your garden. (Make sure that the flowers are clean and bug-free, and haven’t been sprayed with any chemicals.) Leave a short stalk on the pansies so that you can just hold them.
2 Line a baking tray with baking parchment and sprinkle some superfine (caster) sugar over it.
3 Ask an adult to help you break the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks (see page 22). Put the egg whites into a medium-sized bowl.
4 Add one teaspoon of water to the egg whites and then beat them with an egg whisk until they become frothy.
5 Hold one pansy by its stalk and, using a fine paintbrush, carefully paint the flower, top and bottom, with a thin layer of egg white. Make sure that you cover it all over.
6 Hold the pansy over a shallow bowl and use the salt shaker to sprinkle sugar all over it. The sugar will stick to the egg white. (If you don’t have a salt shaker, put the sugar in the bowl and use a dry teaspoon to sprinkle it over the pansy.) Place the sugared pansy onto the lined baking tray to dry. Start the next one.
7 Let the flowers dry in a cool dry place. They will take 12–24 hours to dry and become hard. You can carefully turn them once or twice as they dry to make sure that they dry on all sides.
8 The next day ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). While they are cooling make some sugar icing (see page 20). When the cupcakes are cold, pour a little sugar icing onto each cupcake and spread it to the edges.
9 Use two or three of the crystallized flowers to decorate each cupcake. Serve on a pretty cake plate.
Note: It will take a long time and lots of flowers to make enough crystallized flowers for 12 cakes so just make enough for a few special cupcakes.
Spotty cupcakes
These spotty cupcakes look very impressive but are quite easy to make. Choose any two colors you like—how about black and white for a “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” themed party?!
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
1 lb (500 g) ready-to-roll fondant icing
food coloring in 2 different colors
confectioner’s (icing) sugar
2 tablespoons apricot jelly (jam)
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
rolling pin
round cookie cutter, 2½ in. (6.5 cm) diameter
round cookie cutter, ¾ in. (1.5 cm) diameter
pastry brush
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes and let them cool (see page 8).
2 Tint half of the fondant icing using one color of food coloring (see page 21). Add the paste or liquid a little at a time and knead it until the color is well blended and the shade you want. Tint the other half of the icing with the other color.
3 Sprinkle a little confectioner’s (icing) sugar onto a clean work surface. Roll out half of the first color icing until it is about ¼ in. (5 mm) thick and large enough to cut out 3 circles with the large cookie cutter (but don’t cut them yet). Each time you roll the icing, lift it, turn it a little, and add more confectioner’s sugar to stop it sticking to the work surface. Sprinkle a little confectioner’s sugar onto the rolling pin, too, if that sticks. Now roll out half the other color icing to the same size. Put the two sheets of different color icing side by side.
4 Using the smaller cookie cutter, cut circles all over the two sheets of icing. Space each of them about ½ in. (1 cm) apart to create a spotty pattern. Cut the same number of circles on each color icing.
5 Very carefully, without tearing the icing, pick up a circle from one color and swap it with a circle from the other color. Use the tip of a rounded knife to help you lift the circles. Keep doing this until you end up with two spotty sheets of icing.
6 Using the rolling pin, gently roll over the spotty sheets to stick the spots into the icing. Don’t push too hard or the spots will change shape.
7 Using the larger cookie cutter, cut out 3 circles from each sheet.
8 Warm the jelly (jam) in a small saucepan or in a bowl in the microwave for 20–30 seconds on medium (see page 22) to melt it and then sieve it into another small bowl to remove any lumps. While it is still warm, use the pastry brush to brush it onto the tops of the cupcakes. The jelly acts as glue.
9 Place a spotty icing circle on top of the jelly and press it down gently.
10 Either roll out the rest of the icing to make plain tops for the other two cakes or, if you have plenty of time, make a second lot of spotty cakes.
Note: These spotty cupcakes take quite a long time to make. We suggest you use half the icing of each color to make six spotty cakes and then you could make six more cakes using plain icing—three in each color. It’s up to you.
Spots, SPOTS, spots, SPOTS!
A rainbow of cupcakes
Each of these little cakes is topped with buttercream and a selection of candies and sprinkles in all the colors of the rainbow. Have fun buying and sorting out the candies to match the frosting.
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
1 quantity Buttercream frosting (see page 18)
food coloring pastes in rainbow colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet or liquid food colors that you can mix to make more colors
little candies and sprinkles in rainbow colors
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). While the cakes are cooling, make one quantity of buttercream frosting.
2 Divide the buttercream between 7 bowls (or however many you need for the colors you’re using). Tint each one a different color (see page 21). Tint them the shade you like by very gradually adding more coloring.
3 Spread the buttercream over the cold cupcakes.
4 Sort the candies into the different colors and arrange them on the matching cakes.
I can SING a rainbow!
Christmas stockings
Marzipan is great for modeling shapes to decorate cupcakes. This marzipan stocking is a really simple way to decorate a festive cupcake for people who don’t like Christmas fruit cake. If they don’t like marzipan either, you could use fondant icing instead. Of course, you will be able to think of all sorts of other Christmassy objects to make and pop on top of your cupcake.
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
10 oz. (300 g) natural marzipan (or fondant icing if you prefer)
red food coloring paste or liquid
1 quantity Buttercream frosting (see page 18)
red, green, and white sprinkles
12 sugar snowflakes
airtight container lined with baking parchment
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
(makes 12)
1 Make the Christmas stockings the day before you make the cupcakes so the color has time to dry. First, find an airtight container to keep your stockings in overnight. Cut a piece of baking parchment to fit the bottom of the box.
2 Tint the marzipan red using the red food coloring (see page 21). Add the paste or liquid a little at a time and knead until the marzipan is bright red. If you are using the liquids, make a hole with your finger in the marzipan and drop in a couple of drops of liquid. Knead the marzipan until the color spreads through it. Gradually add more coloring until you have the red color you want.
3 Mold the marzipan into 12 Christmas stockings. Put them into the airtight box and let them dry overnight.
4 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). While they are cooling, make the buttercream frosting (see page 18). Once the cakes are cold, spread a thick layer of frosting over the top of each cupcake.
5 Mix the red, green, and white sprinkles in a bowl. Dip the edges of the cupcakes into the mixed spr
inkles.
6 Top the buttercream with a marzipan stocking. Stick a sugar snowflake onto each stocking with a dab of leftover buttercream.
WHAT ELSE could you make to TOP YOUR CAKE?
Butterfly cakes
A butterfly surprise! A slice of cake forms the butterfly wings and they hide a layer of gorgeous buttercream frosting. You can choose different flavors for the cake and the frosting. Orange or lemon flavors are tangy and delicious.
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
1 quantity Buttercream frosting (see page 18)
your choice of flavoring (see page 19)
sprinkles
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). While the cakes are cooling, make one quantity of buttercream frosting and add whatever flavoring you have chosen (see page 18).
2 When the cakes are cool, slice a small disc off the top of each (just the top point—don’t cut right to the edge of the cake). Cut this disc in half and put the halves to one side.
3 Cover the circle you have left on the cake with a blob of buttercream frosting.
4 Push the two halves of cake into the frosting to form the wings of a butterfly. Decorate with sprinkles.
Butterfly CAKES THAT WILL FLY off the plate
Special name cupcakes
These cupcakes are great for parties. You can use them as place names at the tea table, or let everyone find their own special cupcake on the plate when it comes to dessert. The flags are as fun to make as the cakes.
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
1 quantity Buttercream frosting (see page 18), flavored if you like (see page 19)
food coloring paste or liquid (choose your favorite color)
colored sprinkles
For the flags:
small piece of stiff card (a cereal packet works well)
thin colored card
glue stick
glitter pen
12 toothpicks
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
piping bag, fitted with a star tip
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). While the cakes are cooling, make one quantity of buttercream frosting. Add your chosen flavor and color (see pages 19 and 21).
2 Spoon the frosting into the piping bag. Holding it over the bowl, squeeze the frosting down the bag until it reaches the tip.
3 Now hold it over the first cake and gently squeeze the bag to make a star decoration on the cake. This is quite tricky and needs practice but don’t worry if the first ones aren’t perfect. Pipe stars all over the cake and remember: even less than perfect cakes will taste good. Sprinkle colored sprinkles over the stars.
4 To make the flags, draw and cut out a 3 × 1-in. (8 × 2.5 cm) rectangle from the stiff card. Using this as a template to draw round, draw 12 rectangles on the thin card. Cut them out.
5 Fold each rectangle in half. Spread glue on the inside of one half. Hold a toothpick inside the folded card and glue the two pieces of card together to make a flag. Make up all 12 flags.
6 Snip the flags to turn them into any shape you like.
7 Write names on the flags with a glitter pen. Let them dry, then stick the flags into the cakes.
Special cakes for SPECIAL FRIENDS
Sparkling diamond cupcakes
If you are having a pirate party, you need treasure; if you’re having a princess party, you need jewels. Whatever the party, these diamond cupcakes will add sparkle to your birthday table. You could use different colored hard candies for rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
about 6 clear mint candies
1 lime or lemon
1 ⅓ cups (175 g) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
blue food coloring
12-hole muffin pan, lined with silver cupcake cases
rolling pin
lemon squeezer
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8).
2 While they are cooling, make your “diamonds.” Leave the mints in their wrappers. Place them on a chopping board and then tap them with a rolling pin to break them into small pieces. Empty the pieces out of the wrappers onto a small plate.
3 Next, make the lime or lemonflavored icing. First use the lemon squeezer to squeeze the juice out of the lime or lemon.
4 Put 2½ tablespoons of juice into a bowl (take out any pips). Place the strainer (sieve) over the bowl and shake the sugar through it into the bowl.
5 Stir the mixture until the icing is smooth with no lumps. Add a few more drops of juice or water if the icing is too thick, but be careful not to make it too runny. Add a llittle more icing sugar if it is too runny. Tint the icing with little blue coloring paste or a few drops of blue food coloring liquid (see page 21) and stir until it is an even color.
6 Spoon the sugar icing onto the cupcakes so that it spreads right to the edges.
7 Pile a little heap of mint “diamonds” on each cupcake.
A TREASURE TROVE of cupcakes
Pink piggy cupcakes
These cute pink piggies use fondant icing. If you enjoy rolling, cutting, and molding shapes you’ll enjoy making these. If you love these pigs, you might like to try the animal cupcakes on page 58 too.
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
red food coloring paste or liquid (if coloring the fondant)
1½ lb (750 g) ready-to-roll white or pink fondant icing
confectioner’s (icing) sugar
2 tablespoons raspberry jelly (jam)
black writing icing or black food coloring paste
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
three round cookie cutters, one about the same size as your cupcake cases, one slightly smaller, and one very small
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes and let them cool (see page 8).
2 If you are coloring white fondant, add a little red food coloring to the fondant icing (see page 21) and knead it until the color is well blended and the icing is all pale pink.
3 Sprinkle a little confectioner’s (icing) sugar onto a clean work surface. Roll out the pink icing until it is about ¼ in. (5 mm) thick. Each time you roll the icing, lift it, turn it a little, and sprinkle on a little more confectioner’s sugar to stop it sticking to the work surface. Sprinkle a little confectioner’s sugar onto the rolling pin too, if that sticks.
4 Take the largest cookie cutter and stamp out 12 circles.
5 Ask an adult to help you warm the jelly (jam) in a small saucepan or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave for 20–30 seconds on medium (see page 22), to melt it and then sieve it into another small bowl to get out all the lumps of fruit and pips. While it is still warm, use a pastry brush to brush it onto the tops of the cupcakes. The jelly acts as glue. Gently press the pink circles on top.
6 Gather up all the scraps of icing, knead them together, and then roll out the icing again. This time use the medium-sized cookie cutter to cut out 12 medium circles for the piggies’ faces. Brush one side of the circles with water, and stick them onto the cupcakes towards the bottom of the first circle. Press gently in place.
7 Now with the smallest cutter, stamp out 12 circles of icing (you may need to gather the scraps up again and roll out the icing one more time). Brush one side of each small circle with water and place the circles in the centers of the piggies’ faces to make their snouts. Press them gently in place. Using a toothpick, make two round holes in each snout for nostrils.
8 Using all the scraps of icing you have left, cut out 24 small oval shapes for ears then brush the back of each with water. Fix two in place on top of each piggy’s head, turning the tips
of the ears up slightly.
9 Roll a little icing into corkscrew tails and stick on.
10 You can draw on the mouth and eyes using black writing icing or you can dip the end of a toothpick into black food coloring and use it like a pen.
One LITTLE PIGGY went to market…
Victoria cupcakes
These cupcakes have little lids on top of a scrumptious layer of jelly (jam), cream, and strawberries. To make the lids, the cakes need to rise over the height of the paper case, then you can slice the top off—so don’t use deep cupcake cases. Go for pretty ones, which are about 1 in. (2.5 cm) deep, and fill them up well with cake mixture.
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
strawberry jelly (jam)
¾ cup (175 ml) heavy (whipping) cream
8 oz. (200 g) strawberries
confectioner’s (icing) sugar, for dusting
12-hole shallow muffin pan, lined with shallow paper cupcake cases
