My First Cupcake Decorating Book
Page 5
You will need
1 quantity Cake pop mix (see page 12)
8 oz. (230 g) orange candy melts
black writing icing
small candy drops (optional)
20 lollipop sticks
(makes 20)
1 Prepare the cake pops following the recipe on page 12 and shape them into small fish shapes rather than balls before you put them in the freezer. To do this, take a ball of mixture and roll it into a cylinder shape, then pinch the end between your fingers to make a tail. Put your fishes in the freezer for 30 minutes.
2 Count out 30 candy melts and cut each in half with a knife. These will be used for the fish fins.
3 Put the remaining candy melts into a heatproof bowl and ask an adult to help you melt them, either in the microwave on low for 1 minute, stirring with a spoon after 40 seconds, or over a bowl of simmering water on the stove (see page 23). Stir the candy melts until all the lumps have dissolved.
4 Push a lollipop stick into each fish. One at a time, dip the fish into the melted candy, making sure that the fish is completely covered. Stand the pops in cups to let the coating set.
5 Dip the edge of each one of the halved candy melts into the melted candy melts and attach one to either side of the fish and one on top for fins.
6 Draw the eyes on the fish using small dots of writing icing. You can also draw on a mouth or stick on a small candy, by using a little melted candy melt.
Tip: If you prefer, you can make whales using blue candy melts or white chocolate with blue food coloring!
Make FISHY FRIENDS for tea!
Butterfly pops
These butterfly pops look as pretty as a picture standing in a bowl of flowers. You could use real flowers or make paper ones and push the stalks and the pop sticks into a ball of modeling clay to hold them firm.
You will need:
Template (see page 126)
1 quantity Cake pop mix (see page 12)
7 oz. (200 g) pink candy melts or white chocolate and pink food coloring
thick edible rice paper
sugar sprinkles and edible silver balls
writing icing
24 lollipop sticks
(makes 24)
1 Prepare the cake pops following the recipe on page 12, shaping them into small tube shapes rather than balls before you put them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
2 Put the candy melts or white chocolate, broken into small pieces, into a heatproof bowl. Ask an adult to help you melt it, either over a pan of simmering water (see page 23) or in the microwave on low for 1 minute, stirring after 40 seconds, with a spoon. Stir until all the lumps have dissolved. If you are using white chocolate, stir a few drops of pink food coloring into the mixture.
3 Trace the template on page 126 and cut it out. Use it to draw around, and cut out 24 butterfly wings from the rice paper. Cut each wing in half, so that you have 48 pieces.
4 Decorate the wings with the writing icing and stick on sprinkles and silver balls.
5 If you do not have writing icing, you can dip the edge of the wings in a little melted chocolate or candy melts and then dip in the sugar sprinkles to decorate.
6 Remove the pops from the freezer and push a lollipop stick into the base of each one. One at a time, dip the butterfly body in the melted chocolate or candy melts.
7 Stick two matching decorated wings into the coating as it starts to set. Stand the pops in cups to let the coating set.
FLUTTER by, BUTTERFLIES, on your colorful wings!
Alien pops
Weird and wonderful, these alien cake pops will have your friends in fits of giggles. Stick the candy beans in different positions on the chocolate button eyes to give your aliens funny expressions.
You will need:
10 chocolate sticks (such as Matchmakers)
1 quantity Cake pop mix (see page 12)
7 oz. (200 g) blue candy melts or white chocolate and blue food coloring
100 mini candy beans
40 white chocolate buttons
black or brown writing icing
20 lollipop sticks
(makes 20)
1 Ask an adult to help you carefully cut each chocolate stick into 4 pieces for the alien antenna. You should have 40 pieces.
2 Prepare the cake pops following the recipe on page 12. Remove the cake balls from the freezer and carefully push a lollipop stick into the base of each one.
3 Put the candy melts or white chocolate, broken into small pieces, into a heatproof bowl. Ask an adult to help you melt it, either over a pan of simmering water (see page 23) or in the microwave on low for 1 minute, stirring with a spoon after 40 seconds. Stir until all the lumps have dissolved. If you are using white chocolate, stir a few drops of blue food coloring into the mixture until you have a good even blue color.
4 Dip the tops of the chocolate sticks into the melted candy melts/chocolate and stick a candy bean on each one. Put these to one side to set while you decorate the aliens.
5 Decorate the pops one at a time. Holding the cake pop by the stick, dip it into the chocolate/candy melts, turning the pop so that it is completely covered in coating. Tap the stick on the side of the bowl to remove any excess coating.
6 Press on two white chocolate buttons for eyes and one candy bean as a nose before the coating sets.
7 For the antennae, dip the end of the sticks without the chocolate bean into the melted candy melts/chocolate and hold in place on top of the alien’s head until the coating sets. Attach the second antenna.
8 Once the coating has set, lay the alien flat on a piece of greaseproof baking parchment. Stick two candy beans onto the white chocolate buttons using a little of the melted candy melts or chocolate and, if you want, add a small dot of writing icing into the middle of the eyes.
BUG-EYED ALIENS from outer space!
Sheep pops
Who could resist these adorable sheep pops? Covered in tiny marshmallows, they’re almost as fluffy as the real thing!
You will need:
1 quantity Cake pop mix (see page 12)
7 oz. (200 g) white chocolate
60 licorice gums or black jelly sweets
mini mini white marshmallows
20 lollipop sticks
(makes 20)
1 Prepare the cake pops following the recipe on page 12. After 30 minutes, remove the cake balls from the freezer and carefully push a lollipop stick into the base of each one.
2 Carefully cut the licorice gums or black jellies into small pieces for the feet and head of each sheep. You need 4 feet and a head for each sheep.
3 Break the chocolate into small pieces and put it into a heatproof bowl. Ask an adult to help you melt it, either over a pan of simmering water (see page 23) or in the microwave on low for 1 minute, stirring with a spoon after 40 seconds. Stir the chocolate until all the lumps have dissolved.
4 Holding the cake pop by the stick, dip it into the melted chocolate, turning the pop so that it is completely covered in coating. Tap the stick on the side of the bowl to remove any excess coating.
5 Decorate one sheep at a time as the chocolate sets quickly. Stick the feet and head to the chocolate.
6 Working quickly, sprinkle the sheep body with the tiny marshmallows. If the chocolate sets before you have added the marshmallows, spoon a little extra chocolate over the body to stick the marshmallows on. Stand the pops in cups to let the coating set.
Tip: If you can’t find mini mini marshmallows, you can use larger marshmallows and cut them into small pieces using scissors.
MAKE A HERD of cute sheep pops!
Flower pops
Three flower pops tied together with a ribbon would make a beautiful Mother’s Day gift. With just a few candies arranged carefully in a petal pattern, you can transform a simple cake pop into something really special.
You will need:
1 quantity Cake pop mix (see page 12)
7 oz. (200 g) colored candy melts or white chocolate and food coloring
pretty colored candies (such as candy corn, silver dragees, orange and lemon jelly slices)
20 lollipop sticks
(makes 20)
1 Prepare the cake pops following the recipe on page 12, but roll the mixture into balls and then press them flat in your hands to make thick round discs. Put them in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove the discs from the freezer and carefully push a lollipop stick into the base of each one.
2 Put the candy melts or white chocolate, broken into small pieces, into a heatproof bowl. Ask an adult to help you melt it, either over a pan of simmering water (see page 23) or in the microwave on low for 1 minute, stirring after 40 seconds with a spoon. Stir until all the lumps have dissolved. If you are using white chocolate, stir a few drops of food coloring into the mixture if you like.
3 Decorate the pops one at a time. Holding the cake pop by the stick, dip it into the chocolate/candy melts, turning the pop so that it is completely covered in coating. Tap the stick on the side of the bowl to remove any excess coating.
4 Put a chocolate bean in the center of the pop and position the candies around the outside of the bean to look like petals, before the coating sets. Lay the pop flat on greaseproof baking parchment while the coating sets.
Simple CANDY PETALS make colorful f lowers!
CHAPTER THREE
BROWNIES, COOKIES, AND GINGERBREAD
Stenciled brownies
Rocky roadies
Brownie owls
Brownie pops
Marbled cheesecake brownies
Stained glass window cookies
Ladybug cookies
Christmas tree cookies
Witches and wizards
Gingerbread family
Snowy village
Gingerbread animals
Stenciled brownies
Stenciling is a great way of decorating rich cakes like brownies that don’t need icing. It’s quick, easy, and fun. There is a stencil design for these Christmas trees at the back of the book but we have also included a heart and a star for other times of year.
You will need:
1 quantity Brownie mix (see page 14)
confectioner’s (icing) sugar, to decorate
For the stencil:
template (see page 127)
a piece of paper (which is a little bigger than one brownie) for the stencil
sharp-pointed scissors
8-in. (20-cm) square baking pan, greased and lined with greased baking parchment
fine-mesh strainer (sieve)
(makes 16)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the brownies (see page 14). When the brownies are completely cold, turn them out of the tin (see page 94, stage 3) and cut them into 16 squares.
2 Trace the stencil template on page 127 onto the paper.
3 Cut out the stencil shape with a pair of sharp scissors.
4 Take one brownie and hold the stencil over it, carefully positioning the stencil shape in the center of the brownie. Put a spoonful of sugar into the strainer and shake it gently over the paper until the cut out design has a thin layer of sugar all over it. Carefully remove the paper to reveal the stenciled shape—magic! Shake any sugar from the paper back into the strainer and start on the next brownie. Carry on until all the brownies are decorated.
STENCIL MAGIC—a design for EVERY SEASON!
Rocky roadies
This is a feast in one cake—everything you love to eat is piled on top of the rich brownie mix before it is popped back into the oven to melt the chocolate and marshmallows. How good is that? You will need the help of an adult for this one—make sure that they don’t eat it all before you can!
You will need
1 quantity Brownie mix (see page 14)
1½ cups (75 g) mini-marshmallows
⅔ cup (75 g) chopped walnuts or pecans
¾ cup (100 g) candied (glacé) cherries
½ cup (100 g) bittersweet (dark) chocolate chips
sugar sprinkles
8 x 12-in. (20 x 30-cm) baking pan, greased and lined with greased baking parchment
(makes 16–20)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the brownies, but bake them for just 20 minutes on the middle shelf of the preheated oven (see page 14).
2 While they are baking, cut the candied (glacé) cherries into small pieces and empty the other ingredients onto small plates ready to use.
3 After 20 minutes, ask the adult to remove the brownies from the oven but don’t turn the oven off. Now you need to work quickly. Before the brownies can cool, scatter the marshmallows, nuts, cherries, chocolate chips, and sugar sprinkles evenly over the top to make the Rocky Roadies.
4 Ask the adult to put the Rocky Roadies back in the oven for just 3 more minutes or until the marshmallows and chocolate chips are just starting to melt. You can watch them through the window in the oven door, if you have one, but don’t get too close.
5 Ask the adult to remove your Rocky Roadies from the oven and let them cool completely in the pan. When they are cool, cut them into rectangles and tuck in. Scrumptious!
Marshmallows, CHOC CHIPS, cherries, nuts, SPRINKLES… anything else?
Brownie owls
You could make these cute owls in different sizes to create a whole family. You’ll find that each owl has a slightly different expression!
You will need:
1 quantity Brownie mix (see page 14)
1 quantity Milk Chocolate Frosting (see page 20)
white and milk chocolate buttons
giant chocolate buttons
chocolate chips
chocolate-covered fudge (or hard caramel) bar
8 x 12-in. (20 x 30-cm) baking pan, greased and lined with greased baking parchment
2½-in. (6–7-cm) round cookie cutter (or different-sized ones for different-sized owls)
(makes 8–10)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the brownies (see page 14) and let them cool completely in the pan. While the brownies are baking, prepare the feathers. Carefully use a sharp knife to slice lots of smaller milk chocolate buttons in half.
2 Make the milk chocolate frosting (see page 20) and while it is thickening, prepare your owls.
3 Loosen around the sides of the pan of brownies with a palette knife. Place a wire rack over the top of the pan and turn it over so that the slab of brownies drops out onto the rack in one piece.
4 Put the slab of brownies onto a board and, using the cookie cutters, stamp out about 8 or 10 round brownies, depending on the size of your cutter.
5 Spread the chocolate frosting over the top and sides of the brownies using a palette knife.
6 To add the feathers, stick the prepared chocolate button halves into the frosting, arranging them in overlapping rows. Start at the bottom of the owl and finish about halfway up.
7 Arrange giant chocolate buttons as eyes, then top them with white chocolate buttons and chocolate chips, sticking them together with a dab of frosting.
8 Cut the chocolate-coated fudge into triangles for the beaks and press onto the owls just below the eyes.
TWIT TWOO, say the, brownie owls, TWIT TWOO!
Brownie pops
Halfway between a brownie and a lollipop, a brownie pop is a brownie on a stick. Decorate them with different colored sprinkles—these ones have a Christmas theme but you could do whatever you like—what about smiley faces or Valentine’s hearts?
You will need:
1 quantity Brownie mix (see page 14)
3–4 tablespoons raspberry or apricot jelly (jam)
1 quantity Milk Chocolate Frosting (see page 20)
assorted sugar sprinkles, stars, candies, etc.
8 × 12-in. (20 × 30-cm) baking pan, greased and lined with greased baking parchment
2-in. (5-cm) round cookie cutter
24 wooden lollipop sticks
pastry brush
baking parchment
(makes 24)
1Ask an adult to help you m
ake the brownies the day before you plan to decorate them (see page 14). Leave them in the pan overnight so that they are completely cold and won’t crumble too much when you cut them.
2The next day, loosen around the sides of the pan of brownies with a palette knife. Place a wire rack over the top of the pan and turn it over so that the slab of brownies drops out onto the rack in one piece.
3Put the brownies onto a board and, using the cookie cutter, stamp out 24 round brownies.
4Carefully push a lollipop stick into each brownie.
5Warm the jelly (jam) in a small saucepan or in a bowl in the microwave (see page 22) and then sieve it into another small bowl to get out all the lumps of fruit and pips. While it is still warm, use the pastry brush to brush it all over the tops and sides of the brownie pops. Leave them on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes for the jam to cool and set.
6Meanwhile, prepare the Milk Chocolate Frosting (see page 20) and let it cool and thicken slightly.