My sister is generally very good at giving gifts. From ultimate Soap and Glory gift sets (luckily for her my birthday falls in the Christmas sales) to special Links of London jewellery charms, I’m pleased to say the girl does good. Up until 9 months ago I didn’t think anything would be able to top the Girls Aloud concert tickets I received in Christmas 2010, but then she gave birth last June and presented me with my nephew; the most gorgeous little man who unquestionably outshined them all.
Since that day, in our tiny corner of the digital world, the Instagram and Facebook feeds of friends and family have never been the same. Image posts increased by at least 50%, with likes and shares surpassing all previous records, comments turned into contests of who could post the most heart emoticons in one go, and at not even a week old the boy acquired his very own hashtag #Harleysnoosh. In an ordinary family this would be seen as excessive, but with 3 Aunties, 3 Uncles, EIGHT grandparents, 4 great-grandparents, an array of cousins and of course the very creators themselves, it was always something to be expected.
Photo credit http://www.rlwhitephotography.co.uk/
Photo credit: http://www.rlwhitephotography.co.uk/
Photo credit: http://www.rlwhitephotography.co.uk/
From the day they announced it was a blue one I knew immediately I would be making baby boy cupcakes. In-fact I think I decided to make this design on that very same day in January, so the 6 month wait to June felt like a lifetime. I had so much fun making them though that I’m now eagerly waiting for the next one to arrive so I can do it all over again.
The cupcakes themselves were mocha and vanilla, then to make the decoration I bought plain white fondant icing and dyed it myself with Sugarflair paste gel.
- A111 – Navy
- A118 – Paprika/Flesh
A tiny amount of Paprika/Flesh on the tip of a toothpick created the perfect nude skin tone, and 2-3 tooth pick dabs of Navy made the blue hat and dummy. For the cheeks I used the Paprika/Flesh again and dabbed my little finger into the paste, then removed excess onto a kitchen paper towel before applying to the cakes.
I created the eyes, by gently pushing through the icing with the end of a straw, not too much though as I didn’t want to cut a hole out completely.
To apply the icing I spread a layer of buttercream onto the cakes first then placed the nude circles onto it. To layer up the fondant icing you simply need to dab water where you want it to stick and then position gently into place.
This was my first time working with fondant icing and I learnt so much in the process. See my top tips and advice below;
Be shy with the colour; but not too shy
It’s tough to know just how much colour paste to add but I found that the more I worked with the fondant icing the more it began to dry out. I was really shy with the navy paste at first as I wanted it to be a pale shade but I went back around 6 times in the end and each time had to knead the colour in. Paste colours are intense so many recommend adding colour a little at a time. I would recommend getting a good pinch of colour on your toothpick to start and dab it all over the ball of icing, then knead it in and wait 10 minutes. The colour develops more after 10 minutes you’ll know if you need to add a little more.
Work quickly
As mentioned the icing does dry out if overused so work quickly to avoid it becoming cracked and hard to use. Whenever you’re not using any of the icing put it into a plastic bag to preserve the moisture.
Store cakes out of direct light
This is especially important for lighter coloured icing as sunlight or fluorescent light will cause them to fade. To avoid this store them in a cool room out of direct or bright lights.
Keep your hands cold
Hot hands or a warm surface will make the icing sticky and difficult to work with. Keep your hands cool and dry by holding them under cold water and once dried dusting them with corn flour.
And finally take your time and enjoy it
Unless you’re a professional, colouring icing and then decorating a cake is no small task. Ensure you give yourself plenty of time to work at a comfortable pace as getting flustered or stressed will only result in mistakes or hot hands (see above). I gave myself the whole afternoon to make these and had so much fun in the process so I hope these inspire you to try some of your own.
I would love to see them if you do so please let me know how you get on.
My Kitchen Drawer 