How To Make A Cupcake Bouquet

When Valentine's Day came around this year, I decided to do something my husband wouldn't expect. I wanted to do something romantic and surprising, so I had a look around at florists for one that could deliver a chocolate bouquet to his work.
I found a fabulous one--40 gold Ferrero Rocher's on stems in a fancy box, and they looked like beautiful blooms! So I ordered them, and felt excited the whole of Valentine's day thinking of an embarrassing delivery being made to Luke's office.
My husband emailed me throughout the day and there was no word of anything arriving, and I didn't want to ask for fear of ruining the surprise.
He came home about an hour earlier than usual, and I greeted him at the door as always. "So, did anything interesting happen at work today?" I asked.
The answer was "No, nothing much!"
"No Valentine's day drama?"
"No" he smiled. "Why do you ask?" he then added suspiciously. "did you have something delivered?!"
"No, no what a silly idea" I laughed.
My heart sank to my feet. My attempt to be wonderfully romantic had again failed. *sigh*
"You did order something didn't you!" he asked, colour coming into his cheeks.
I guess my laugh gave it all away and I disappeared out the door with a basket of washing before he could ask me again, and before I told him.
The next day the secretary at my husband's work met him in the elevator. She apologetically told him that a bouquet had arrived for him about half an hour after he left work, and she felt terrible. Ah well...all's well that ends well. At least he got it in the end.
But it got me thinking. How easy would it be to make something like a chocolate bouquet yourself? (for about quarter of the price)
Then when I became a very proud aunty again (for the 9th time) I decided not to take a bunch of flowers...but a bunch of cupcakes. It was surprisingly easy, unique and beautiful. And a little more enjoyable than real blooms--for the stomach anyway!

HOW TO MAKE A CUPCAKE BOUQUET

What you will need to get amazing:

Cardboard
Scizzors
a stapler
large rubber band
coloured tissue paper
craft glue
a gift box
ribbon
7 disposable plastic cups
cupcake liners that fit in the top of the cups

1. Take seven disposable plastic cups and arrange as follows: one in the middle and six surrounding the sentre cup. It looks a little like a flower. Staple the cups together so they hold in this position. Some tearing of the plastic may occur, but that's okay as long as they're all holding together.

2. Measure the circumference of the cup collection. Cut out a circle in the cardboard of that size so that the cups sit neatly in the middle without too much of a rim around them.

3. Using craft glue, adhere the cups to the cardboard. Leave to dry.

4. Take the coloured tissue paper and cut as desired. Secrure it around the base of the cups with a rubber band.

5. Push the cup collection into the gift box (the gift box is optional, you could just tie some ribbon around the outside of the tissue paper if desired)

6. Add another layer of wrapping paper over the gift box for added dimension and colour and tie with a bow.

7. Now you are ready to fill your bouquet case! Make your favourite cupcakes and swirl them with soft butter cream icing in the design of a rose. For an example recipe, see below under "NOTES".

NOTES: The cupcake recipe I used was for these delicious Mini Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes in a more regular size. The icing was vanilla buttercream with a touch of pink food colouring.
Be sure to choose cupcake liners that will fit into the cups properly. I used a size of cup slightly smaller than your standard disposable cup, and the liner that fitted it was slightly smaller than the standard also. You can find all different sizes in your local super marker or at a party supplier.

How to Make Basic Rolled Fondant or Gumpaste Roses

My sister-in-law is expecting her first baby in a few months, and the occasion called for a baby shower and I put my hand up with glee. I've got a newborn myself and found that I left everything to the last moment in my disorganization. Running out of time, I set about designing a cake and found that I lacked some of the instruments necessary to go through with the project.
Not knowing the sex of the baby, I decided to go with a Sweetpea Baby Theme with a rolled fondant garden of roses, beans and peas and some other foliage with a wee baby among it all. I had no idea how I was going to make leaves and roses without any tools used to create those perfect petals and serrated edges. So I started researching and found a great tutorial on youtube. It's a very simple process anyone can use, even for those not so artistic and it doesn't require any cutting tools for your fondant. They are basic fondant roses and can be added to if you have the time and patience.
Enjoy the tutorial!

HOW TO MAKE BASIC ROLLED FONDANT OR GUMPASTE  ROSES

To make your own fondant at home, here is a cheaper and more fun alternative to store bought rolled fondant.You can also use gumpaste.

You will need:
Any amount of rolled fondant or gumpaste
A clear, plastic folder pocket

1. Take the plastic pocket and cut off the bottom and the side that usually clips into your folder. You now have a plastic sheet that can open and close as a book would.

2. Take a portion of fondant and roll it into a smooth sausage. Cut four equal portions from the sausage. You want them to be approximately marble sized when rolled into a ball.

3.Roll three of these portions into smooth balls, and the forth into an elongated ball, a bit more oval than the others.

4. Place each of the portions along side each other inside the plastic sheet. Gently smooth each ball with your pointer so that it flattens. Smooth down one side of the ball so that it is thinner than the other side. The end closest to you should be thick, sloping down gradually to be thinner. Ensure the balls are all even in size and thickness, and that the balls keep their aerial view shape.

 5. Gently remove the oblong "ball" from the plastic. Roll the thin end of it first, between your fingers, rolling towards the thick end so that it forms a spiral. This is the centre of the rose.

6. Remove the first ball from the plastic and position it flush against the centre bud, thin side up. Place it so that only the centre of the petal is stuck to the  bud, the sides free. The top of the petal should be at the same height as the bud.

7. Take the second petal and slip it in besides the first, so that the first petal overlaps it by half.  Take the third petal and slip it in half way under the second petal. Gently fold the end of the last petal around to meet the first.

 8. You now have your basic rose. Cut the bottom half off with a knife, as this is quite bulky.
You may also like to shape the petals a little with your fingers before setting is aside to dry.

The baby drying. I use an empty chocolate tray to dry the roses in. They dried in 2 days, but this depends upon the weather.

Baby's Sweetpea Cake

Mini Choc Fudge Cupcakes With Strawberries

There's a few wonderful things about living in Queensland. For one, winter doesn't last very long and we have more than half the year of beautiful tropical summer weather, and summer fruit. For that we pay the price by sweltering through the humidity, but when I sit down with a punnet of strawberries or a sticky mango, I tend to think its well worth it.
Since the February floods, everything has been so expensive, due to crop damage I suppose. Bananas are at $15.00 a kg at the moment and up until very recently, you couldn't buy a punnet of strawberries for under $5.00. But the warmer weather is on its way and prices are dropping. Hence I found myself with a punnet of strawberries and a million ideas whizzing through my head.
Chocolate and Strawberries.
Does that combination ever fail?
I think not.

MINI CHOC FUDGE CUPCAKES WITH STRAWBERRIES

250g butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180C.
Melt the butter and the sugar in a saucepan and stir. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa into a bowl. Pour the butter mixture, eggs, and vanilla into the flour mixture and combine thoroughly. Add the chocolate chips and stir through. Spoon the mixture into a silicone mini muffin tray (alternatively muffin cases) and cook for 20 minutes or until firm. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing. Ice with strawberry butter icing and slices of strawberry.

NOTES: To make icing, use strawberry jam for flavouring and for that subtle pink colouring. Recipe makes approximately 12 regular sized cupcakes, and about 35 mini cupcakes.

 Just because they photographed so well...I couldn't resist!!