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.

Easy Sponge Cakes with Fondant Roses

Since the birth of my little daughter, it has become increasingly difficult to find the time to get creative in the kitchen. I thought it was difficult before, with a toddler helping me out (hanging off my skirt and licking the spoon mainly), but it is almost impossible with a newborn wearing the apron as well!
So I have been on the hunt for quick recipes, simple elegance without the fuss and time consuming detail. I love detail, I love having the time to add all the extras and get inventive, but being a mum of two babies makes that near impossible. So any mums in my boat, here's a winner.
These little rose sponge cupcakes are just gorgeous, drizzled in a little pink icing, topped with a pre-made fondant rose. If you want to know how to make your own fondant roses, they're quite simple, but you may want to make them when you have some time on your hands, when babies are solidly asleep and no one is around to need you, but the sugar in front of you. The good news is, if you don't have the time to model fondant flowers, you can readily purchase them at your local supermarket in the cooking section.
They make an elegant afternoon tea cake, these little sponges, but if you don't have any time at all, you can make it into a single cake (see notes below). Wedged with jam and cream in the middle and a little icing sugar sprinkled over the top, you have a sponge cake whipped up in under and hour (and 80% of that is cooking time!) Honestly, this only takes 5 minutes to prepare, then into the oven, cooling time and 5 minutes to whip up some cream for the centre. Easy peasy! and did I mention super soft and delicious?

EASY SPONGE CAKES WITH ROLLED FONDANT ROSES (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, April 2010)

 1 cup self raising flour
1 tsp cornflour
1 cup caster sugar
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp melted butter
3x 60g eggs
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup icing sugar
drop of red food colouring

Preheat the oven to 190C.
Grease and line a 12 hole cupcake pan with butter and paper cases or baking paper. Combine the flour and cornflour in a large bowl, then add sugar, milk, butter, eggs and zest and beat with teh electric mixer on high. Beat until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Fold the baking powder into this mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin amongst the 12 holes. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden in colour and cooked through when tested with a skewer.
Leave to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to complete the cooling process on a wire rack.
To make a thin icing, place the icing in a medium sized bowl. Add water until you achieve a desired consistency, then add the food colouring. Combine well until the colour is incorporated. Drizzle over cooled cupcakes and decorate with a rolled fondant rose.
Learn how to make Rolled Fondant Roses HERE.

Makes 12

NOTES: these cakes are best eaten on the day they are made, for maximum softness.
To make a whole sponge instead of 12 mini sponges, divide the batter between two greased and lined 20cm round tins. Bake at 190C for 18-20 minutes until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool on wire racks 5 minutes after removal from the oven, and wedge together with jam and whipped cream. To decorate the top, sprinkle a little icing sugar over the surface, add some berries to the centre if desired and serve.

Sweetpea Baby Shower Cake

Recently, my blog has become a dangerous vision in this house. I can't open the page without causing hysterics. No, its not my husband.
Its my son, the little man of the house, who has gained quite a sweet tooth.
His favourite thing is "cack" and he calls for it as soon as he sees me open my blog. He whines continuously that he wants some and then he goes and pulls out the cookbooks and magazines and pages through, virtually drooling over the pictures he sees before him.
What monster have I made! The cookie monster, mini sized and eager to stuff his sweet little mouth with as much as he can get.

Here he is, a vision in cake...I mean, a vision in nothing, armed with two spoons, eating the leftovers of a baby shower cake.
Which is really the reason for this post. It's nothing fancy, just a little project that kept me busy before my sister-in-law's baby shower. I always have grand plans, that rapidly down size themselves due to lack of time and the sweet demands of motherhood.

Flowers and other decorations were made using rolled fondant, was a lot of fun but I wish I had more time to fine tune the modeling. Here's how to make your own rolled fondant. The plaque was a little experiment of mine that didn't dry in time, hence it rippled on the cake. The writing was made using edible gold dust mixed with a little vodka.

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