How to Make a Baby from Fondant or Gumpaste

 Making this gum paste or fondant newborn baby is easier than pie. With the use of a silicone baby mold, you will have a perfect miniature, edible baby within minutes--and it makes you look like a pro without being one. You can make this little bubba lifelike with a little pink petal dust to highlight the cheeks and bottom and a tan or light brown petal dust for definition in the creases and to give a more realistic skin tone. Being a very fair person myself, I instantly started creating a Caucasian newborn, but you can darken the skin as desired.
These adorable babies are perfect  for baby shower cakes, cupcakes and Christenings and can be left as is or decorated with bonnets bows and frills, or popped into a little fondant cradle or pram as a cake topper. I am going to use the babies in Anne Geddes inspired baby shower cakes atop large open fondant roses. Pictures to follow!


How to Make a Baby from Fondant or Gum paste

You will need:

Silicone baby mold
Quantity of flesh/ light coloured fondant or gum paste (about the size of a golf ball per baby)
Knife
Greaseproof paper
One or two small paint brushes
Tan or light brown petal dust
Dark brown matte petal dust
Pink matte petal dust


1. Colour fondant as desired. Make sure it is dry to the touch, not tacky. (You may want to add some icing sugar or corn flour at this stage. Tacky fondant can prove problematic.) Take a piece about the size of a golf ball and roll it into a smooth ball. Elongate this ball between the palms of your hand.

 2. Gently but firmly press this fondant into your dry mold, paying special attention to the head and feet areas. (Do not powder or grease these particular silicone molds, as it may take away the definition of the baby.)

 3. Gently cut away any excess overhanging fondant until the fondant of the baby is level with the top of the mold. Brush away any left over excess and smooth the top with your fingers.

 4. Place the mold in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm. To remove the baby, gently ease it out from the mold head first, holding the mold at the front with both thumbs, pushing from the back of the mold with your fingers.

5. Place the baby gently on some greaseproof paper. Because it has been in the freezer, it may get a damp look to it--allow it to dry.

6. Take a small brush with a little tan or light brown petal dust on it. work into the creases and over the baby's body. Build up the colour a little more under the chin, in the arm and leg creases and the sides and underneath of the tummy. If you have a darker brown petal dust, brush this over the crown for soft baby hair.

7.With a smaller brush, use the pink petal dust to touch on the cheeks, bottom, elbows, knees and hands. You can also colour the lips with the pink, or use a stronger colour such as a watered down red food colouring to carefully stain this area.

Finished.

Strawberry Topiary

As a table centre peice for a shabby chic style high tea, I thought a strawberry topiary would work a treat. It stood 40cm tall and stood atop a french provincial style candle stand I purchased from Dusk. It brought out "wows" from the guests and they all enjoyed pulling a couple off each during the afternoon tea I threw. I recommend placing this in the centre of a round table within arms reach of all your guests. I made the mistake of placing this in a place where only one side of a table could reach, and topiary was picked at from one side and the ball ended off overbalancing in the end because one side was all strawberries and the other was bare. If you cant place this in the centre of a small round table, I recommend rotating the topiary every so often, so that the strawberries are taken from all sides.
This would be great on a table at Christmas, for a baby shower, wedding or any sort of girlie or feminine party. It looks decadent and fancy as a table centrepeice while offering your guests a fresh, healthy, gluten free fruit option.

Step by Step Strawberry Topiary How To

You will need:

6x 250g punnets of strawberries
1x 15 cm Styrofoam ball
1x candle holder or similar stand (this must have a metal prong in the centre to secure the ball)
cocktail toothpicks
a small knife

Secure the styrofoam ball in the centre of the candle holder. The stand you choose should have a metal spike in the centre to hold the ball on securely. Glue may be another option if your stand doesn't have a spike in the centre.

Cut the leaves from the strawberries. Cut as closely to the leaves as possible, taking off as little fruit as you can. Keeping a little bit of the "woody" part of the top of the strawberry helps in holding it to the toothpick, so it doesnt just slide off. Reserve the leaves for the final touches of the topiary. These will be used to fill any gaps in the completed topiary.

You will see above that the toothpick is inserted into some of the harder part on the top of the strawberry. This is the goal in the following steps--it doesn't have to be completely centred as long as its well secured in the strawberry. Unlike the picture above, the toothpick goes into the foam ball partway before the strawberry is inserted.

Insert one toothpick partway into the top of the foam ball. Positioning is not very important yet, but it helps if you put the strawberries on the ball evenly so that the ball does not overbalance as you are creating the topiary.

 Push the strawberry onto the toothpick, ensuring that the wood is driven through the thick/woodier part of the strawberry top.

 Carefully push the strawberry downwards to the foam ball. If the toothpick end pops through the top point, ensure you push subsequent toothpicks a little further into the foam ball before topping with the strawberry.

Continue this method over the top of the styrofoam ball.Do not worry to much if there are gaps, as these will be later filled with the strawberry leaves.Try however to limit the size of any gaps, choosing strawberries that are the best size for particular areas.

Continue securing the strawberries until the entire surface is covered in strawberries.

Take the strawberry leaves to fill any gaps (I should have used more but I was in a hurry to snap this photo before guests arrived. Alternatively use clusters of mint leaves for larger gaps--this is also very aromatic and offers a breath freshener to your guests too)

Pink Ombre Cake Tutorial

How do you make an ombre cake? It's actually very easy to make this pink ombre cake and you need no previous decorating skills. It looks impressive and is simple and easy. How do you do it? All you need is a significant quantity of butter cream icing, food colouring, a cake and a teaspoon.
It looks pretty and perfect for a shabby hightea or party, and I believe any girl would swoon over this. I've adapted it also to suit a little girl's birthday too, with fondant Peppa Pig and George jumping in muddy (chocolate) puddles. I do not have instructions on how to make a Peppa Pig cake on this page but it's very straight forward fondant modelling. You can really top this cake with anything, or simply leave the top plain. It's up to you. I hope you enjoy this delicious and exquisite looking cake as much as I did! 

Pink ombre cake with fondant flowers

Pink ombre cake turned Peppa Pig and George style

HOW TO MAKE A PINK OMBRE CAKE (Adapted from How to Cook That)

2 precooked cakes of the same size (mine are about 18cm across each)

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
7  1/2 cups  icing sugar
4+ tablespoons of milk
rose pink food colouring

 To make the buttercream, beat the butter with the icing sugar and the 4 tablespoons of milk until smooth and light, adding extra milk if desired to reach a thick and smooth consistency.

ASSEMBLY:

1. Take your two cakes and spread butter cream icing between them, then join them together. Set them on a serving plate which will enable you to work close to the bottom of the cake (plates with sides will not work as well. A flat or convex plate works best.) Smooth the sides of the cake with a thin crumb coat of butter cream icing to smooth any imperfections and inconsistencies. Take the remaining icing and colour with a little food dye. This will the the lightest coloured coat.

 2. Place a few heaped tablespoons of the icing in a piping bag fitted with a large round open nozzle. A zip lock bag with the corner cut is also a quick and easy option for a piping bag if you don't have one or the round nozzle. Starting at the very top edge of the cake, begin to pipe a row of 10c sized blops of icing, ensuring the side of each blop touches the side of the one next to it. Continue around the whole diameter. Using the back of a teaspoon, smooth each blop downwards. It may help if you dip the spoon into warm water between each smear to get a smoother finish.

 3. Add some more of the same food colouring to the remaining butter cream icing so that it is a few shades darker. Fill the piping bag with this darker shade and repeat the same process as previously, positioning the blops of icing along the bottom of the last row to cover any messy areas. When this row is completed, use the back of the teaspoon to smear the blops downwards as previously done.

4. Repeat this process with the next row, colouring the icing a few shades darker again. Finish the cake with the last and darkest row, which remains unsmeared and sits against the plate covering any messy edges.

5. Your pink ombre cake is complete! Finish it off with pretty fondant flowers or little fingurines like Peppa pig and George.

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.

Sugared Rose Petals

"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds 'round my neck."

~Emma Goldman

Roses are famed to be the most beautiful flowers in the world, and their dew scattered petals often noted in both poem and prose as one of the most incredible visions to behold. Imagine if you could have this beauty on a cake? You can, and it's simple and elegant and defiantly a cheap yet luxe addition to any edible. (you get the roses AND the diamonds in one go!)
Not only do these cake toppers look extreamly pretty, they taste delicious too. The softness of the petal combined with a delicate rosewater flavour that is experienced, is divine.
You can use the same method to coat other flowers for a pretty effect, but be sure that the flowers are edible before you begin. Some edible flowers are:

Citrus blossoms
Hibiscus
Nasturtium
Jasmine
Pansies
Violets

Just to name a few.
These would look so pretty placed individually on the top of cupcakes...it may even make a pretty Valentine's Day gift for your beloved. In fact, who needs Valentine's day as an excuse to bake for the one you love? Give them roses any day of the year!

SUGARED ROSE PETALS

1 egg white
rose petals
a pastry brush
1/2 cup caster sugar (or super fine sugar)


Hold the rose petal at the end that was previously joined to the stem. Finely brush both sides with egg white. Do not coat heavily, as this becomes problematic and will cause shedding.
Place the sugar in a small bowl. Gently dip the coated petal into the sugar until covered. You may like to pour some of the sugar onto the petal with your fingers for an even coating. Gently place the sugared petal on some baking paper to dry, or in an empty egg carton to shape the petals a little more. Leave for 3 hours or so to dry before placing on cakes, cupcakes or desserts.

If the petals are coated too heavily in egg white, the sugar begins to clump, as above (or worse, this is not a bad case) and may fall off the petal.

"It is at the edge of the petal that love waits."

~William Carlos Williams