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.

Fondant Rose Petal Engagement Cake

One of my beautiful friends has become engaged. Slowly, as I grow older, my friends are getting married, and that not only fills me with a certain joy, but also gives me the opportunity to further my experience making their engagement cakes.
I have long admired the "exploded rose" or "rambling rose petal" look on wedding cakes and engagement cakes alike, so I purchased a case of rose petal cutters, varying in size from very large to quite small. I used the four smallest cutters from this range to cut out the fondant rose petals for this cake, with the idea of working from the centre out and graduating the size as I worked from the bud. When dried in the shape I desired, all the fondant petal edges were carefully brushed in pink petal dust for a delicate and realistic effect before their placement on the cake. The centre part of the rose had been coloured with this same petal dust with more intensity to create dimension and also a focal point to the flower.
To assemble, I started with the bud, (I made the beginnings of the rose as a separate piece) positioning it close to the bottom of the cake. Then I added larger rose petals surrounding it, fixing them with butter-cream icing. The petals fanned out from the main rose bud, and traveled up the cake in a romantic, sprawling fashion. Then I positioned a few of the larger petals at the top as if they had been scattered there.
Sadly for the weekend of the engagement party, it rained every day. This put a spanner in the works, as any humidity or rain in the air reeks havoc on the fondant, and makes it somewhat unstable. I was unable to have an air conditioned environment, so I experienced the fondant on the cake tearing, and the rose petals turing wet overnight before I put them on the cake. Fortunately, the sun came out for a period and they quickly dried, and I was able to get them on the cake without too much drama. I had one or two petals that cracked, so I had to glue them togather again with some egg white and prop them up until they dried once again.
Due to the tearing fondant for the main of the cake, I decided on going with a mummy-style wrapping effect of fondant strips around the cake, which turned out better than I expected in my depressed state of mind. You know that feeling when you envision something, and it doesn't turn out anything like you thought? Well, that was me, while it rained buckets and I struggled to cover the main of the cake. The wrapping effect did the trick though, and any unsightly bits were easily covered by ribbon and strewn petals. Happily, the cake made it to the engagement party in one piece! Ah, sometimes I wish I didn't live in a subtropical climate. Water and fondant are not friends. Anyway, I hope the pictures help if you're creating a cake like this. Sorry about the quality--now with my bigger camera and my sticky hands, amid concentrating on the cake, its no mean feat getting quality pictures. My apologies.

Rose Petal Engagement Cake

Rose Petal Engagement Cake

To begin with, cut out the rose petals from thinly rolled light pink fondant. (I used the supermarket brand Queen "White Icing". You can use any brand of fondant or gum paste if you prefer) I cut these out in four graduating sizes with cutters for individual petals. Then I placed them to dry in plastic trays in the shape I wanted them to be on the cake.

I made the centre piece of the rose first--this is the only part of the rose that is combined to create a unit of it's own. The other petals are left loose. When the petals had dried, I roughly arranged the loose ones around the rose centre to get an idea of how I wanted them set on the cake.

I used petal dust in pink and a small new eyeshadow brush to tint the edges of the rose petals and the centre of the main rose. This added definition, dimension and depth to the rose and made it look more realistic.

The cake itself was covered in flaws, so don't look too closely! Fortunately this style of flower arrangement on a cake is good if you have made mistakes, because you can cover them artistically with petals.

Sadly I couldn't wield the chunky camera and cake decorate at the same time so I missed out on capturing the building of the rose for you. Basically I positioned the main rose (the "centre" of the rose) close towards the bottom of the cake, and added the rose petals in around it, tucking in the pointy end of the petals beneath the centre rose. Some of these I fixed in place with a little buttercream icing. You may want to use some props to hold the petals in position while this "glue" dries (Don't give me away, but I used some toys--cleaned prior of course-to prop some of these petals in place overnight).

As you build further out from the centre of the rose, the loose petals do not have to be so closely inter-lapped with the others--you can even have some fly-away rose petals! It is an exploded rose after all. And yes--that's a wine in the background! I was under stress with the humidity foiling a smooth process.

Here you can see the petals are "tucked" in behind the main centre of the rose (I keep saying centre but it's anything but the centre. Hopefully you know what I mean!) I have seen this cake arranged backwards--starting with the back petals first and finishing with the centre of the rose...it's up to you.

The finished product. I had to take out a few petals and replace them as a few broke under the pressure (or maybe I made them too thin?) So be prepared, make a few extra spare petals in each size and don't worry too much. Here's a glass of wine on me!

Shabby Chic Bridal Shower Hightea

It's been quiet around the blog since my camera gave up the ghost, despite the fact I have been quite busy in the kitchen. Christmas Holidays meant taking time off to be with the family, but I had a few parties in the mix too. One of which was a gorgeous shabby chic style high tea held in honor of a friend who was to be married. It was for her bridal shower and screamed all things feminine and girlie. I themed the menu so that everything was decadent and pink, featuring roses and sugared rose petals, pearls and floral fondant toppers. Teapots sporting beautiful roses, delicate ferns, and lisianthus decked a table strewn with cake stands and champagne glasses, tiered high tea trays and pretty china saucers. Our poison was sweet moscato, with the addition of old fashioned pink lemonade for the non drinkers, and we also had some Rose on the side.
The trays were piled with ornately decorated cupcakes, mini banoffee tarts, mini lemon meringue tarts, pink lamingtons, cake pop skewers, pastel meringues, coconut ice domes topped with edible roses, jelly cheesecake shots, dark chocolate cointreau truffles, white chocolate Tia Maria truffles, dark chocolate royals, and a strawberry topiary.
And, as you can see, one of my Christmas presents was a nice camera, which I was able to take these photos with. I am still working out all the settings and getting used to it, so please bare with me for a while while the photos are not at their best. I will eventually get there! (If you wish for any of the recipes for the above menu, click on the word above--it will take you to the recipe link. Any that are not linked up, these recipes are yet to come! Keep checking back!)

Shabby Chic Bridal Shower Hightea

Marshmallow and Strawberry Jam Slice

I expect my husband's former colleagues will now be free to withdraw from their gym memberships. Those yoga buffs in the Botanical Gardens will have to go elsewhere to seek their clients. (Seriously yogis and personal trainers, we could go into business here--I keep them eating and you keep them working it off. Win win situation) Belts will once more be able to be tightened, notch after notch.
Seriously, I'm going to have to start finding other places to off load the goodie boxes. At least until all the "I will not indulge in sweet food" new years resolution wears off, and people begin to succumb once more to the beckoning of the truffles and slices and cakes.
Is there anyone out there that hasn't decided to eat more healthily this year? I'll take that as a no. Don't worry, the pictures of recipes on this blog are all completely fat free--if you can resist the temptation to make them.
Even the queen of sugar here has been painstakingly closing her eyes to the come-hither look that comes at me from the slice box every time I open the refrigerator. Marshmallow and jam slice lays cut into squares within, just waiting to be eaten.
Truth be told, I almost didn't send this slice along to Luke's work for morning tea with his collegues. "Luke" I said "I dont know if I can send this slice, it may just have to stay home with me. I just cut it up, and it looks pretty messy."
I left the kitchen and returned some ten minutes later to find the slice on the bench somewhat reduced in size. "I think we may have--mice"
The tell tale strand of sticky marshmallow trialling down my husband's chin made me laug, and then he said "You have to let me take this to work!"
So reluctantly I put the messy looking slice into the catering box and shipped it off with hubby the next morning. He returned to tell me it had been a hit, and I must put up the recipe on the blog--so here it is.
Fear not the stringy sticky mess! I found out the next day, while cutting the remainder of the slice, that if I had only let it cool down a little more before dipping the blade into it, I would have come out with neatly cut squares. After refrigeration, the marshmallow had reset and it was simple and mess free to cut. Unfortunately I took the photos of the slice after cutting it the first time, so it does look a little oozy...but oh so good!

             

MARSHMALLOW & STRAWBERRY JAM SLICE (Adapted from Coles Recipes)

1/3 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut
1 cup plain flour3
Weet-Bix, crushed
150g butter, melted
2/3 cup strawberry jam
400g marshmallows (I used Pascal's berry swirl marshmallows)


Preheat the oven to 180C (or 160C if your oven is fan forced). Grease and line a  18 x 28cm slice or lamington tray with baking paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, coconut, flour and crushed Weet Bix. Combine well, then stir the melted butter in until well incorporated.
Using the back of a spoon or fork, flatten this mixture into the lined tray and press down until there is an even layer on the bottom.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden.
Remove from oven and spread the warm base with the jam. Arrange the marshmallows on the top of the jam to cover the entire surface. Return to the oven for about 7 minutes until marshmallow begins to soften. Place underneath the grill on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute for a slightly browned top.
Cool completely before cutting.

NOTES: For clean cuts, use a wet blade. Slice is best served the day it is made, or the day after. Ensure it is stored in an air tight container.

Cajun Seasoning Grilling Rub

I love seasoning meat, especially chicken, with this delicious Cajun grilling rub. Eliot's Eats has cleverly put together a series of yummy meat rubs and packaged them up like you see in the gourmet gift section of specialty stores. These little bottles of herby, salty meat rubs were beautifully packaged in a wooden cigar box.
Still on my Christmas and family holiday hangover, and very disorganized in the blogging department, I left my Secret Recipe Club assignment to the last minute, and was very blessed to find a yummy, quick recipe to make, which also created a very tasty dinner for my husband at the end of the day. Don't forget to check out the other seasonings at Eliot's Eats that you can make to complete a seasoning gift pack! It's particularly hard to find presents for men, and I think this one would just about cover it for most--plus, it's DIY, awesomely unique, personalised, and who doesn't like meat? Okay vegans and vegetarians, I wasn't talking to you.

CAJUN SEASONING GRILLING RUB

5 tsp. paprika
4 tsp. fine sea salt
4 tsp. garlic powder
4 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried thyme

Combine all ingredients.
Place in a zip lock bag until ready to use or bottle to give as a gift.
For a recipe idea, check out this delicious Cajun chicken with mango and avocado salsa. Dinner sorted!

Tia Maria White Chocolate Truffles

Fits of laughter erupt from the kitchen. There's a thump, then there's giggles. Some one-glass-wonder has eaten too many white chocolate truffles, laced with Tia Maria, by the looks of things. My husband walks into the kitchen to find me writhing on the floor in fits of laughter.
Just kidding.
But sometimes I feel like I could end up like this at someone's party. An embarrassing moment when you have one rum ball too many. Honestly I wouldn't put it past myself, after being pregnant and not having alcohol for close to a year, I'm way out of practice, and even a few sips of wine now does my head in. I was already a one (or two) glass wonder to begin with.
Friends--don't be horrified if this happens at your house when you next get me around, I assure you it's unintentional. Bear with me while I get my liver going again, and I can have half a glass again without getting "tiddly."
But don't worry, there's very little liqueur in these delicious and easy and moreish truffles. There's just enough to make it taste delectably adult-only, with its coffee and slight rum taste that is Tia Maria, combined with the sweetness of the white chocolate and that bitterness of the cocoa powder each truffle is rolled in. It's dark, rich and handsome. And we all know that's a winning combination.

TIA MARIA WHITE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES (Adapted from Australian Good Taste Magazine, April 2013, pg 105)

200g white chocolate (I used cooking chocolate to ensure firmness)
1/2 cup thickened cream
1-2 tbsp. Tia Maria liqueur
1/2 cup cocoa powder to coat

Break up the chocolate into a medium sized, heat proof bowl. Add the cream and stir through the chocolate. Place this bowl in the microwave, and heat on high at 20 second increments, stirring between these periods until the chocolate is evenly melted. Add the Tia Maria. Thoroughly stir until the cream and the melted chocolate and liqueur comes together as one. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to firm up.
After this firming period, remove from the refrigerator and use a teaspoon to scoop out rough, walnut sized balls. Use damp hands to roll each portion into a smoother ball. Return to the refrigerator to firm up further if necessary, especially in warmer weather. Roll these balls in cocoa powder. Refrgerate until ready to serve.

Makes about 12

NOTES: After sitting in the refrigerator, often the cocoa powder will have absorbed some moisture. Just re-roll the truffles in a little extra cocoa powder before serving. Variation: use the same quantity of dark chocolate and add Cointreau to it in place of the Tia Maria.

Cloudy Pink Old Fashioned Lemonade

 This little beauty of a recipe was copied down into a little note pad in grey lead pencil when I was about 8 years old. It comes out of a 1950's kid's cookbook, and was by far my favourite thing to make in the kitchen at that age. It's so simple and so tasty, and a great way to keep the kids both occupied and cool in the summer holidays. It's the best home made lemonade recipe I have come across--it pleases kids and adults alike. It's old fashioned goodness--cloudy, sweet and lemony, without gassy bubbles. These days lemonade is rarely without fizziness, and I have had a few people recommend, after a glass of this refreshing drink, that I should add bubbles to it. I personally like it the way it is--it reminds me of how it would have been way back when that cookbook was written--chilling in Granny's fridge in a tea-towel covered jug. You could add sparking water to the concentrated lemonade in place of the cold water if desired however, to modernise it if preferred. Prepare yourself for a refreshing crowd pleaser! This is a frequently requested recipe.

CLOUDY PINK OLD FASHIONED LEMONADE

1 cup sugar
3 lemons, juiced (1/2 cup)
4 cups cold water
drop or two of red or pink food colouring

Put the sugar and 1 cup of water into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Boil for five minutes. Then add remaining water and remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and stir through the water. Leave to cool and serve with ice.

Serves 4

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)