The many different faces of the humble cupcake

A selection of cupcakes, with various different finishes.

2D piping nozzle (closed star)

070 Ruffle nozzle

128 large petal nozzle

9FT French star nozzle

Fondant rose

Pallet knife swirl

Hand painted fondant disks

Various

Thanksgiving Red Velvet cake - November 2014

Two layer red velvet cake, with cream cheese frosting, for a splendid Thanksgiving party. 

I do love cream cheese frosting with lots of cream cheese.  A Red Velvet cake with good cream cheese frosting is like a cheesecake in reverse.  Yum!  

A very happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate it... and a happy Saturday to everyone else!

Rose's rose cake - November 2014

7" torted 2 layer cake with vanilla buttercream and home-made strawbery jam, plus 30 vanilla and almond cupcakes, some with jam filling.

Yum!

Bride and groom toppers - July 2014

Cute wedding set-up this week.

I didn't get much notice for the figures so I had some issues with not having time to let the pieces harden before assembly.  This wasn't helped by the fact that it was very hot and humid at the time so the fondant was extra soft. Because of this I had to keep him lying down for a while as there was the risk of him slumping and becoming quite an unflattering model!  I used a cone of card for her skirts, covered in fondant so she wouldn't slump.  Had I had more time, I would have formed their legs / skirt at least 24 hours earlier.

Him: fondant covered poly ball head, then body formed on a dowel.

Her: fondant covered poly ball head, fondant covered cone skirt, 

central dowel supporting body.

These cakes were made for The Angel Food Bakery in Brighton's iconic South Lanes, where the Cake Angels bring Cake Love to the public on a daily basis!

Flower making practice April 2014 - white flowers

Boo's Strawberry cake - June 2014

So our little Boo is about to turn four (can't believe she's so grown up!), but I'm going to be away in Spain so I've been charged with making a topper for her birthday cake which I'll deliver a week before it's needed. 

At first she wanted Mr Tumble's spotty bag, then a dinosaur, but then she saw a photo of my buttercream strawberry cake from last month and decided she wanted that.  Couldn't do that a week in advance so I've made this instead.

First I made the flowers and leaves and left them to harden for a day.  I decided to keep them simple and not airbrush them.

I made the strawberries out of rice krispie treat (made with marshmallow fluff, not gelatine so they are vegetarian), flavoured with strawberry and coloured pink.

Once the rice krispie treats were set hard I carved off a bit of the bottom, so they'd lie at the right angle, covered them in fondant and airbrushed them a deep red with a little black shading.

I love my airbrush!

When the strawberries were dry, I piped the seeds on with royal icing and added calyxes.

I arranged the finished pieces on a fondant disk that can just be popped onto a layer cake.  

Now I just need to wrap the presents and I'm ready to deliver.  

Hoo ha.

Happy birthday my darling girl.  We love you very much.

P.S.  There are 2 strawberries because I'm pretty sure her sister will want one too!