Leila's Birthday cupcakes

A gift for a friend

I was so looking forward to making these cakes and this is the thing that kicked off my renewed obsession with cupcakes.
My friends daughter was turning 13 so I decided to make her a cake then it changed to cupcakes, modern, pretty, fashionable and unique.
I had the box planned in my head before I even thought about the cakes, I was going to presetn 13 cupcakes to this 13 year old.

All vanilla sponge cakes.  Topped with variety of strawberry and buttercream swirls and I got to practice with gum paste first time ever and Tappits.

Note to self: Gum paste ALWAYS to be used with Tappits, sugar paste not dry enough, let gum paste letters dry for few days in the air not sealed box.

Death by Chocolate

Rolo Cups, Chocolate and Vanilla & Chocolate Fudge

This experiment was great fun.  I was having a bake sale at Liam's pre-school so had to come up with tempting treats to sell.  Top tray, chocolate sponge cupcakes with rolo filling.  Half fill case with cake mix, add a rolo and add another dollop of cake mix on top them bake.  Results? Bite into a cake with a rolo caramel centre?  Nah, bit disappointing I couldn't taste the caramel. 

Note to self: try Reese's Peanut Butter cups next time.

However thanks to Betty Crocker's fudge icing, piped well and made these cakes very appealing.  Left, chocolate fudge filled and topped cakes.  Simply fill cupcakes with BC fudge icing or insert a sharp knife to make an incision and fill centre with fudge icing on the tip of the knife then pipe top to finish.  Right photo: Chocolate and Vanilla - used BC Vanilla buttercream frosting which I do not like personally but then I hate vanilla!!!  Sold very well at 50p each!!! 

Note to self: Increase ones prices!!!

My best looking cupcakes yet

So proud of these cakes.

I never tire of looking at this picture and it was something so simple.  It was my first time using "buttercream" made with cream cheese and icing cugar so wasn't sure how it would turn out but after flavouring with lemon essence and putting in the fridge it piped really well and I discovered that if I lift the nozzle slightly allowing the buttercream to slightly fall/drape as it curls around the cake it gives a defined pipesd look.  The pink was strawberry frosting ready made in Asda for £1.79 per tube ans tastes lovely.  I now have the ingredients to make my own so watch this space.

Mini Cakes and Cupcakes

07.03.2012
Another cake decorating success.
Purely for time I cheated again and used Tesco Value range sponge mix because I wanted to produce a cake quickly that I could get to work on. It was crap!!!

I bought some small cake tins with removeable bottoms from The Range for £1.00 each in their new children's cooking section.  I greased them but next time will line with a muffin case. I made one mini cake into chocolate but overfilled tin which came out great and stood proud next to the other two weak attempts.

One cake became a Victoria sponge, jam and butter cream in centre and piped rosette styles around the top using of all things a plunger-tube style icing gun and star nozzle which my Mam gave me years ago. One cake was chocolate fudge cake with Betty Crocker chocolate fudge filling and then topped with piped fudge filling and the third cake (for me) Lemon Drizzle cake.  Lemon curd and lemon butter cream filling and lemon butter cream topping however...

this time I took my Auntie Chris's advice and used a cream cheese (i.e. Philedelphia style) and mixed half margarine, half cream cheese with the icing sugar and it was GORGEOUS, much lighter, much creamier and less greasy/sickly than butter cream with just butter!!!

What I learnt?  
- Value cake mix - crap
- Value soft cream cheese - AMAZING
- Line mini cake tins next time!! 

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The cupcakes have lemon curd filling which I used the plunger-style tube icing gun and long nozzle and also did the same with the chocolate cakes for something different.

I Can Pipe!!!

06.03.2012

After years of cake decorating purely for love and fun I have bit the bullet and picked up a piping bag again - I was amazed to discover I remembered how to pipe from when I was a kid and my Mam took me to Icing Class at the local school when I was 12!!!  Albeit today was only butter cream swirls on cupcakes it was a start and I was extremely pleased and very proud of my results.

It was a rush job and I cheated and bought the cupcakes from Tesco to practice on however the end result was great!  I thought the pink was very pretty and I was very pleased with that, it was only left over Betty Crocker pre-made stuff which I had in the fridge but the chocolate was Betty Crocker fudge icing and the blue homemade and dyed from Sugarflair Ice Blue colour - not very impressed with the shade of "ice blue" its more like turquoise and I think I might have over done it a bit!

What I learnt??? Butter cream pipes very well.  I used the large star nozzle and a disposable bag.  Fudge icing was OK, definatley needs to be room temperature and doesn't pipe as well but was still pleased with the result.  Sprinkles, chocolate chips and candy hearts helped to finish off.