Patchwork Cutters

Today I used my butterfly patchwork cutters to make a 3D relief. Previously I had only used cutters to emboss fondant, and I was surprised at the range of effects these tools can make. Here's a brief tutorial on how I made my butterfly:

1. Press the cutter into sugar paste where you would like the 3D relief to go, to make a soft embossed design. Lift the cutter away using the handle to prevent fingermarks.

2. Roll out coloured Mexican paste (50% sugar paste, 50% flower paste) very, thinly on a non stick surface using a non-stick rolling pin. To aid in the release of your cutter, rub a bit of white fat (e.g. Trex) on to the cutting edges.

3. Press the cutter firmly into the mexican paste and lift up.

4. To remove the paste from the cutter, use a cocktail stick and/or gently tap the sides of the cutter. Peel away excess paste and use tweezers to remove any small unwanted pieces.

5. Stick pieces of paste into place on the embossed design in the fondant, by moistening the area with water.

6. Repeat the process until all the embossed sections that you wish to cover have sugar paste on them.

7. To make the picture 3D, build up certain parts with multiple layers of paste; sticking the layers on top of each other with a little bit of water. For my butterfly, I made parts of the wings and the body higher than the other sections by using 3 layers of paste.

8. Once the paste is dry, use paints or luster dusts if desired.

There are all sorts of different patchwork cutters available. Patchwork Cutters has a full range of cutters to choose from for all occasions.

Happy decorating!

Miniature Cakes

Yesterday I went on my first cake decorating course at Cakes4Fun in Putney. I had a great time with 6 other decorating enthusiasts learning how to prepare and decorate miniature cakes. It took a whole day to prepare 6 cakes, but it was worth the effort - I was really pleased with the final result and picked up some great tips which I'll be trying out on my next baking project.

The cakes were cut into cylinders from a rectangular block of madeira cake and filled with raspeberry jam and buttercream, before being covered in fondant. We were then left to decorate the cakes, and here's the end result:

Floral Fantasy Cupcakes

This week, I made a batch of white chocolate and raspberry mud cupcakes for a dinner party....it was a good excuse for me to also practice making fondant flowers, in preparation for the next iron cupcake challenge on 1 September. The cupcakes were a hit, so I thought I'd share the recipe so you can make them as well.

Here's what you will need:

Cupcakes
125g butter, softened and chopped
100g white chocolate

1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, lightly whisked
3/4cup plain flour
1/2 cup self-raising flour

Punnet of raspberries

Buttercream Icing

250g unsalted butter - softened

500g sifted icing sugar

75g white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 160°C (I used the fan forced setting also). Combine the butter, chocolate, sugar and milk in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl and set aside for a few minutes to cool slightly.

Next, gently whisk in the egg. Sift in the combined flours over the chocolate mixture and gently whisk until just combined. Pour mixture into cupcake cases in a muffin tray. I filled the cases up about 1/3 of the way, then added a few raspberries, before adding more mixture.

Bake for about 30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centres comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack and set aside for 1 hour to cool completely.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make up a batch of buttercream. Start by melting the white chocolate in a small bowl over simmering water, then leaving it to one side to cool. Next whip the butter with an electric beater until it is pale in colour (normally takes about 2-5 minutes depending on your setting), then sift in the icing sugar in batches, mixing well after each addition. Once all the icing sugar has been added, stir in the white chocolate. You can then colour your buttercream with food colouring or leave it plain. I tinted half of the mixture a light pink colour. Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes, or spread it on with a knife - whatever takes your fancy. I did a combination of both, then topped my cupcakes with fondant flowers I made while the cupcakes were baking. Here's what they look like:

There are more photos of these cupcakes in my photo gallery, if you are looking for decorating ideas.

Remember to store your cupcakes in an airtight container to keep them fresh for 3 days....Enjoy!