Fondant Ladybug Cupcake Toppers

Ladybug, ladybug, fly onto my cupcakes! If you're planning a ladybug party and want an easy and cute way to dress up some ordinary cupcakes then this idea is definitely for you.

You'll need some fondant in either pink or red along with some in black and white. And you'll also need a black edible food marker. The easiest way to get the right colored fondant is to use pre-made, pre-colored fondant from Wilton (it can be difficult to color your own fondant especially when you need black).

Start by cutting out circles in the pink fondant that are 1 1/2 inches in width. These will be the body of the ladybugs. You can either use a circular fondant cutter or simply take one of the larger decorating tips and turn it upside down using the widest end as a cutter. For the heads, cut out circles in the black fondant that are about a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch across. I used the widest end of a smaller decorating tip to make these. Attach the heads to the bodies at one end with a little dab of water. Then cut some small black strips of fondant and attach them down the middle of the back. Cut out some very small black circles of fondant to use as the dots. I used the small end of round decorating tip #12 to make my dots. (Helpful hint: If your fondant gets stuck in the end of the decorating tip, use the solid end of a small paintbrush to gently push it out). Place 4 dots on each ladybug, attaching them with a little water. The smaller you make your dots the more you can add. For the eyes, roll 2 tiny balls of white fondant (I roll mine between my thumb and first finger). Add a tiny dab of water and attach the eyes to the heads, flattening them slightly with your finger. The final step is to take the black edible food pen and make small dots in the center of the white eyes.

And there you have it! These are really not difficult to make but they look amazing and professional. You can use them as cupcake toppers but you could also use them to decorate a larger cake. You can even make them in different sizes and colors for added effect. Have fun!

New Cupcake Wars TV Show

I'm so excited to see the new 'Cupcake Wars' show that debuts tonight on The Food Network at 10pm. The show has four cupcake makers vying to have their treats presented at the Alma Awards. The winner will be chosen based on taste and presentation.

Even more exciting is the fact that one of the contestants, Monica of Two Parts Sugar in Mission Viejo, CA, was the winner of our first ever kids' cakes contest that we held back in June of this year. You can see her winning cake here. I'm dying to know if she wins the competition tonight so I'll be tuning in to watch for sure.

Royal Icing Poinsettia Instructions

If you're looking for a lovely and traditional holiday decoration for your Christmas cake or cupcakes, then how about a poinsettia? You can make these in red, pink or white for a beautiful addition to your cakes.

You can pipe these either onto a flower nail or I simply piped mine onto a sheet of waxed paper. Once dry I can then lift them off the waxed paper and onto my cake. I started with red royal icing and tip #352. Placed one of the pointed ends of the tip on the flower nail or waxed paper and then squeeze gently to form a petal tapering off at the end. Make six petals to form the lower circle of petals. Then make a second layer of another six petals, placing them in between the petals in the first layer.

I let the flower dry for about 10 minutes or so and then used a ball tool to indent the center slightly. Then I used some yellow royal icing and tip #2 to make six small dots as the stamen. Once they're hardened, I will remove them from the waxed paper and place them on my cake.

These lovely poinsettias would also make really cute cupcake toppers. The leaf tip takes a little while to get the hang of so try to remain patient and remember that practice makes perfect.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Here are the Christmas tree cupcakes that I made for my son's school party today. I used the Pillsbury Holiday Funfetti cake mix because it's just so festive and made a vanilla buttercream to frost them with. The Christmas trees are made from a light green fondant and then I added a little yellow fondant star to each one and piped on some ornaments using red frosting and a small round decorating tip.

And here's one of my favorite hints - I always hate when I'm piping dots that I end up with little peaks on the frosting. So what I do is pipe on all the dots and then wait about 15 minutes until the frosting is crusting over a bit and then I go back and flatten the dots slightly using the tip of my finger. This gives them a smooth appearance and removes all those little peaks :)

Candy Cane Cake

I'm always a fan of combining candy with cake and Christmas is the perfect time to make a candy cane cake. I ran across this fantastic looking cake at SeattleDining.com and thought I'd share the recipes with you. The cake is alternate layers of white chocolate and red velvet - what a yummy combination!

Red Velvet Cake
My favorite red velvet cake recipe

White Chocolate Cake
2 oz of white chocolate
2 egg whites
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sifted cake flour
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Melt the white chocolate in a small glass or metal bowl over a pan of slow boiling water. Then set it aside to cool. Whip the butter with the sugar until fluffy then add the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Mix the egg whites and add them to the mixture on slow speed. Sift together the flour, baking power and salt in another bowl. Alternate adding the milk and dry ingredients while mixing on slow speed. Do not over mix the batter. Slowly add in the melted white chocolate while your mixer is still running. Bake in a 300° oven for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

To fill and frost the cake try using a peppermint cream cheese frosting. You will need to cut your cake into several layers and then stack them in an alternating fashion with the frosting between each layer. Then cover the entire cake with the peppermint cream cheese frosting and use some crushed red and white candy canes to decorate the outside of the cake.

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup of solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
1/2 cup or 1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
1 8oz bar of cream cheese at room temperature
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
2 lbs of powdered sugar (sifted)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together the shortening, butter, and cream cheese until nice and creamy. Add the peppermint extract into the mixture and combine. Sift together the sugar and salt, then gradually add to shortening, butter and cream cheese mixture. Ensure everything is incorporated and combined well.

Enjoy this sweet and minty creation this winter!

Fondant Snowman

Here's my little fondant snowman made with the assistance of my 5 year old son. He directed me to add the black hat, the carrot nose and the green scarf. And my 3 year old daughter insisted on the purple dots at each end of the scarf :)

This little guy is very easy to put together. Just 3 balls of white fondant stacked on top of each other and secured with some water and a toothpick. Then create the hat with a round circle of black fondant and a small ball of black fondant placed on top.

Cute on any Christmas or winter themed cake. You could even make mini versions for cupcake toppers. It's fun to get your kids involved around the holiday even if they're only directing :)