The Last Airbender Cake

My oldest son recently turned 8 and we had planned to go see the new "Airbender" movie in 3-D with some of his friends. So when I asked him what type of cake he would like he promptly responded "an Airbender cake". "Of course", I replied while inside quietly cringing because I didn't know anything about "airbenders". Give me Batman or Nascar and I'd be fine but Airbender was new to me.

My son took the time to patiently explain to me that there were 4 nations that we should represent on the cake - water, earth (which could be green like grass), air and fire.  And he showed me cartoon pictures of the characters he wanted on the cake also. So I set to work!

I made the characters first and then moved on to the cake. I wasn't about to make a 4 tiered cake so I made the main tiers earth and air and then added some water at the very bottom and some flames right on top. My son LOVED it and, as always, that is by far the biggest achievement for me.

Lesson learned on this one - don't be afraid to try something new!

It's All In The Tip!

I am often asked how I get that fancy swirl of frosting on top of my cupcakes and so I thought I'd share my secret - it's all about the tip!  Selecting different frosting tips can give you looks from fanciful to elegant.

To get the smooth look of the green cupcake above, you need to use a large round frosting tip (try a number 1A or 2A).

To get the swirled looks of the purple and pink cupcakes above, you need to use a large closed or open star tip (try a number 1M or 1C).

One thing to note - if you're using sprinkles they often adhere better to the swirled frosting as they can settle between the swirls.  If you're using cupcake toppers then I like the smooth frosting look.

Have fun experimenting!