So I subscribed to
Cake Decorating, the magazine. Yeah I am
that person but in my defence they come with freebies! So far I have the first
three, the first came with butterfly cutters and pink glitter, the second with
piping bags and tips and the third with letter embossers. Apparently October is
the month for birthdays so I thought the best way to say a blanket “Happy
Birthday” to multiple friends (and really the only way I know how) was with
double chocolate cupcakes.
Butterflies toppers first; I’ve used store bought gum paste before
(for the bunny ears) but I don’t really like the taste so first mission was to make
marshmallow fondant. My little sister has been making her own fondant for ages
and I was always assumed it was rocket science but for the most part it’s just
sticky. Most of the recipes I found are exactly the same. This video from
about.com is probably the most thorough. My only tip is to use powered sugar
when kneading, the mix can get very sticky. Since I couldn’t find a packet of
only white mellows, I bought three packs of the strawberry and vanilla and separated
the colours. I don’t like wastage so instead of colouring the white fondant I
used the pink mellows for pink fondant.
Once the fondant is done I suggest refrigerating it for a
bit so its firm enough to work with. For the butterfly toppers to look 3D the
butterfly cut outs need to dry in the form. You can buy fondant forms/shapers but you
can also make it yourself. To make the form take a large sheet of foil and fold
accordion length wise.
Once the butterflies are completely dry, if you’re unsure
leave to dry overnight, you can decorate. I used a little bit of water to paint
on the glitter and attach the cachous.
You can attach the butterflies once the glitter has dried.
The thing I learnt a couple of hours later was that frosting doesn’t dry hard
like butter cream and the moisture from frosting causes the butterflies to wilt
a bit. My suggestion, use butter cream frosting or add the toppers just before
you serve.
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