My friend gave birth to a beautiful baby boy last Sunday so i was inspired to make some baby blue cupcakes for the happy family.
The Dad is well known for liking fondant. However, i wanted to try something different. I discovered a technique in the Peggy Porchen book where fondant is melted to a liquid consistency and the cupcakes dipped in to decorate. This really appealed to me as eliminated the rolling, cutting and ganaching aspects of the Planet Cake method.
So, I brought a box of Orchard fondant and put 250g in a bowl in the microwave for 10 second intervals. I added a little water and stirred in-between bursts in the microwave. After some vigorous stirring the lumps disappear and you're left with some smooth liquid fondant.
I then added a little Wilton sky blue colour gel.
I had made the Planet Cake vanilla cupcakes and covered in sugar syrup to keep them moist and to prevent crumbs from falling off into the fondant.
I then dipped each cupcake one by one in the bowl of fondant. By the time i reached the last cupcake the first had dried and so i dipped for a second time. I then placed a sugar rose in the center of each cupcake.
Those cupcakes that didn't have too tall a dome shape did get fondant on the paper case. However i used the Coles paper & foil cases so, once the fondant had dried i removed the foil case to give a better presentation.
I had wanted to pipe dots of royal icing around the flower but i had never made it before and my piping is terrible so my FH pointed out that less is more and that they looked beautiful as they were.
I was very pleased with the end result and i'm sure the tired mum and dad will be too!:-)
