by CICO kidz
wire whisk
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). Be sure to fill the cases at least three quarters full so they rise above the paper when they cook.
2 When the cakes are cool, using a serrated knife, carefully slice off the tops down to the level of the paper liner.
3 Spread each cupcake with about ½ teaspoon jelly (jam).
4 Pour the cream into a bowl and beat it with a wire whisk until it is stiff. (An electric beater makes this easier if an adult can help you!) Put a spoonful on top of each of the jelly-covered cakes.
5 Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the strawberries into slices and arrange a few slices on top of the cream on each cake.
6 Top each cake with its lid. Use a strainer (sieve) to dust the tops with confectioner’s (icing) sugar.
Strawberry CAKES WITH LIDS on top
Princess cupcakes
These cupcakes give you the challenge of using a piping bag, which can be messy and tricky but is lots of fun. And, boys, you don’t need to keep to a princess theme or colors!
You will need:
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
1 quantity Buttercream frosting (see page 18)
food coloring pastes or liquids of your choice
colored sprinkles
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
a piping bag, fitted with a star tip
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). While the cakes are cooling, make one quantity of buttercream frosting (see page 18).
2 Divide the buttercream between 3 or 4 bowls, depending how many shades of food coloring you are planning to use. Tint each bowl a different color (see page 21).
3 Spoon the frosting from one bowl into the piping bag. Holding it over the bowl, squeeze the frosting down the bag until it reaches the tip.
4 Now hold it over the first cake and, gently squeezing the bag, pipe swirls of frosting onto the cake. Try to keep the frosting coming out without breaking off—this is tricky and needs practice, but don’t worry if the first ones aren’t perfect. Covered with lots of sprinkles they’ll look good and taste good too.
5 When you have finished with one color, wash and dry the bag and tip and start on another color.
6 Sprinkle on your sprinkles before the buttercream starts to set.
Animal-face cupcakes
A cat, a monkey, a pig, a bear! What other animal faces could you make out of a cupcake? How about a frog, a panda, or a lion? There is loads of fun to be had making these or other animal faces you have invented yourself.
You will need:
What you need to decorate depends on the animals you are making. You may not need everything.
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
1 quantity Buttercream frosting (see page 18)
food coloring pastes or liquids in assorted colors
2½ oz. (65 g) bittersweet (dark) chocolate, chopped (if you are making brown animals)
marshmallows in assorted sizes and colors
jelly beans in assorted colors
licorice strips
white, milk, and bittersweet (dark) chocolate buttons in assorted sizes
chocolate and white sprinkles
writing icing
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). While the cakes are cooling, make one quantity of buttercream frosting (see page 18).
2 Decide what animals to make with the decorations you have. Plan them out before you ice the cakes.
3 To make a teddy bear, monkey, or any other brown animal face, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and ask an adult to help you set it over a pan of barely simmering water, or melt it in the microwave following the instructions on page 23. Stir until smooth and melted. Put about a third of the buttercream frosting in a bowl and add the melted chocolate. Stir until well mixed.
4 For other color animals, decide what colors you need and divide the buttercream frosting into separate bowls. For example if you wanted pink for pigs, white for rabbits, and green for frogs divide your frosting into 3 bowls. Tint each bowl with a different color (see page 21).
5 Cover the tops of the cold cupcakes with the tinted buttercream, spreading smoothly to the edges with a palette knife.
6 Sprinkle on white or chocolate sprinkles for fur.
7 Use different-sized marshmallows to make noses and snouts. Push a marshmallow into the cupcake and cover it with tinted buttercream to match the rest of the face.
8 You can also cut a large marshmallow in half and pinch or squash with your fingers to shape into ears. Stick them at the top of the cupcake. If you want them to be pink inside, spread a little buttercream on them and sprinkle them with pink sprinkles.
9 Use halved jelly beans for nostrils or large eyes. Strips of licorice positioned under the nose make good mouths or whiskers.
10 Use chocolate buttons for ears. Stick them in place with a dab of buttercream.
11 Draw on smiles or other features with writing icing.
Make a funny ANIMAL FACE for each of your friends!
Chocolate and jelly bean cupcakes
Who doesn’t like thick chocolate fudge frosting on a cake? This frosting is easy to make. Spread it generously onto your cupcakes and decorate with jelly beans or cake decorations for a real treat.
You will need:
1 quantity Chocolate cupcake mix (see page 10)
3½ oz. (100 g) bittersweet (dark) chocolate
1 tablespoon light corn syrup (golden syrup)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
jelly beans or sprinkles
12-hole muffin pan, lined with paper cupcake cases
(makes 12)
1 Ask an adult to help you make the chocolate cupcakes (see page 12).
2 While the cupcakes are cooling, make the topping. Break the chocolate up into pieces and put it in a small heatproof bowl with the butter and the corn syrup (golden syrup). Ask an adult to help you set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, and melt the ingredients together following the instructions on page 23. Take it off the heat and let it cool for 5 minutes. Alternatively, put all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until the ingredients have melted (see page 23). Stir everything together until it is smooth.
3 Let the fudge frosting cool a little before spooning the smooth, runny chocolate on top of the cakes and then add your decoration.
4 Let the topping set before eating (if you can wait!).
The BEST CHOCOLATE FUDGE frosting in town!
“Ice cream” cupcakes
Ice creams that won’t melt at your party—this is another fun way to serve cupcakes. You could tint the buttercream pink for strawberry ice cream and then scatter it with fresh strawberries or flavor it with chocolate. You will need to find flat-bottomed cones so that they stand upright for baking. These cakes are best made on the day of the party.
You will need:
10 ice cream cones (with flat bottoms)
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
2 quantities Buttercream frosting (see page 18)
10 chocolate flakes
sprinkles (optional)
12-hole muffin pan
piping bag, fitted with a star tip
(makes 10)
1 Instead of lining the muffin pan with paper cases, stand the ice cream cones in it.
2 Ask an adult to help you make the cupcakes (see page 8). Divide the mixture between the ice cream cones and bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes until they are golden and a skewer pushed into the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean.
3 Let the cones cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes before putting them onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
4 Make the buttercream frosting (see page 18) and spoon it into the piping
bag. Holding it over the bowl, squeeze the frosting down the bag until it reaches the tip.
5 Now hold the piping bag over the first cone and, gently squeezing the bag, pipe big swirls of frosting onto the cake. Try to keep the frosting coming out without breaking off. This is tricky and needs practice, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect—it will still look and taste good.
6 Finish by gently pushing a chocolate flake into the frosting and cake. Some colored sprinkles would look good, too.
An ice cream that WON’T MELT!
Snowmen in scarves
Create a plate of friendly snowmen for a Christmas party. Making carrot noses and coal eyes is a great way of using up marzipan. Use your imagination for all sorts of different ways to decorate your snowmen. Remember, if you use marzipan for the nose, eyes, and mouth, make them the day before you need them and store them in an airtight box.
You will need:
2½ oz. (65 g) natural marzipan
orange food coloring paste or liquid
black food coloring paste or liquid
1 quantity Vanilla cupcake mix (see page 8)
1 quantity Sugar icing (see page 20)
4 cups (300 g) shredded (desiccated) coconut
colored candy-coated chocolate beans
licorice stick, cut into 6 × ½-in. (1-cm) lengths
chocolate buttons
narrow ribbon, cut into 6 × 10-in. (25-cm) lengths
airtight container lined with baking parchment
muffin pan, lined with 6 paper or silver cupcake cases
mini-muffin pan, lined with 6 mini paper or silver cupcake cases
6 toothpicks
(makes 6 snowmen)
1 The day before you need the cakes, make the marzipan noses, mouths, and eyes. Tint three quarters of the marzipan orange using the orange food coloring paste or liquid (see page 21). Add the paste a little at a time. Knead the marzipan until the color spreads through it. Gradually add more coloring until you have the nice carroty orange color you want. Break off 6 small nuggets of marzipan and roll them between your hands to make 6 carrot shapes.
2 Tint the remaining marzipan black using the black food coloring paste or liquid and roll it into tiny balls, allowing roughly 4 for each snowman’s mouth and 1 for each eye. Make the balls for the eyes slightly larger than the ones for the mouth. (Do the math—that makes 12 eye balls and 24 mouth balls!) Now let everything dry out overnight on a sheet of baking parchment in an airtight container.
3 The next day, ask an adult to help you make the snowmen cakes: 6 large ones and 6 small ones (see page 8). Let them cool completely on a wire rack. While they are cooling make the sugar icing, keeping it quite thick (see page 20).
4 When the cakes are cold, spread the icing over the tops of the cakes, right to the edges. Before the icing sets, sprinkle all the cakes with shredded (desiccated) coconut.
5 Now use the small cakes to make the snowmen’s heads. Press a marzipan carrot nose into the middle of each one and arrange the tiny black marzipan balls as the eyes and mouths.
6 Use the large cupcakes for the snowmen’s bodies. Press two candy-coated chocolate drops down the middle of each one to make buttons. Let the icing set firm.
7 To make the hats, dab a tiny amount of icing in the middle of each chocolate button and stick the licorice onto it.
8 When the icing is firm, stand up one of the snowman body cakes on its side, so the buttons run up the tummy (squash it slightly to make a flat base). Carefully push one toothpick through the top of the paper case and into the cake. Leave about ¾ in. (2 cm) sticking out.
9 Now push one of the snowman head cakes onto the toothpick that is sticking out, pushing through the paper case and into the cake. Be sure that the head is the right way up!
10 Tie a ribbon around the snowman’s neck and balance a hat on top (a dab of icing will help it stick.) Make up the other 5 snowmen in the same way.
11 Scatter the rest of the shredded (desiccated) coconut over a pretty plate, to make a winter scene, and arrange the snowmen on the plate.
Six FRIENDLY SNOWMEN on a plate!
CHAPTER TWO
CAKE POPS
Sprinkle pops and swirly pops
Sailboat pops
Goldfish pops
Butterfly pops
Alien pops
Sheep pops
Flower pops
Sprinkle pops and swirly pops
Rather than a birthday cake, make some pretty cake pops for party fun. These are easy to decorate and, standing in a glass, make a lovely centerpiece for a party tea table.
You will need
1 quantity Cake pop mix (see page 12)
7 oz. (200 g) white chocolate or colored candy melts
sugar sprinkles
writing icing
20 lollipop sticks thin pretty ribbon
(makes 20)
1 Prepare the cake pops following the recipe on page 12. Remove the cake balls from the freezer and carefully push a lollipop stick into the base of each one.
2 Break the white chocolate into small pieces and put it into a heatproof bowl. Ask an adult to help you melt it, either over a pan of simmering water (see page 23) or in the microwave on low for 1 minute, stirring with a spoon after 40 seconds. Stir the chocolate until all the lumps have dissolved. If you want colored pops, add a few drops of coloring. If you are using candy melts, melt them in the same way as the chocolate, either in the microwave or on the stove.
3 Take one cake pop, holding it by the stick, and dip it into the chocolate/candy melts. Turn the pop so that it is completely covered in coating. Tap the stick on the side of the bowl to remove any excess coating.
4 If you are making sprinkle pops, shake sugar sprinkles over the pop before the coating sets. Stand it up in a cup to set and start on the next one.
5 If you are making swirly pops, dip the pops in the coating in the same way but stand them up in cups to let them set before you decorate them. When they are set, put some sugar sprinkles in a shallow dish. Now use writing icing to draw thin, wavy lines onto the first pop. Roll it in the sugar sprinkles so that they stick to the icing and then stand the pop in a cup to dry. Start on the next one.
6 Tie a small piece of ribbon onto each stick to decorate.
Tip: For extra pretty pops, add a few drops of red food coloring to the cake mixture so that your cake balls are pink when you bite into them!
Swirls and sprinkles, HEARTS and FLOWERS!
Sailboat pops
What better end for a seaside picnic or party than to give your guests sailboat pops? With their edible rice paper sails and yummy chocolate hulls, they sail on a sea of blue coconut until it’s time to eat them.
You will need:
1 quantity Cake pop mix (see page 12)
2½ cups (200 g) soft, long shredded coconut (such as Baker’s Angel Flakes)
5 sheets of thin rice paper
7 oz. (200 g) milk chocolate
blue food coloring
blue and green sugar balls
20 wooden skewers or sticks
(makes 20)
1 Prepare the cake pops following the recipe on page 12, and shape them into small boat shapes. You can do this by making the ball into a teardrop shape and pressing a small hollow into the middle of the boat with your little finger. Put them in the freezer for 30 minutes.
2 Color half of the coconut blue with a few drops of food coloring, mixing it with a fork until it is all colored. Sprinkle the blue coconut and the remaining white coconut together onto a serving plate.
3 On a small piece of cardboard cut out two triangles which you will use as templates for the sails. Draw one about 2 in. (5 cm) high and one 1¼ in. (3 cm) high. Cut them out. Draw round them onto the rice paper so that you have 20 large triangles and 20 small triangles. Cut each of them out and use a cocktail stick or wooden skewer to pierce a hole at the top and bottom of the long straight edge.
4 Thread one large and one small triangle onto each stick to mak
e the sails. Start by threading the bottom of the large sail onto the stick, then the bottom and top of the small sail and then thread on the top of the large sail last so that the small sail sits in between the top and bottom of the large sail. Put them to one side.
5 Break the chocolate into small pieces and put it into a heatproof bowl. Ask an adult to help you melt it, either over a pan of simmering water (see page 23) or in the microwave on low for 1 minute, stirring after 40 seconds with a spoon. Stir the chocolate until all the lumps have dissolved.
6 Remove the boats from the freezer and push one of the sail sticks into the top of each boat. Dip the boats into the chocolate one at a time. Try not to get any chocolate on the sails. Gently tap the stick on the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate.
7 Stand the boats on the coconut and decorate the center of each boat with a few sugar balls. Leave the pops to set.
SAIL AWAY for a year and a day…
Goldfish pops
Having a party with a fishy theme? Goldfish pops are a wacky addition to your party tea—create an undersea world for these sweet little fishes to swim through.