My First Cupcake Decorating Book
Page 7
7Carefully and neatly fill the windows in the houses with the crushed fruit candies. Use a dry pastry brush to brush away any stray candy pieces. Return the baking trays to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes until the gingerbread is golden brown and firm and the candies have melted to fill the window shapes. Be careful not to bake them for too long—if the candies start to bubble they could lose their color. Allow the houses to cool completely on the baking trays.
8Use white writing icing to draw lines and dots around the windows and walls of each house. Draw tiles on the roofs.
9Lean the houses up against a window so that the light shines through the “stained glass.”
WHO LIVES in YOUR gingerbread house?
Gingerbread animals
This is the simplest way to decorate cookies—cut out shapes and sprinkle on decorations—an ideal project if you haven’t much time or are just a beginner at cake decorating.
You will need:
1 quantity Gingerbread dough (see page 17)
all-purpose (plain) flour, for rolling out
confectioner’s (icing) sugar
colored sugar and candy shots, to decorate
2 baking trays
nonstick baking parchment animal cookie cutters
(makes 25 cookies)
1Ask an adult to help you make the gingerbread (see page 17). When the dough is well chilled, turn the oven on to 325˚F (170˚C) Gas 3. Cut pieces of nonstick baking parchment to cover the baking trays.
2Lightly dust a clean, dry work surface with flour and roll out the dough to ¼ in. (5 mm) thick. Using animal cookie cutters, cut cookies from the dough and lay them on the baking trays.
3Gather the dough scraps together, knead lightly, re-roll, and stamp out more cookies until all the dough has been used up.
4Ask an adult to help you bake the gingerbread in batches on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes or until they are firm and lightly browned at the edges.
Let the cookies cool completely on the baking trays before icing.
5To decorate the cookies, beat 2 tablespoons confectioner’s (icing) sugar with a teaspoon of water. Add more water a few drops at a time until you have a thin icing. Brush this over the top of the cookies and sprinkle with candy shots or colored sugar.
We’re all GOING TO THE ZOO tomorrow!
Templates
All of these templates are full-size templates, so you can trace them off the page to use them.
Ladybug cookie (page 106)
Butterfly pops (page 78)
Witches and Wizards (witch’s hat) (page 114)
Witches and Wizards (wizard’s hat) (page 114)
Stenciled brownies (page 90)
Stenciled brownies (page 90)
Stenciled brownies (page 90)
Suppliers
Most of the projects in this book use ingredients and materials that you will already have in the kitchen or can buy at the supermarket, but for more specialist cake-decorating ingredients, you can try the following suppliers:
US SUPPLIERS
Cake Art
www.cakeart.com
Fancy Flours Inc
www.fancyflours.com
Global Sugar Art
www.globalsugarart.com
Kitchen Krafts
www.kitchenkrafts.com
Michaels
www.michaels.com
Sugarcraft
www.sugarcraft.com
Wilton
www.wilton.com
UK SUPPLIERS
Cakes, Cookies & Crafts
www.cakescookiesandcraftsshop.co.uk
Hobbycraft
www.hobbycraft.co.uk
John Lewis
www.johnlewis.com
Lakeland
www.lakeland.co.uk
Make a Wish Cake Shop
www.makeawishcakeshop.co.uk
Squires Kitchen
www.squires-shop.com
Sugarshack
www.sugarshack.co.uk
Index
alien pops 81–3
animal face cupcakes 58–61
animals, gingerbread 124–5
basic recipes 8–18
brownie pops 97–9
brownies 14–15
marbled cheesecake 100–2
owls 94–6
rocky roadies 92–3
stenciled 90–1
buttercream frosting 18–19
tinting 21
butterfly cakes 42–3
butterfly pops 78–80, 126
cake pops, basic 12–13
brownie 97–9
decorated 72–87
candies, hard 47, 103, 120
chocolate, melting 23
chocolate cupcakes 10–11
with jelly beans 62–3
Christmas stockings 40–1
Christmas tree cookies 111–13
colors, mixing 21
cookie dough 16, 17–18, 106
crystallized pansies 32–4
Easter bunny cupcakes 26–9
eggs, breaking and separating 22
equipment 7
flags 46
flavorings, for frostings 19
flower pops 86–7
fondant icing 19–20, 50–3, 106
frostings and icings 18–21
gingerbread animals 124–5
gingerbread dough 17–18
Christmas tree cookies 111–13
snowy village 120–3
stained glass window cookies 103–5
gingerbread family 118–19
goldfish pops 76–7
Halloween 114–17
“ice cream” cupcakes 64–5
jelly beans 62–3
jelly, warming 22
ladybug cookies 106–10, 126
marbled cheesecake brownies 100–2
marzipan 26–7, 40–1, 66
microwave 22, 23
milk chocolate frosting 20
owls, brownie 94–6
pink piggy cupcakes 50–3
princess cupcakes 56–7
rainbow of cupcakes 38–9
rocky roadies 92–3
safety in the kitchen 7, 23
sailboat pops 74–5
sheep pops 84–5
snowmen in scarves 66–9
snowy village 120–3
sparkling diamond cupcakes 47–9
special name cupcakes 44–6
spotty cupcakes 35–7
sprinkle pops 72–3
stained glass window cookies 103–5
stenciled brownies 90–1, 127
strawberries, mini cakes 30–1
sugar icing 20, 21
swirly pops 72–3
templates 126–7
tinting icing 21
vanilla cupcakes 8–9
Victoria cupcakes 54–5
witches and wizards cookies 114–17, 126
Acknowledgments
Key: l = left, r = right, t = top, b = bottom, c = center
RECIPES Susannah Blake: pages 35–37, 44–46, 47–49, 50–53, 54–55 Chloe Coker: pages 16, 106–110, 114–117 Linda Collister: pages 10–11, 62–63 Amanda Grant: pages 30–31 Caroline Marson: pages 18–19, 20t, 42–43, 124–125 Hannah Miles: pages 14, 72–73, 74–75, 76–77, 78–80, 81–83, 84–85, 86–87 Annie Rigg: pages 8–9, 14–15, 17, 20b, 26–29, 38–39, 40–41, 56–57, 58–61, 64–65, 66–69, 92–93, 94–96, 97–99, 100–102, 118–119, 120–123 Nicki Trench: 103–105 Catherine Woram/Martyn Cox: pages 32–34 Catherine Woram: pages 90–91, 111–113
PHOTOGRAPHY Martin Brigdale: pages 1, 24, 35, 37, 45, 47, 49, 51, 55 Laura Edwards: pages 5t, 89, 93, 95, 97, 99, 101 Tara Fisher: pages 31, 119, 121, 122–123 Winfried Heinze: pages 5c, 103, 105 Sandra Lane: pages 2, 5bl, 57, 65 Emma Mitchell: pages 3, 7, 70–87 Martin Norris: pages 6, 88, 107, 109, 110, 115, 117 Kate Whitaker: pages 4, 5br, 25, 27, 39, 41, 59, 61, 67 Polly Wreford: pages 11, 33, 34, 43, 63, 91, 111, 113, 125
STYLING Liz Belton: pages 2, 5t, 5bl, 57, 65, 89,
93, 95, 97, 99, 101, 119, 121, 122–123 Chloe Coker/Luis Peral-Aranda: pages 3, 7, 70–87 Amanda Grant: pages 30 Rose Hammick: pages 43, 125 Joss Herd/Helen Trent: pages 11, 63, Penny Markham: pages 4, 5br, 25, 27, 39, 41, 59, 61, 67 Luis Peral-Aranda: pages 6, 88, 107, 109, 110, 115, 117 Sue Rowlands/Rose Hammick: pages 5c, 103, 105 Linda Tubby/Helen Trent: pages 1, 24, 35, 37, 45, 47, 49, 51, 55 Catherine Woram: pages 91, 111, 113