Themed cupcakes are so fun to make – I love the freedom and inspiration that comes with making cupcakes for a specific occasion, and delight in creating an array of designs. Last week, a friend from work went on maternity leave to prepare for the arrival of her little boy. I presented her with twelve baby boy cupcakes as a gift. I love the idea that these designs can be personalised with the surname of the baby, and the colours can easily be adapted for a baby girl, or neutralised for parents who don’t yet know what they are expecting…
You will need
twelve cupcakes decorated with buttercream
fondant
Wilton gel colours
an array of cutters
sugarpaste tools
a letter embosser
edible glue
a garlic press (I have one that I reserve just for sugarcraft!)
a rolling pin
Method
To make the baby face topper: colour some fondant with gel colour to match the desired skin tone – I used Wilton’s ivory gel colour to make a peachy skin tone. Cut out a circle for the face, and use the offcuts of fondant to make a tiny ball of fondant for the nose. Use the sugarpaste tools to press eyes and a mouth into the face. Cut another circle out of some blue fondant and cut it in half to make a semicircle. Attach this to the top of the face for the baby’s hat. Cut a strip of fondant and mark vertical lines across it – stick it to the base of the hat, and top it with a fondant star, made using a star plunger cutter.
To make the duck topper: cut a circle of blue fondant using a fluted cutter, and leave it to one side. Emboss a greeting on a strip of green fondant, personalising it with the name of the family if you know it. Cut small triangles from the ends of the named strip, and carefully fold the ends underneath to make a banner. Use yellow fondant to make an oval for the duck’s body, pulling on end out slightly and squeezing it into a point for the duck’s tail. Attach a ball of yellow fondant for the duck’s head, and cut two teardrop shapes for the wings. Finish by imprinting two eye with the sugarpaste tools, and attach an orange cone for the beak. Arrange the duck and the named banner on the circle of blue fondant.
To make the baby shoes topper: cut a circle of blue fondant using a fluted cutter, and leave it to one side. Emboss a greeting on a strip of purple fondant, personalising it with the name of the family if you know it. Cut small triangles from the ends of the named strip, and carefully fold the ends underneath to make a banner.For the shoes, make two 3D ovals from blue fondant in a lighter shade, using a ball tool to make an indent where the foot would go into the shoe. Use the garlic press to make strips of blue fondant. Put a strip of blue fondant around the opening of the shoe, then add further strips to the front of the shoe for the laces and bow. Arrange the shoes and banner on the circle of darker blue fondant.
For the baby in a blanket topper: cut a circle of light blue fondant using a fluted cutter, and leave it to one side. Cut a square of darker blue fondant, and turn so that one point of the square is at the top and you are looking at it like a diamond shape. Place a sausage of fondant in the centre of the square, an a skin-coloured ball just below the top point. Fold the bottom point of the square up over the sausage of fondant, then wrap the righthand point over. Seal the ‘blanket’ by folding the left point of the square over the body of the baby, and attach in place with a purple star. Add features to the baby’s face using a ball of fondant for the nose, and drawing on eyes and a mouth with the sugarpaste tools. Use the garlic press to make strands of brown sugarpaste, and attach to the top of the head as hair. Arrange the wrapped baby on top of the circle of fondant.
Attach the toppers to the iced cupcakes, box them up and present to the parents-to-be.