Cameo Chocolate Cupcakes and How to Use Silicon Mold

En Español

Before I move on to the chocolate cupcakes, cameo mold and the videos, I would like to thank YOU for the wonderful compliments in comments and emails that I receive on daily basis, I do read them all! Thank you for reading, choosing and sharing Mari's Cakes content!

A few things I love...
I love the color blue, I love chocolate, I love cameos and now, I love this cameo silicone mold that I used to make these adorable cameos ideal for beautifully decorating cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. These cupcake toppers are a true beauty and I LOVE them. If I were to pick a blog post that identifies my personality, this is surely the one I'll pick.

For the Cameos Cupcake Toppers you'll need: 

• Baby blue and white fondant. I used this one. 
• This recipe Royal Icing recipe for the bead border around the cameos and also could be used for gluing them to the fondant topper. 
• My favorite Chocolate Cupcakes recipe. 

Check out these other beauties, they make great cupcakes for a wedding. By the way if you live in Dominican Republic, and are interested in ordering these cupcakes send me an email.

In How-To Fondant Cover Cupcakes, I show a step by step and also share a video on how I cover cupcakes with fondant to decorate like these below.

Step by step video on this cameos toppers.

How to use a small cameo silicon mold.

Have a blessed week!

Post by Mari's Cakes.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.- Proverbs 3:5-6

Traditional Gingerbread Men Cookies

These last few days I've been putting together our gingerbread house and making gingerbread men. With all the things we have made a habit of doing for this season, there is nothing better for me than to decorate cookies. I have so much fun decorating gingerbread men, and it keeps me busy doing what I like, especially when it is to give as a gift!

En español

The cookies are very easy to make and decorate. All you need is a gingerbread man cutter, your favorite cookie recipe, and royal icing. There is nothing complicated about decorating it the traditional way. I made a video of less than two minutes for you to see and get inspired to make a few in the next weeks.

Need some cookie recipes: 
Sugar Cookies (Traditional) 
Decorating Chocolate Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

Notes: To add color to the traditional cookie dough, you just have to add a few teaspoons of cocoa or a few drops of color of your choice. These will look nice in red or green, maybe pink for a baby girl!  I am stuck on the traditional, but it is always good to try out new things, especially for kids!

Glaze Recipe: 
Royal Icing

A sweet peek at this year´s gingerbread house:

Have you noticed the beautiful new blog design? I would like to thank Fran, from Freborboleta Design, who is the one who helped me to change the style of the blog. I love the new design and I hope you like it too! Feel free to look around, use the new "custom search" on the right, or the options on the gray menu bar above. If it is not in your language, click on the top right button to switch to the English or Spanish blog.

Have a Merry week!

Adding a Festive Touch: Creating Poinsettia Fondant Flowers for Your Sweet Creations

Poinsettia flowers not only provide a beautiful finish to our sweet creations but also infuse them with a delightful touch of Christmas. The poinsettias I'm sharing today were crafted using fondant cutters, which are commonly found in many households. Specifically, I utilized two types of cutters: those designed for hydrangeas and daisies.

Cupcakes Navideños y Cómo Hacer Flor de Pascua en español.

These versatile flowers are perfect for enhancing small confectionery items such as cookies, cakes, and mini cupcakes. I trust that these tips will prove helpful and inspiring for your own festive creations!

What you needed to do mini poinsettias or poinsettias: 
• Fondant red or white
• Tylo
• Cutters shaped flowers (see link below)
• Dishes or molds to dry flowers


Note: If you have gum paste used that instead of fondant. If you need the sugar paste recipe, look for it here: Recipes Fondant Mari’s Cakes. A good combination to make sugar flowers or figures is 50% gum paste and 50% fondant. I used fondant and tylo for this project.

If you are interested in these cutters, get them here: 86 Pcs Fondant Cutters Decorating Tools Molds.

A large cutter and the small cutter of the same pattern is needed.

For drying the flowers, consider using a curved plate. If one is not readily available, a clean egg carton can serve the purpose, or you can fashion your own using aluminum foil.

In my experience…

• In highly humid climates, I've found that using a mixture of 1 cup of cornstarch (80 g) with ½ cup of powdered sugar (60 g) is ideal for working with fondant. This powder is perfect for sprinkling in the area where you'll be rolling out your fondant, and at times, over the fondant itself to prevent the rolling pin from sticking to it.

• Glue the gold dragees with a little vodka, it sticks well, dries fast, and is not sticky. I also use this to glue small fondant pieces.

Are you looking for recipes for soft and tasty cupcakes? I recommend the following:

• Pumpkin Cupcakes

• Gingerbread Cupcakes

• Eggnog Cupcakes

My best wishes to you all, and may you have a holiday vacation filled with love and peace!

Because of his kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. - Ephesians 2:8-9

Musical Cupcakes and How-To Fondant Cover Cupcakes

En Español

After I posted the Kitty cupcakes I received several emails about fondant covered cupcakes. The process is very simple and I put together a quick video on how I fondant cover cupcakes. Also among the FAQs are the following:

Can I use Italian meringue under fondant? 
Yes, you can spread a thin layer of a Italian meringue on a cake or cupcake then cover with fondant.

How do I make the fondant look rounded and high on the center, when the cupcake recipe makes the cupcakes come out flat? 
If the recipe you used results in flat topped cupcakes, use a pastry bag or small spatula to place the frosting starting from the center out and make the frosting slightly higher in the center. Leave about 1/4 inch (0.6 cm) edge without frosting. Place the fondant carefully and with your fingertips smooth out fondant circle towards the edge gently. The fondant will stick properly and will have a rounded center.

Can I use royal icing to decorated over fondant?
Yes, you can use royal icing and also buttercream to decorate over fondant. I think with the photos of these cupcakes this topic is more than covered :)

For how long does a fondant covered cupcake keeps, and how many days in advance ahead of time can I decorate cupcakes like these with fondant?
I always recommend delivering or consuming any baked good as fresh as possible. The days that a fondant covered cupcake  keeps well for, depends on many factors such as type of decoration used, the filling, the quality of the fondant and how you store it. You can decorate a day in advance and store in a cool, dry area covered with a cardboard box. In my opinion, decorated cupcakes should not be left out for more than two or three days if you want optimum taste.

For these musical cupcakes I used marshmallow fondant, and black royal icing for the musical notes. The cookie cutter you´ll need for this type of decoration is a 3 inch one. It is hard to find alone, that is why I bought this set of six round double sided cookie / biscuits cutters and I highly recommend them because they are so useful and very much needed for all type of cake, cupcake or cookie decor. Check out the set I am telling you about here: Ateco 6-Piece Double Sided Round Cutter Set.

Have a blessed week!

Don’t say anything that would hurt another person. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed. That way, what you say will help those who hear you. 

- Ephesians 4:29 

Pre-tied Ribbon Bows for Cake Pops and Cookies

Summer is not over yet and we are already involved in back to school errands. I really miss the good old days when class started in September. These past two weeks I have been enjoying time with my daughters as much as I can in their last days of vacation. This year has been and will continue to be of many changes in our home. For starters, my second daughter is starting college this year. I am so happy because that makes two out of three in college, so far so good, since my youngest still has to more years of high school to complete.

In between busy schedules, summer fun and the transition in season, there is always time for work :) If you are like me and love making your baked goodies looks pretty, I have share a video on how I make the little tiny ribbon bows for cake pops and cookies with wire ties included. I buy the Mini Treat Bags that come with wire ties and do the bows myself.

Online we can find a variety of pre-tied ribbon bows to add a nice finish to our packaged cookies and cake pops, but there may be times when we need to make our own ribbon bows to go accordingly to the celebration or type of decoration we used on our baked goodies. To add a personalized touch the way we like to our products, we need to make the bows ourselves, this task requires patience and dedication. In addition to being freshly baked and good tasting, these details make our homemade work special and worth the cost. For web photos ribbons are added to unwrapped cake pops, but the bows are usually tied after cookies and cake pops have been inserted into clear bags. The video I share below is how I make the ribbon bows with wire ties included, I hope it inspires you to make beautiful colorful bows.

How do you tie your cake pops or cookies? Any helpful tips are welcome.

 

Happy and blessed day!

"The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all;" ~ Psalm 34:19

Orchid Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I shared a photo on facebook of the dendrobium superbum orchids we have at home when they had just flourish. It is the first time that they bloom since my husband and I bought them last year. The beauty and aroma of these flowers inspire to enjoy nature, and to thank our Creator for their beautiful display which He gives to us freely. These also inspired me to create some orchid cupcakes. Below you'll also find a how to video on how I did each step. I thank my wonderful daughter, Crystal, for helping me with the video. THANK YOU Cookie :)


I am sure these cupcakes would have been nicer and neater if made with buttercream or fondant, but wanted to make it with our favorite frosting, Italian meringue to share with all friends who daily create awesome cakes and look for different options. It's the first time I do this type of flower, I know I can improve the technique, but for now I share it with you as is. I am sure that together we can learn from each other how to make prettier.  I hope you like the idea.

First we lightly frost the cakes with white or light green Italian meringue or frosting of your preference. I used tip #12 to do this.

Next we make the three sepals (tepals) using tip #104.

Then with tip #352 make the two curled petals.

Fill the pastry bag with a line of dark purple or burgundy. I recommend using a table knife or thin spatula when performing this step. If it get a bit do not worry, it will help to make it like the actual  veins that petals have.

Finish filling the pastry bag with purple or hot pink frosting. Squeeze a few times into a plate to blend in the two colors of frosting before working with it on the cupcake.

I see the lip petal (labellum) as a heart shape, so that's how I interpreted it. I used tip #61 with the two toned frosting pastry bag to form the center lip petal of the orchid. You can see how I make this step in the video below.

Have an awesome week :)


But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. ~ Genesis 50:20

How to Frost The Corners of a Cake

After I shared in facebook one of my first decorated cakes in 2007, (see the cake here), I have received many inquiries about techniques to frost the corners and make them look nice and smooth. When I first started decorating cakes the corners stressed me out because they never came out perfectly smooth. I used to camouflage it with decorative borders. I kept practicing, and finally I frost the corners more relaxed and they come out smooth. Now frosting a cake is a "piece of cake" :)

En español: AQUÍ

What I do and what works me for me: after crumb coating the cake, place about 1/2 inch thick of meringue or any other frosting, in the corners and other dabs in the sides, then gently smooth the corners with a spatula.

So this is the trick that I works for me, I place more frosting in the corners, so that when I smooth out with a flat spatula, the corners will be equally smooth and even with the sides.

Do not let this stress you like I let it stress me in the past, after you practice several times, you'll frost around the corners without any difficulty. In all decorating techniques, meringue is always more difficult to work with, but not impossible!

I leave you with this short video, of how I frost around the corners.

En español: AQUÍ

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.~ Proverbs 16:3

Don't forget to stop by Delights and Wisdom, have an awesome day,
 

Soursop Cake, Bizcocho de Guanábana

The following recipe is from the book "El Arte de Vivir" (The Art of Living) by the Dominican author, Rosalia Gomez de Caro. While researching the book  year ago online I saw this cake. Since then I've been craving it, until at last I remembered, found the fruit and had time to make the recipe. I liked the cake very much and I'm sure it will be a dessert that I will do from now on every soursop season.

The cake consists of four recipes but they are all easy to make, I promise. en español: AQUÍ 

Soursop Cake, Bizcocho de Guanábana

 
Ingredients:
Sponge Cake (size 7”x 7”): 4 eggs separate
1 cup sugar (200 g)
2 Teaspoons vanilla (10 ml)
1 ½ cup all purpose flour (195 g)
pinch of salt
½ cup milk (118 ml)
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 teaspoon grated lemon
1½ teaspoon baking powder

Syrup (to moisten the cake):
½ cup sugar (100 g)
½ cup liquid (juice) of soursop (118 ml)
½ cup water (118 ml)

Soursop Pastry Cream (yields more than enough):
2 cups milk divided (475 ml)
¼ cup cornstarch
2 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar (150 gr)
1½ cup pulp of soursop
For instructions: HERE

Italian Meringue:
1 cup egg whites (8-ounce exactly)
2 cups granulated sugar (400 gr)
½ cup water (110 gr)
1 teaspoon vanilla (5 ml)
For instructions: HERE

Preparation:
Cake
1. Prepare the soursop pastry cream preferably the day before. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Grease two cake pans of 7 "(18 cm) or one 4-inch (10 cm) tall and line with wax paper at the base.
2. Heat the milk with the butter just until melted and add the lemon zest, reserve. Beat the egg whites at maximum speed until soft peaks is reached. Add the egg yolks one by one, then gradually add the sugar and vanilla.
3. Mix flour and salt; sift. Add the flour mixture to eggs slowly, on stir speed of a kitchenAid speed or fold with a spatula. Add the warm milk and finally the baking powder.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool and coat with syrup using a brush.

Look how soft it came out. It's definitely a cake recipe to bake.

Syrup
1. In a small pot mix the sugar, juice of the soursop and water. Let it boil until all the sugar dissolves and is slightly thickened (8 minutes). Note: After cooled the syrup tends to thicken, so be sure not to cook for longer then required, to be able to coated cake layers easily. When you are ready to decorate prepare the Italian meringue.

Serves 10-12 people

I used tip #826 Ateco for stripes.

More step by step photos and tips , also en español: AQUÍ.

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. - Psalms 37:5-6