6.Small sharp knife: for cutting and shaping icing
– not pictured.
7.Fine paintbrushes: for gluing and painting.
8.Dusting brushes: for dusting edible lustre dusts
on to icing.
9.Cellophane/acetate sheet: for ‘run-out’ icing
decorations.
10. Cocktail sticks (toothpicks): for colouring and
curling icing.
11.Piping (pastry) bags: for royal icing decorations.
12. Piping tubes (tips): for use with piping (pastry)
bags, to pipe royal icing.
13. Ball tool: for frilling and thinning the edges of
flower paste.
14. Foam pad: for softening and frilling flower paste.
15. Icing smoother: for smoothing sugarpaste-
topped cupcakes to achieve an even surface.
cupcake cases
There are so many lovely cupcake cases available
nowadays that will suit just about any occasion.
There are generally two types of materials: paper
and foil. While there are many more beautiful
designs in paper, I prefer to use foil cupcake
cases because they tend to be a lot stronger, help
preserve the cupcake for longer and look more
attractive once the cakes have been baked. Sadly,
unless the paper cases are quite dark or made
with good-quality paper, they tend to become dull
and transparent in time.
classic
romance
secret admirer
These rather indulgent chocolate cupcakes instantly evoke the romance and
mystery of a glamorous masked ball. With their golden swirled masks, delicate
red roses and sumptuous chocolate ganache topping, they are guaranteed to
delight and impress. The luxurious mask is simply cut from caramel-coloured
flower paste, using the secret admirer template. Brown cupcake cases with gold metallic detail complement the colour scheme and bring a touch of style to the cakes. These masked beauties are the perfect way to reveal your identity to that special somebody you’ve been admiring from afar.
To add detail to the mask,
tassels are carefully cut
from the flower paste and
decorations are added using
piped royal icing. The masks
are dusted with gold lustre for
a sparkling finishing touch.
you will need
1 Roll out the caramel-coloured
flower paste until it is 2–3mm
(1/16–⅛in) thick. Using the template
as a guide, cut out the masks
with a sharp knife. Brush with
gold edible lustre dust using a
dusting brush and set aside to dry
over some kitchen paper (paper
towels) arranged in the shape of
the mask. Set aside to harden.
2 Spread the ganache on to the
cupcakes using a small palette knife,
creating a slight dome in the centre
of each.
3 Place a no. 1 tube (tip) in the small
piping (pastry) bag and
