Yummy Fondant 101

I like to use fondant because it gives any cake a polished look. Unfortunately, traditional fondants can be offensive to the taste buds. My cake philosophy is that if it is not edible, it's cheating. I don't want to think about accidentally swallowing a mouthful of styrofoam or plastic. If they could make it edible hundreds of years ago, I should be able to do it too with a palatable result. Enter marshmallow fondant, the yummy alternative to the lightly sugared plastic taste of store-bought fondants. Marshmallow fondant has the taste and consistency of a condensed Peep. It is versatile, takes color easily, and can be flavored using different extracts.

I found this recipe while perusing the internet for a fondant to use on my sister's wedding cake. I wanted something that was easy, cost effective, and pleasant to eat. I was skeptical at first because adding sugar to marshmallows in my mind equals a big sticky mess. When making this, you will, indeed, get sticky, but it will balance out in the end, I promise. The key is to keep the faith and keep kneading.

Marshmallow Fondant
2 lbs. confectioner's sugar
1 lb. high quality mini marshmallows
2-5 tbs. water
Vegetable shortening

Before you begin, thoroughly clean your counter top or work surface. You will be rolling out your fondant on this surface, so make sure it's clean and debris free. Spread a thin layer of vegetable shortening on your work surface to prevent the marshmallows from sticking.

Place your marshmallows along with 2 tbs water in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about thirty seconds. Remove bowl from microwave, be careful as the bowl could be very hot. Stir marshmallow mixture. If you notice that the marshmallows are not entirely melted, place the bowl back in the microwave and repeat. Mine usually take about two passes in the microwave until they are fully melted. Be sure you are stirring between microwavings.

Once your marshmallows are melted, pour about a third of the confectioners sugar into the center of the bowl. Carefully dump the marshmallows and sugar onto your prepared work surface. At this point you should thoroughly grease your hands and forearms to ensure that you do not end up wearing your fondant. (I forgot to do this once, and most of the fondant ended up on me rather than on the cake.)   Don't grease your hands before you dump your mixture because you risk losing control of the bowl.

Begin kneading the marshmallow and sugar mixture. Once the initial third of the sugar is incorporated, add another third. Continue kneading. You will have marshmallow all over your hands, but rest assured, if you greased your hands, it will come off. If you notice the fondant tearing or it feels dry, add a tablespoon of water. Continue kneading, adding the final third of the sugar. You may regrease your hands whenever you feel the fondant sticking.

After all of the sugar is kneaded into the marshmallows, you should have something that looks like white playdough. To store your fondant, rub the fondant in a thin layer of vegetable shortening and wrap several times in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped fondant in a sealable plastic bag, forcing the air out before you seal it. This will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.

To color your fondant, use a small amount of gel coloring and knead it into the dough. If the color is too dark, knead in some white fondant to tone it down. When you're kneading in color, remember that it will stain your hands, so wear gloves if you don't want dyed hands. I usually go without gloves. I call the look baker's hands. 

I find that marshmallow fondant is easier to work with after it has had a chance to rest a bit. I usually make mine the night before I plan to use it to give it time to cool and firm up. If you must use the fondant immediately, work with it in parts while allowing the remaining wrapped fondant to cool in the fridge.

Air will dry out the fondant, so make sure that when you are working with it, you take care to keep the portions you are not using sealed in air-tight bags. I will tint portions and keep them in separate bags until I need them.

When you roll out the fondant, make sure to prepare your work surface with cornstarch or powdered sugar. This will ensure that your fondant does not stick to the surface. You can work with it much like cookie dough or even playdough. If you feel the fondant getting rough or dry, a little vegetable shortening will liven it up a bit. Don't use too much, however, or it will take on a sheen that will not fade.

I use a variety of cookie cutters and stamps to achieve the shapes and look of my fondant pieces. You can also hand sculpt a great deal from fondant. One word of caution, because of it's doughy consistency, don't try to make your fondant figures too large, or they won't hold their shape.  I discovered this while making the ducky baby shower cake.

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Sesame Street Cupcakes

I made two batches of these cupcakes for birthday parties. They were a whole lot of fun to make but rather labor intensive. After about six hours, these cupcakes turned into a labor of love. I was listening to my local top 40 radio station as I was working on them, and I now feel I have a firm grasp of the hits of the moment. I can even sing along to some without flubbing the lyrics.

I used Billy's Vanilla Cupcakes for the base and frosted them with a cream cheese butter cream blend. The embellishments are made of marshmallow fondant, colored and sculpted to resemble the appropriate facial features.

When I was planning these cupcakes, I was concerned about achieving the vibrant colors of the Sesame Street characters. I didn't want the frosting to have any sort of artificial, food coloring taste to it, so I had to be thoughtful about how I was going to get the colors just right. I did my research on the different gel colors out there and decided that Wilton was the way to go. I decided to make the frosting a day in advance to give it time to develop in the fridge. Frosting will darken in color if you allow it to sit for about twenty-four hours.

I used a half butter, half cream cheese blend for the frosting. I chose to use a partial cream cheese base so that the frosting would hold the vibrant Sesame Street colors and appear shiny after it set. I parceled out the frosting into four batches and mixed the colors, adding a bit of gel color at a time until the color was the right vibrancy. For the Elmo red, I used Wilton's No Taste Red gel coloring which I would recommend for any deep red frosting. Regular reds tend to leave an aftertaste, and you have to use a great deal of color to get a vibrant red. 

The fondant embellishments can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge. One batch of marshmallow fondant is more than enough to create the parts needed to assemble these cupcakes. I prefer marshmallow fondant to the store-bought alternatives simply because it tastes so much better.

I will post the marshmallow fondant recipe this week for those of you wanting to try it out. It is an amazingly simple recipe but requires that you either have a dough hook attachment on your mixer or are willing to get a bit messy. I like to do the messy option because I can judge the consistency of my end product better than if I were using my mixer to blend it all together.

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Baby Shower Cupcakes

I wanted to share these cupcakes with all of you because, I must say, I am pretty darn proud of them. I spent the day working on these cupcakes for a baby shower. The order was a bit last minute, but I was not thwarted as several forces in the universe seemed to be conspiring to turn this into an excellent opportunity to try new techniques and patronize new retail establishments. This day seemed to unfold like a whimsical adventure. I felt as if I were a character in The Alchemist,an excellent read if you are looking for something short, poignant, and philosophical.

The first turn of good fortune these cupcakes brought with them was a trip to the newly opened Hobby Lobby in my local shopping area. If you have never experienced the joy that is Hobby Lobby, locate one right away and make haste to this retail establishment. I've been reading up on a fondant stamping technique that uses clear stamps, and Hobby Lobby had just what I needed. They also carry a variety of super groovy cupcake liners that I was dying to buy, but I must pace myself if I do not want to wallow in debt at the tender age of thirty. I also had the pleasure of checking out in a lane run by an adorable pregnant woman who was unusually pleasant early on a Saturday morning.

I also stopped by Cook's Corner, the store that was closed due to an unexpected power outage when I was gathering my supplies for the St. Patrick's Day cupcakes and the only dark cloud in my otherwise sunny day. While they have an interesting selection of toys for aspiring chefs, I do not plan on going back there. The clerk ignored me when I approached the counter to check out and, after finally helping me, did not get off the phone or speak to me at all.

From Cook's Corner, I made my way to the grocery store to gather my ingredients. There were several sales going on; almost everything I needed was a featured item this week. When I went up to the self-check-out lane, the automated coupon printer started spitting out coupons on many items on my grocery list. This coupled with the Hobby Lobby experience led me to believe that the universe really wanted me to make these cupcakes after all.

Baking and assembling the cupcakes took a great deal of time, but it was well worth it. I was able to get my fondant made and start rolling out the toppers before the cupcakes were finished baking. This saved me time on the decorating end.

I used a basic chocolate cupcake recipe and topped the cakes with a maple butter cream frosting. On top of the frosting I placed a stamped circle of fondant topped with a pink fondant star stamped with the word "Baby."

I hope that the expectant mother enjoys her cupcakes. I wish her joy and peace during this exciting time.

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St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

I'm finally returning after a brief, busy, hiatus. My day job has been keeping me occupied planning for next year's students. It's an exciting time to be a high school teacher, but it has kept me away from a kitchen longer than I would have liked. 

Now- on to the cupcakes. These cupcakes were a great deal easier to make than the previous ones. While they did involve many steps, the prep time was much less and the ingredients were easier to work with.  I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs and decided to give it a whirl. I enjoy an adult beverage from time to time, so, given the approaching holiday, these cupcakes were a perfect fit. I must warn you, however, that these cupcakes do have discernible alcohol in them and are not intended for children or gestating women.

I had a great time collecting all of the ingredients necessary for these cupcakes. It was like a scavenger hunt around Knoxville. If you don't have a stocked bar, I would recommend gathering all of your ingredients in advanced. Remember, if you live in certain parts of the South, you cannot purchase all of the ingredients on a Sunday.

My first stop was our friendly neighborhood liquor store. The clerk gave me the eye when I walked in. Perhaps it was because I was wearing one of Tee-fury's fine tees, and I didn't look the part of responsible liquor store patron. I had decided beforehand that I would simply purchase the airplane bottle size Bailey's, but I quickly changed my mind. I ended up getting the bottle you see in the picture above. It was much more expensive than the off brands the clerk steered me towards but, I think, well worth it. If you've ever tried the off brands, you'll notice a distinct grainy quality that the Bailey's, thankfully, does not have.  I was glad I didn't settle on the airplane size bottle because I wanted more frosting than the recipe recommended, so I would have needed more anyway.

My next stop was to visit a baker's fantasy store, Cook's Corner for a cookie cutter, sprinkles, and maybe some cool, St. Patrickey baking cups. Unfortunately, upon pulling into a prime parking space right in the door, I discovered that they were closed due to a random power outage. This was bizarre as I noticed that the surrounding stores all had power and were open for business. Given my proclivity for spending large quantities of cash in baking stores, this ended up being a blessing. Score one for unwilling self control.

I picked up the rest of the ingredients at Super Target and World Markets. I would have been able to finish my shopping at Super Target, but they do not sell Guinness by the bottle.

Guinness Cupcakes
Makes about 24 cupcakes 
1 c. Guinness Beer
1 c unsalted butter cut into cubes (2 sticks)
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 c. flour
2 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 c. sour cream 

Preheat your oven to 350 and line a standard size muffin pan with cupcake liners. 

In a medium sauce pan, simmer the Guinness and butter over medium heat until combined. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. 

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of your mixer. In another bowl mix together your eggs and sour cream. I combined mine with a fork, beating vigorously, until they looked smooth and creamy. 

Add the egg mixture to the Guinness mixture, whisking to combine. It should have a milk chocolate color and look smooth, almost like a heavy mousse. Do not give in to the temptation to taste. Remember that you still haven't added the sugar and will be in for a tart, Guinness laden surprise.

Add the chocolate mixture to the flour mixture in your mixer bowl. Mix on a medium-low speed until combined. You may notice small bubbles in the batter. This is fine. It's simply the stout reacting with your other ingredients. Your batter will be a thin and liquidy. If you let it set for about five minutes it will firm up a bit. 


Dole out the batter into your lined cupcake pan, filling cups about 2/3 full. I used a measuring cup to dip out the batter without making a mess. Bake for about 17-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a cake comes out clean. I had some trouble with my cupcakes falling in the middle. I think this might be due, in part, to the fact that it was raining and humid when I baked them. If they do fall in the middle, it's not anything to worry about as you will be scooping our the middles for the filling. Place cupcakes on a rack to cool before filling with ganache.  

Chocolate Ganache
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
2/3 c. heavy cream
2 tbs. butter, cubed and at room temperature
1-2 tbs Irish Whiskey

Heat the cream until simmering. Since I am a short-cut girl and like to dirty as few hand wash only dishes as possible, I heated the cream in the microwave. I know some bakers would frown at this, but it worked fine for me. In the microwave it took about a minute and ten seconds. Pour the cream over the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Let sit for one minute. Add the butter and whiskey. Stir until combined. Allow mixture to cool at to about room temperature. You want it to be pliable, but not runny or stiff so that you can pipe it into the cupcakes using a pastry bag. 

Bailey's Irish Cream Frosting
3/4 c. unsalted butter at room temperature (about 1 and a half sticks)  
1 lb. confectioner's sugar (about 4 cups)
4-5 tbs. of Bailey's Irish Cream 
Green sugar for garnish

Beat the butter in the bowl of your mixer until smooth. Add the confectioner's sugar a bit at a time. Add the Bailey's and beat to combine. This frosting recipe is approximate. If it appears too runny to pipe onto your cupcakes, add more sugar to achieve the right consistency. If it appears too stiff, add more Bailey's. Keep in mind that your flavoring and liquid component is the Bailey's. You can make this frosting as strong or as light as you like. 

Assembling the cupcakes


Using a sharp knife or small, round cookie cutter, scoop out the middle of your cupcakes to form what looks like a chocolate cake mini-well. Be careful to avoid scooping out too much as you want your cupcakes to have a bottom. Feel free to munch on the extra cake, as you won't be using it for these cupcakes. 


Load a pastry bag with the chocolate ganache and fill the wells until the ganache reaches the top of the cupcake. If you go overboard, use a small spatula to smooth out the filling. The recipe made the perfect amount of ganache for my 24 cupcakes. 


Load another pastry bag with the Bailey's frosting. I used Wilton tip #20 to achieve the ridges in the frosting. Swirl the frosting on the cupcake, forming a dome in the middle if desired. 


Sprinkle each cupcake with green sugar and enjoy. 


I took these cupcakes to a friend's birthday dinner, and they were a huge hit. While I noticed the flavor of the alcohol in them, many people commented that they did not detect a distinct alcohol flavor, but only the sweet notes of the Baileys. I will definately use this recipe again, especially the ganache and filling technique. The Guinness make the cupcakes dense and moist, and the filling is a nice surprise. If you're making these for St. Patrick's day, I would recommend trying to find a bright green cupcake liner. My local Target was sold out, so I had to go with blue.

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Martha Stewart's Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

 

I both love and envy Martha Stewart in that Stepford Wives kind of way. It seems that everything she produces is perpetually picture perfect. I know that most of this is an illusion created for print and television, but I am certain that, given the opportunity to meet the woman herself, I would discover she can, on the first try, successfully bake most of the delicacies in her numerous, albeit daunting, cookbooks. 

I believe it was this blog that finally gave me the courage and inspiration to purchase one of her cookbooks and try one of the more intimidating recipes. My father selected the recipe while flipping through my new copy of Martha Stewart's Cupcakes and making suggestions about what I try to bake next. I am not going to detail the recipe here because you can get it in its entirety on Martha's website or in her cookbook.

The cupcakes turned out luscious and delicate. The cake was incredibly moist with just the perfect lemon flavor. The strong flavor of the lemon curd was balanced nicely with the creamy meringue topping. 

While the end product was well worth the effort, assembling the many components that came together to create these cupcakes took a great deal of time and patience. If you choose to purchase Martha's cookbook, I would recommend thoroughly reading through each recipe and creating a game plan before you attempt to execute it. 

For these cupcakes, I would block off a solid three hours of kitchen time to bake and decorate. It would be prudent to make the lemon curd in advance, so that it's ready to go when you make the meringue. The curd can keep in the fridge for up to two days before you need it. The recipe calls for six lemons, but I only used five. If you purchase a larger lemons, I think you would be safe with five.

The cake component was relatively easy to put together. I got to use a microplaner for the first time and discovered that you have to be pretty aggressive to get the right amount of zest for the batter. I would not recommend using anything other than a microplaner because you risk having lemon rind mini-chunks in your cakes. A properly blended batter will be thick. The cakes took a full twenty-five minutes to bake and came out a beautiful, buttery color.

The lemon curd definately gave me some trouble. Martha's instructions were vague and neglected to offer estimated times for critical stages in the curd making process. This surprised me because other areas of her cookbook were much more specific. I heated the curd base for what I thought was an appropriate time, but it ended up not setting up in the fridge.I had to reheat the mixture and add in some sugar-free lemon Jello in order for it to set up.

Making the meringue frosting was surprisingly easy. It requires the use of a candy thermometer, so be sure you have one on hand. The frosting must be used immediately after making, so make sure you have all of the other components ready to go before you begin. Piping the meringue on the cupcakes was a delightfully messy experience. I imagine that it would be supremely fun to try with enthusiastic, sugar-loving, six-year-olds as it has a tendency to get all over the place inviting one to eat as one decorates.

Over all the flavor and consistency of the cupcakes far outweighed the problems I encountered while making these. I would make them again but only with careful planning and preparation.

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Chocolate Bacon and Toffee Cupcakes

 

Thanks to the suggestion of a coworker and at the request of my husband, I decided to venture into the unknown and explore bacon cupcakes. The idea of any meat in a dessert is admittedly more than a tiny bit disturbing.  Of course, if one were forced to select a meat that might enhance a dessert, it would have to be bacon. Bacon is simply delightful swimming in maple syrup next to golden-brown pancakes on a snugly Saturday morning, so it would reasonably follow that a cupcake with maple frosting is not a fry cry from this delectable breakfast scenario. 

Having selected the flavor, I set about looking for a recipe for bacon cupcakes. You might imagine this to be a difficult task, but it seems that there is a trend in the baking world towards using bacon in cakes. After looking over several recipes, I ended up using one from Cupcake Bakeshop. She has two recipes for bacon cupcakes, one that calls for fresh corn, and one more traditional, if you can imagine. I made a few, minimal alterations to the chocolate recipe. It follows below.

Chocolate Bacon and Toffee Cupcakes

Makes about 18 regular cupcakes

1/2 c. butter at room temperature

1 c. + 2 tbs. sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

3/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 c. whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

4 slices cooked bacon cut into chunks

1/3 c. chopped chocolate covered toffee

Beat the butter until softened. I cut mine up into pats and then creamed it. Add the sugar and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Add the two eggs, blending until well combined. 

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix the vanilla and milk in a measuring cup. Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients to your butter mixture, ending with the dry. When the batter is well mixed it will be thick, the consistency of a brownie batter. 

Fold in your bacon and chocolate covered toffees. 

Place cupcake liners in your pan and add batter until each cup is about 2/3 full. Bake for about 21-25 minutes at 350, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

2 packages of cream cheese

1/2 c. butter at room temperature

5-8 cups sifted powdered sugar

3 tsp. maple flavored extract

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Begin adding powdered sugar a cup at a time. Doing this slowly will prevent powered sugar clouds from taking over your kitchen. Add the maple extract and mix until smooth. Taste the frosting to ensure you have achieved the right strength of maple flavoring and it is the proper consistency. 

Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes using a pastry bag and large round tip.

These cupcakes were mild and delicious. The bits of bacon in the cake complemented the maple cream cheese frosting nicely. I felt that the toffee flavor, unfortunately, disappeared when competing with the chocolate and bacon combination of the cupcake, but my husband was able to distinguish and appreciate its subtle flavor. I will definitely revisit the toffee flavor, but I believe it merits a cupcake all to itself. The frosting, because it was in large part cream cheese, was light and creamy with just the perfect level of sweetness. Its taste and consistency was very similar to that of the frosting on an Italian Cream Cake. My husband described these cupcakes as brownies with bacon- the bacon being an added bonus.

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Caramel Cupcakes

Be sure to enjoy these cupcakes with a big glass of milk because they are incredibly decadent.

I've always loved the flavor of chewy caramel. I remember going to my local Ingles as a child and paying a nickle for a sample of a individually wrapped caramel candy. I would never chew it; I would let it melt, so I could enjoy the flavor as my mom shopped for groceries. Caramel is a candy I associate wholly with pleasant memories, so it was with great pleasure and excitement that I set out to make these caramel cupcakes.

When I began looking around for recipes, I discovered that most people make a chocolate cake with caramel frosting. I was seeking a powerful caramel flavor and wanted to ensure that the entire bite embodied the essence of a caramel with all the spongy goodness of a cupcake. I finally found a recipe that met my criteria at Our Best Bites. I only used the cake recipe from this site as the icing recipe left me a bit unsettled. I am a firm believer that icing should be composed of sugars and fats, never flour.

For the icing, I went with my standard American butter cream. This has been my mother's go to recipe for years, and, being the dutiful daughter, I have naturally embraced it in my cooking. To capture the luscious caramel flavor I love so much, I folded in a batch of homemade caramel. Making the caramel was by far the most fascinating kitchen adventure I have had since the birth of this blog. It was fairly simple, only requiring a minimum of utensils and patience- two key components in anything I bake.

Caramel Cupcakes
Makes about 15 cupcakes

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 large eggs at room temprature
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. milk

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and prepare your cupcake pan. 

Place the butter and sugars in the bowl of your mixer. Cream together on medium speed. Add your vanilla, milk, baking powder, salt, and eggs. Mix again until all ingredients are incorporated. The mixture will appear soupy. This is okay because you are going to be adding your flour next.

Add the flour in three parts, mixing between each part. This will ensure that the flour does not dust your kitchen. After adding the flour, continue mixing until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

Fill the cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for about twenty minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean. 
 

Caramel Butter Cream Frosting  

To make the frosting, you will need to prepare the caramel in advance. I made mine while the cupcakes were baking. It does not take a great deal of time, but you want to allow time for the caramel to cool before you add it to your frosting.

For the caramel
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
Pinch of salt

Before you begin, have a medium sized, heatproof bowl waiting to receive the caramel. 

In a medium sized, high sided sauce pan, cook the sugar over medium-high heat. You need to watch the sugar carefully to ensure that you begin to stir at the right time. After about five minutes, you will start to notice that the sugar is melting around the edges of the pan, turning dark amber. When you notice the amber colored liquid, begin stirring the sugar with a clean wooden spoon. Continue stirring until all sugar is melted, turning a golden amber. This should take about three minutes. 

This next step can be a bit tricky. I wore an oven glove to protect my stirring pan from hot spatter. I would advise that you do this when the kids are not in the kitchen.

Carefully and slowly pour the cream down the side of the pan, stirring constantly. It will bubble and spatter. Continue stirring until the cream is incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the salt. You may notice some lumps of sugar in your mixture. On occasional lump is okay, but the mixture should not be visibly chunky. At this point the mixture should look and smell like hot caramel. 


Pour the mixture in the heatproof bowl and allow to cool before using.

For the frosting
2 sticks butter (1 c), at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 lbs. confectioner's sugar
3 tbs. milk
1 recipe caramel, at room temperature

In the bowl of your mixer, gradually combine the butter with the sugar. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Add the milk and vanilla. Mix on medium-high speed, until the mixture is smooth. If it's not as smooth as you would like, do not worry.

Add the caramel in portions, mixing on medium speed. Sample the frosting frequently to determine if more caramel is desired. This frosting can be incredibly rich if all of the caramel is incorporated into the mixture. I used all of my caramel in my frosting, and the cupcakes were amazing. Keep in mind that I absolutely love sweet, rich, caramel.

The amount of caramel you choose to incorporate into your icing will affect the consistency and taste. More caramel will result in a thinner, richer icing, while less will result in a thicker, milder icing. If you are planning on using decorator tips to ice your cupcakes, go with less caramel for a thicker consistency.

If you want to take it to the next level, reserve some of the caramel and drizzle it over the iced cupcakes. This not only looks impressive, but it makes the cupcakes absolutely over the top. I will definately do this next time. 

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