It's Raining Cats and Dogs - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

This selection of pet themed cupcakes was made for our local Kamo SPCA opportunity shop on SPCA cupcake day recently. We have all the fun tools and equipment here to make a wide selection! Here are some of them...

These spooked kitty cats were shaped with a cutter from the Mini Paws set and black eyes were stuck into indents made with the back of the paintbrush with a little sugar glue. 

Here are the three finished scaredy cats lurking in fields of toadstools.

These butterflies were made with the medium plunger cutter from this this set and they float atop billowy clouds of white easy frost icing in sky blue butterfly cases. Champagne oil was added to the icing for a beautiful flavour.

Here you can see the intricate detail that the plunger cutters gives these butterflies with one simple push. The yellow butterfly has been dusted with a lustre dust for sheen and the entire cupcake is sprinkled with yellow edible glitter. 

We used alphabet cutters to brand these cupcakes with their blue SPCA. A pinch of tylose was added to the blue fondant to stiffen it. Once cut, the letters were indented with the back of a paintbrush for a dotty effect. The easyfrost icing was coloured and flavoured in one easy hit with the addition of lemon flavacol. These also come in other citrus and tropical fruit, and classics like coffee, peppermint, chocolate, caramel and butterscotch. A 1A tip was used to pipe the soft lemon swirls. 

These neon cats were formed with the help of a silicone mould and they look so peaceful! I always rub a tiny bit of finishing creme into moulds before I push the coloured fondant in. This ensures they pop out perfectly. These sleeping cats have been simply dusted with a lustre filled dusting powder pump brush.

These cartoony green grass cupcakes added vibrant colour to the boxes. We added mint green gel colour to our easyfrost icing as well as a couple of drops of mint chocolate chip oil flavouring. Then it was easily piped on through a grass tip #233.

The decorations on top were simply pressed into a dog themed silicone mould set. For the two-tone paw I rolled 4 tiny rounds of soft pink fondant and flattened them into the guide then put a touch of sugar glue on top of each. The ball of brown fondant was eased over gently to complete the shape. I used a sturdy pink foil cupcake case to match the pink touches on the paw.

Girly Cookie Art - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

Today I'm going to share with you some cookies I demonstrated at the Auckland Cake Expo in July. They all have an element of beauty - perfect for feminine occasions.

These confused cupcake cookies were made with this basic cutter and adorned with vibrant fondant using the same cutter as for the cookies. The bottom striped 'wrapper' section was made using a marbling technique you can watch in an earlier Kiwicakes blog here. If you look closely you will see that even the orange has faint parallel yellow lines in it. Its a neat trick to learn and help avoid fondant decorations from looking flat. The cupcake 'tops' were made glam with the addition of mini silver balls spaced out perfectly with the aid of this Press Ice Tool and the faintest touch of edible glue. The bow, butterfly and mini pearl additions were made simple with a really versatile tiny features silicone mould.

This racy red stiletto was also made with a basic shoe cutter. The fondant I chose was red for impact and I used a peacock impression mat to texture the surface - only because it was right beside me at the time. Its funny how sometimes you try something though and it just works. As always I stuck the fondant shape to the cookie with edible glue. An even swipe of silver lustre from a pump brush gives it subtle sparkle and then rice shape dragees stuck on turn this into an evening shoe. The wee bow on the toe was made from the same mould as used with the cupcake cookies above.

This dreamy castle was made easy with our Castle Cookie Cutter. Its shape is based on Schloss Neuschwanstein, which for me evokes fond memories of a teenage exchange to Southern Germany. Younger children nowadays would invariably associate it with their favourite princess movies and stories. The two stars of the show for me here are the suggestive brick impression markings and the dainty pink padlock feature. Magical!

Mothers Day 'Borrowed' Rhubarb Treats - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

Most mums want nothing more for Mothers Day than a visit or a phone call. Or that's what they say. I reckon you'd be pretty popular if you arrived with a tray of these fruity beauties! If you don't have rhubarb planted in your own garden, whip around to a good gardener (often our mums) and steal a couple of stalks. Trust me she'll thank you for it later!

Rhubarb Cupcakes

You will need:

125g softened butter

2/3c firmly packed brown sugar

1/2t vanilla bean paste

pinch salt

2 large eggs

1/2c milk

1 & 1/2c self-raising flour

1 & 1/2c washed and diced rhubarb

Owl design cupcake cups

plum icing

20g melted butter

1/2c sifted icing sugar

1/3c nougat, cranberries or similar to top

1. To prepare your rhubarb cook it with 2T water for 5+mins until soft. Let it cool. This will reduce to approx 1c of stewed rhubarb.

2. Cream first measure of butter, sugar, vanilla and salt. Whisk eggs and milk and add to butter mixture ever so slowly to combine. (Here is the egg mixture pictured with a sturdy mini whisk I totally recommend for prep jobs). Add the flour and continue mixing on low speed until a thick batter forms. Fold in 1c stewed rhubarb gently. 

3. Fill cupcake cups 2/3 full and arrange them in a 7x3 grid on your tray. Its important to leave space between for them to cook evenly. This recipie makes 21. Bake at 170`C for about 25 mins or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

4. Meanwhile prepare your icing according to packet instructions. This requires a little melted butter and some water. Add icing sugar to turn it into a pipeable consistency. Fill a piping bag that has been fitted with a tip to pipe through. I used wilton tip #109 for the gentle swirls.     

5. When the cupcakes have cooled, decorate with a swirl of the punchy plum icing and top with a thin slice of nougat or some whole dried cranberries. These cupcake papers are thick and robust to travel as well as simply being sweet! In the same range are eye-catching aeroplane, carousel, bluebird, babushka, patchwork paper cup designs and more.

These rhubarb cakes are also beautiful and light served simply with a fine sprinkling of icing sugar. Do it through a paper doily for maximum effect! This  really lets the classic rhubarb and vanilla flavour combination shine through. 

Remember that rhubarb leaves are poisonous so don't be 'helpful' by sticking them in the compost! Simply lay the leaves you cut off around the base of the rhubarb plant to keep moisture in the surrounding soil. They will decompose with time and the gardener will stay happy :-) 

Poppy cupcake toppers - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

Bake for ANZAC day this year and present your delights in these Black Lace cupcake papers. They really set off the center of the poppy.

The topper is formed using this new Poppy silicone mould. To begin, season the mould with a thin smear of Perfect Finish Decorating Cream by rubbing a smear all around. This ensures your topper will unmould with ease. Fill the centre with a tiny circle of black fondant and the leaf cavity with some green fondant as pictured. Lastly push in your red fondant to fill the mould (I used Satin Ice).

Once you have all your materials in front of you it takes no time at all to make these en masse to decorate for an army. As an indication it took me 10 minutes to make 6 poppies.

Order your poppy mould in advance of ANZAC day now!

Popcorn Cluster Cups - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

This sweet popcorn is chewy and delicious! Start by popping a bag of popcorn and crushing 200g of candy canes or your favourite boiled sweets.

Cut 1-2 lengths of marshmallow rope into pieces (the more you use the yummier it is!) Microwave in short bursts until it goes gooey and inflated as below. Mix to coat popcorn and candy mix before it hardens.

Serve in cutesy pink cupcake papers and decorate with further lengths of marshmallow rope.

Another popcorn option is to go savoury and festive. Simply dry roast 3 teaspoons each of ground cinnamon, cumin and paprika in a warm pan. Add 6T butter and stir to melt together then pour over a bag of pre-popped microwave popcorn and stir to coat.

This is a moreish movie snack and goes nicely with a chilled beer!

Toffee-style popcorn looks gorgeous for Christmas when presented in sleigh cupcake papers and adorned with candy canes. Over a bag of microwave popcorn sprinkle 10-12 crushed candy canes and 150g of your favourite melted nut brittle/bark/toffee bar. Stir quickly to combine. Break the toffee'd popcorn into chunks to serve. The pepperminty candy canes and chopped nuts make this popcorn really addictive.

Go The All Blacks - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

Show your support for our national team by whipping these up on game day. I'm sure you will be popular! Tomorrow we play South Africa in Auckland.

The flag picks give height to your favourite everyday cupcake recipe and the black foil cases are both stylish and make for easy kitchen cleanup.  If you are a committed fan, or just want to go crazy, check out our full range of All Blacks party ware here for loads of inspiration.

There are matches against Argentina, Australia, France, England, Ireland and Japan coming up soon.  For a full list of the remaining 2013 All Blacks fixtures click here. 

And you can pick up a set of these Top 8 Rugby Team World Flag Cupcake Picks ahead of time to be really prepared!

 

Chocolate Modelling Paste Digging Doggy - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

We made these cute (and tasty!) little doggies' backsides for SPCA Cupcake Day.

This little guy sits on top a cupcake in a foil cupcake wrapper and is surrounded by candy bones. He's made out of tasty chocolate modelling paste sold individually or in a handy rainbow pack.

The 'dirt' is made from crushed up Oreo-type chocolate biscuits, with any creme filling removed. 

Pop the biscuits into a snaplock bag and let loose with a rolling pin until you have the desired texture. 

The dog's bottoms are hand-shaped with white and black chocolate modelling paste. The magic of working with this medium is that no glue is needed to stick the components together, they just magically hold their shape nicely.

Begin by portioning your modelling paste, so that your figurines will turn out even. Cut white pieces for the bottoms, feet and tails. Roll mini balls of black for the pads.

To assemble, smear a sticky icing-like buttercream or ganache over the entire surface of your cupcake. Sprinkle liberally with the crushed Oreo dirt. Use a teaspoon to clear a spot in the centre for your digging doggy to be pushed into. The dog won't stick to the crumbs, so it's essential you make a hole in the dirt - this also creates a build up of dirt against the dog's body, which makes it more realistic looking.

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Oz holiday inspired Hokey Pokey Cupcakes - from Kiwicakes test kitchen

I have just returned home from nearly 2 weeks in Australia visiting friends and family. As soon as we landed into Auckland it was immediately evident that our long, hot summer has come to an end. It must be truly autumn now since today I even bought my slippers to work with me!

On holiday I love to roam the supermarket for new and different products. I couldn't go past the Violet Crumble bars, which are similar to our iconic NZ Crunchie bars. The Australian counterpart is a little denser in texture and perhaps more anemic-looking inside its dark chocolate shell. Its still super yummy and guaranteed to get stuck in your teeth. I predicted that their drier consistency might hold up better in my recipie than a Crunchie bar might so I put them to the test.

I've always had a certain fondness for Violet Crumble since I was cast as the shiny purple-wrapped chocolate bar in a primary school play of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Hokey Pokey is certainly fashionable at the moment too - today while skipping across the road to buy my Crunchie bars I noticed new Hokey Pokey flavours of both ice cream sundaes and flavoured milk being advertised in two separate outlets.

These finished products are photographed on our 6-pack Le petite cupcake stands, available in a few different colours. The baking cups are bran new just arrived. Check them out here

Hokey Pokey Cupcakes

Whip together in your mixer for 1-2 minutes:

2 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup (250ml) cream (can use the lite variety here)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch salt

1+1/2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Then with a spatula fold through 1/2 cup (50g) coarsely chopped chocolate-coated honeycomb of your choice.

Spoon into cupcake papers or baking cups until they are 3/4 full. You want this mixture to rise up out of the papers and have some height! Bake 20-25 mins at 180 degrees until golden and oozy.

Whip 1/2 cup (125ml) of cream (remember lite cream is not suitable for whipping so this treat is not for those watching their weight!) and incorporate another 1/2 cup (50g) chopped honeycomb. Spoon on top of cooled cupcakes and enjoy immediately.

The cupcakes come out of the oven looking rustic with yummy hokey pokey melting down the outsides of the baking cups. For me, it all adds to the appeal!

The other girls at work made a lot of Mmmm Mm noises while taste testing for me and thought that although both were moreish, the Violet Crumble produced a slightly more subtle tasting cake than the sweeter Crunchie. So go ahead and use any Hokey Pokey bar you can get your hands on - or if you want a challenge there's no reason you couldn't use a combination of shattered  homemade hokey pokey (roughly 40g) and your favourite chocolate (20g) in both the mixture and the cream.

A lovely day in the Bay!

A couple of weeks ago, I travelled ot the Bay of Plenty for a friend's daughter's wedding. Olivia & Mark were married on a beautiful sunny Saturday and their wedding reception was held at the award winning Charthouse

I had the pleasure of being asked to help with the candy buffet and cupcakes. As I couldn't fly down until Friday, I didn't have enough time for the wedding cake as well (above), this was entrusted to the lovely Sondra from Sweet Bites Cakes I spent Saturday morning at the Charthouse. From their lovely views, to their amazing staff and service, I can see why they continue to win awards. Check out these views out the window.

In total I made 300 cupcakes, but with only an afternoon and evening to do them, I had to work as fast as my hands could move. I take my hat off to those of you that do this for a living it is no easy task! Special thanks go to the Bride's stepfather Chris, who worked tirelessly with me all evening (until 12.07am) putting together laser cut wrappers and stacking the finished creations

I utilised some of my silicone moulds, and the balls you see on the cupcakes are 4mm black sugar pearls, 7mm candy beads and 10mm sixlets, to which I rolled in my hands, which were smeared with crisco - then I rolled them in white holographic glitter (it looks green in the photo, but I promise you it's white hologram). I also used impession mats to create patterned fondant and used a variety of cutters, to cut out shapes from black fondant and white gumpaste.

I was quite pleased how these turned out, given the limited time I had to do them.

The candy buffet jars & vessels were collected by the bride's mother. She made the signs and allotted which candy went in which jar. I was in charge of bringing the tongs, scoops & ladles from Kiwicakes.

I especially like how she used pearlized white jimmies sprinkles to hold up the black licorice twists

My seat during the recption was right next to the candy buffet, as I was on refill duty. I really wished we'd had a candid camera turned on the buffet. It was priceless watching people faces as they studied the candy. Many stole some and ate it, as they made their selections. Other were very well behaved. The ones that had me chuckling were the people who put too much in their take home jars and then couldn't get the lid clamped down. But it sure was fun!

Thank you Jo, Chris, Olivia & Matt for letting me part of your day