paste and cut the shapes
freehand using a cutting wheel – I
was going for long, triangle shapes.
Then, roll out pink modelling paste
and cut out smaller triangles the
same way. Stick the pink smaller
triangles to the larger white ones
using a little edible glue and leave to
dry with the ends bent up, either on
dimpled foam or by resting on
scrunched up clingfilm.
TO ASSEMBLE
5 To assemble, stick down both
the face and the ears to the
coloured fluted disc from earlier. I
recommend sticking these all
down at once to ensure the ears
stay underneath the face. To
finish, roll out two small balls of
black modelling paste and, using a
very small amount of edible glue
on a paintbrush, stick these down
for the eyes.
THE CHICK
6 For the chick, knead and roll out
yellow modelling paste. Cut out a
plain circle the same size as your
fluted ones. For the wings, cut out
two heart shapes and glue into
place in the centre of the chick
facing out. For the beak, roll out a
little orange modelling paste, cut
out a small triangle and glue into
place. To finish, roll out two small
balls of black modelling paste and,
using a very small amount of
edible glue on a paintbrush, stick
these down for the eyes.THE CARROTS
7 For the carrots, knead a small
amount of orange modelling paste
and, using your hands, roll it into a
small sausage. Pinch the end to
taper and indent lines on the top
using a scalpel. For the roots, knead
a small ball of green modelling paste
and stick this to the end of the carrot
then, using a scribe, cut lines into it
for texture. Leave these to dry on
foam before sticking to another
coloured fluted disc using a little
edible glue.THE FLOWERS
8 The flowers were made using
a blossom and a daisy plunger
cutter. To use these, simply roll
out your modelling paste thinly
on a surface dusted with
cornflour, cut out your shapes
and leave to dry on foam. For the
3D blossom effect, cut out the
shape, then plunge it straightonto the foam, this will bring the
sides up as it pushes the centre
down. Finish with a small ball of
modelling paste in a contrasting
colour, held in place with a little
edible glue. Once the flowers are
dry, glue these to a fluted disc.FINISHING TOUCHES
9 Leave all of your toppers to dry
completely before adding to your
cupcakes or cakes. This will
ensure the shapes stay as you
like them and don’t bend or fold
as they are still drying.
10 Bake your desired cupcakes
and top with buttercream, then
add your dry decorated discs.
I like to do a swirl of buttercream
underneath the discs using a
2D nozzle, but whether you
spoon it on, or pipe it on is
completely up to you.These toppers can be made well
in advance. As long as they are
stored correctly they will last
ages. I like to make up a batch of
cupcake toppers to keep for later
projects. Once they are
completely set, after leaving
them overnight, I recommend to
store these in a cardboard cakebox, nothing airtight. Placed
carefully on a bed of kitchen roll,
with a sheet of kitchen paper
over the top so that air can get to
it, but dust can’t. If you don’t have
any cake boxes, a tupperware
box with the lid off, and a sheet of
kitchen roll instead, will suffice.
You need to make sure air can
get to it. I don’t recommend
storing these in the fridge or
freezing them. Sugar is a natural
preservative and as long as they
are not left in direct sunlight, just
a cool dry room, they will last for
weeks, if not months. Keep an
eye on the date on the pack of
sugarpaste/modelling paste that
you use and work with that in
mind. As long as no moisture
gets to them, they will be fine.
These toppers can be
customised to any colour. You
can add more, such as a little
nest of mini eggs, or change up
the carrots for another springtime
theme, the choice is yours!Happy Easter &
happy ba king
Brit t xxx
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