8 March, 2018
Mother’s Day Cupcakes
Mother’s Day is fast approaching and with a few simple tweaks of my basic vanilla or chocolate cupcakes you can easily create a showstopping centrepiece or a batch of luxurious cupcakes to treat your Mam’s.
A batch of vanilla cupcakes can very easily be turned into a bouquet of roses. Simply prepare a batch of vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting. The only difference is in the decoration. Whereas I usually use a Wilton 1M nozzle to create a ‘Mr Whippy’ style finish, I instead use a Wilton 2D nozzle which makes the cupcake look like a rose.
When decorating the cupcake, start from the centre and work outwards, keeping the level of the icing at the same height all of the way.
To colour the frosting I use food gels. Only a small amount is needed to create a pastel shade. It’s best to add a small amount and mix well before adding more if you want to create a more vibrant shade. Less really is more! These cupcakes look beautiful displayed in a box or on a cake stand, but you can go one step further and arrange them into a bouquet.
When I first made these a number of years ago, it was a real potch! I used to glue a polystyrene ball into a weighted flower pot and attach the cupcakes with cocktail sticks, before wrapping in paper! Thank goodness you can now buy a ‘Mason Jar Cupcake Bouquet Holder’ (£7.99 from Lakeland) which is very simple to use alongside a glass Kilner jar to create the effect of a vase of roses. I put the display together in less than 5 minutes. You simply clip the plastic cupcake holders into the base and attach this to the metal lid of the jar before screwing the lid on. Voila!
To make the bouquet even more realistic you could flavour the cupcakes with rose water. Simply replace the vanilla in the recipe with rose water. The cupcakes will taste of Turkish delight.
Alternatively, a batch of basic chocolate cupcakes can be given a luxury makeover by adding chocolates such as Lindor or Ferrero Rocher! For a real treat, pop a chocolate into the centre of each cupcake before you put them into the oven! Top with another chocolate!
