Saturday, April 19, 2008

Elmo cupcakes

C says:


I made these for little A’s birthday party. Being a Sesame Street theme party, I decided to decorate the chocolate cupcakes with Elmo faces. I thought hard about how to do this with the least amount of fuss (read: no buttercream, which (a) takes ages to make and (b) SOME people think it’s neighbourhood bakery-esque).

I ended up using stabilised whipped cream, which is simply whipped cream stabilised with some gelatine so that the cream doesn’t bleed (or leak and get all watery) after a while. Pretty simple to make. I then used chocolate buttons for the eyes, and a flash of inspiration coupled with an inability to find orange jellybeans led me to use cashew nuts for the nose.

I quite like how the cake and the decoration turned out, visually. Unfortunately, with the sheer amount of food colouring that was required to tint the cream to the lurid shade of vermillion that is Elmo, the icing ended up tasting rather synthetic, with a decidedly icky aftertaste. Oh well, this IS for a kiddie party, and hopefully under-6 year olds are less than discerning foodies.

A says:

Children are evil little creatures sent to ruin your lives.

Unless they enrol in A’s Playstation Academy (must be toilet-trained).

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love the look of the cupcakes! Can I order some for kids party next time... yes yes I am one of those SOME people who think buttercream is neighbourhood-ish. It IS. That's not to say it is not good for kiddy parties. I loved that stuff as a kid!

atetoomuch said...

Wah S, with arrival of baby E, still got time to read atetoomuch ah? I'm honoured ;p Of course, I would be happy to make for your kiddy parties next time. Just nothing too complex ok? Elmo face is still ok. Don't ask me to do 3D castles or ponies...

Anonymous said...

C is just the bestest! Little A is very grateful for the yummy cupcakes and the effort put in. The icing was soooo fine. A's mummy did not find it synthetic tasting at all (but then A's mummy IS rather LC and is one of those who STILL loves buttercream :p) Anyway, rave reviews all ard and everyone thinks you should sell them.

And heheh, I still think A is hilarious despite the slight re my (and other) kids :p

flo said...

C is really amazing! the cupcakes were gorgeous to look at and even yummier to eat! really loved them and i am lots older than the intended audience ;p you should really think about starting a 2nd career or at least a sideline...(selfish personal motive...then I can buy and gorge myself silly) : )

Anonymous said...

C, kudos on your cupcakes! At least the lesson u and I took with J Shu did not go to waste. Hey, u not in office today as I wanted to give you a carrot cupcake with my hand moulded marzipan carrots! Too bad my team mates ate all up, so nothing left for you! C @ IBD