Deacon - Holiday cakes and cupcakes: 45 fondant designs for year-round celebrations

A CHRISTENING CAKE

This naughty little scamp has not only pulled the fondant off the cake but also wrapped himself in it. To make the exposed cake look neater I baked the cake in two 7-inch (18 cm) shallow cake pans. Its not essential and you could bake the cake in a deeper pan and simply slice it in half or thirds as usual. If you are having a large party you could bake a second larger cake and use this one as the top tier or place the cake in the center of a large plate or board and surround it with cupcakes.

Ingredients

Two 7 in (18 cm) cakes baked in shallow cake pans (sandwich pans)

10 in (25 cm) round cake board or plate

5-6 tablespoons of jelly (jam)

1 quantity buttercream (see page 24)

4 oz (120 g) flesh-colored fondant

1 lb 2 oz (500 g) white fondant

oz (5 g) Yellow fondant

Black food coloring

1 strand raw, uncooked spaghetti (optional)

Confectioners sugar for rolling out fondant on

Water, boiled and cooled for sticking fondant together

Equipment

10 in (25 cm) round cake board or plate

Small, sharp, non-serrated knife

Fine and medium paintbrushes

Metal piping tip (nozzle) any design

Cheeky straw (see page 11)

Scalpel (optional)

Rolling pin

Carving knife

Palette knife

TIPS: No scalpel? Paint eyelashes instead with black food color or use a black food color pen once the fondant has hardened.

For a neat blanket edge, place a large dinner plate on top of the rolled out fondant, then use it as a template to cut out a large disc.

How to Make Your Christening Cake

Begin by making the baby. Roll about 1 ounces (45 g) of flesh-colored fondant into an oval for the body (Fig. 1). Insert a section of spaghetti to add extra support if you wish. Leave about inch (2 cm) protruding. Make a 1 ounce (30 g) flesh-colored ball for the head and stick on top of the body.

Holding it at an angle, press the edge of the piping tip into the face to make a smile. Press a little U shape with the cheeky straw at either edge of the mouth. Make and stick two tiny white fondant ball shapes onto the face for the eyes. Make the eyelashes by pressing the tip of the scalpel into the fondant three times at the outer edge of each eye (Fig. 2).

Add a tiny flesh-colored ball shape for the nose and some thin yellow fondant string shapes for hair. Paint pupils onto the eyes with black food color.

Make a small flat oval shape for the hand and stick over the mouth. Roll the remaining flesh-colored fondant (about 1 ounce / 30 g) into a sausage about 5 inches (13 cm) long. Cut it in half and, with the rounded ends forming the feet, bend each half into an L shape. Stick the legs against the body.

Place a layer of jam (jelly) and buttercream over the top of the first cake and place the second layer on top. Sit the baby in position on the cake.

Knead the white fondant until pliable and roll into a ball. Using your rolling pin, flatten it into a large disc (see TIPS). Dab a little water on the babys head then lift and place the white icing over the baby and most of the cake.

Tweak the white fondant into an attractive arrangement. Poke a pattern of dots around the edge of the white with the end of your paintbrush (Fig. 3).

CHRISTENING CUPCAKES

Roll about ounce (10 g) of flesh-colored fondant into an oval for the body. Stand upright and stick a ounce (5 g) fondant ball on top for the head. Add two tiny white fondant ball shapes for eyes and press the edge of a piping nozzle (tip) held at an angle into the lower part of the face to make a smile. Add a tiny fondant ball for a nose and a tiny yellow fondant string bent into a squiggle for the hair. To make the blanket, thinly roll out about ounce (20 g) of white fondant. Cut out a strip about 4 x 1 inches (10 x 4 cm) Fringe both ends and wrap around the body. Paint dots on the eyes to finish.

BABYS FIRST BIRTHDAY CAKE

As I was putting the first version of this baby cake together it occurred to me that if the baby in question hadnt chewed the pram, there was a strong chance the parents might like to keep it. So on this, the second version, I put the model on a small thin cake card. This means the model can be removed easily from the cake and kept. You may find it useful to do this with other designs when the recipient may want to keep your decorations (see page 29).

Ingredients

8 in (20 cm) round cake

1 quantity of buttercream (see page 24)

Confectioners sugar for rolling out fondant on

Water, boiled and cooled for sticking fondant

1 lb 12 oz (800 g) white fondant

2 oz (60 g) green fondant

10 oz (300 g) pale blue fondant

1 oz (45 g) black fondant

Tiny bit of yellow fondant

oz (20 g) pink fondant

1 oz (30 g) brown fondant

Black food coloring

Equipment

6 in (15cm) thin round cake card

10 in (25 cm) normal round cake board

Carving knife

Palette knife

Rolling pin

Cake smoothers (optional)

Small, sharp, non-serrated knife

Medium and fine paintbrushes

Circle cutters1 in (3 cm) and in (2 cm) See TIPS opposite

Piping nozzle (tip)any design

Scalpel (optional)

Ribbons

Scissors

Sticky tape

Plastic cake dowel (optional)

BABYS FIRST BIRTHDAY CUPCAKES

Make a teddy bear using the instructions given in the main cake. You can change the body color if you wishpink or blue for example to match the cup-cake cases. Pipe or spread a swirl of buttercream onto the top of your cake and place the teddy bear on top.

How to Make Your Baby's First Birthday Cake

Level the top of the cake and turn it upside down. Split and fill the center with buttercream. Reassemble the cake and place on the larger board. Coat the outside surfaces with buttercream and cover using about 1 pound 8 ounces (700 g) of white fondant. Smooth the top and sides. Trim and keep any excess from around the base.

Keep about ounce (10 g) of white fondant back for the babys bonnet. Moisten the exposed cake board and cover it using the rest of the white fondant. Use the bandage method shown on page 28. Then place the cake to one side.

Lightly moisten the small board with a little water. Knead the green fondant until pliable and roll it into a thick circle then place it on to the board. Continue to roll the fondant up to and over the edges of the board. Then trim off the excess and place to one side for the moment.