White - Bake me Im yours ... cupcake fun: over 25 cute cake characters

When I started my cake-making company 10 years ago, every order was all about having fun with different sizes of cake and icing in order to make the celebration in question memorable. Over the following years, customers have continued to challenge my team in their desire to see their varied hobbies and interests re-created in sugar and popped on top of a cake or cupcake. So this book brings lots of those simple, interesting ideas together to create delicious cupcakes for every occasion that really will make both kids and adults smile. These little cakes make great party centrepieces or gifts to show how much you care, or simply an entertaining family treat. The cake bases and frostings can be mixed and matched and used for any project you choose to decorate them with, or eat them just as they are for an everyday bite.

This book has been devised for those new to making cupcakes as well as those who are looking to expand their skills, whether with new flavours, designs or decorating techniques, and as a helpful guide each project has a skill rating indicated by one, two or three cupcake symbols.

I hope you enjoy learning some new recipes to bake and experimenting with tasty toppings to create, and dont forget to sample them along the way cooks perks!

Have fun!

Before you start, its a good idea to check you have everything to hand that you might need. Included in this section is a list of essential equipment for making and baking your cupcake sponge bases and to whip up your frostings; a basic decorating toolbox; and key specialist tools. Dont feel you need to have all the latter kit to create fun cupcakes, but if you are making a large quantity or get really hooked, these are the items I find really useful. Specific tools required beyond the basics are listed under you will need at the start of each project.

• Kitchen scales/measuring cups and measuring spoons for accurately weighing ingredients
• Electric stand mixer with paddle attachment (flat beater) to make the sponge cake bases and toppings
• Muffin and mini muffin trays (pans)
• Wire rack to cool cupcakes
• Flexible plastic spatulas for scraping out bowls
• Muffin baking cases (liners) keep a variety of the many fantastic designs available, both paper and foil, on hand for spontaneous events
• Large disposable plastic piping (pastry) bags for piping your mixture into cases (liners)
• Oven thermometer a must if unsure of your internal oven temperature
• Microwave or double boiler for melting chocolate
• Plastic or glass microwave-safe bowls for melting chocolate and butter
• Sieve (strainer)

We usually use muffin or mini muffin-size baking cases (liners) because they are just the right size to be flat-frosted to present your cupcakes beautifully and still give a perfect amount of sponge. Smaller cupcake or fairy cake cases are not suitable for these projects.

• Non-stick work board with non-stick mat beneath to prevent slipping to roll out icing and cut out and model paste shapes
• Non-stick rolling pin for rolling out sugarpaste (rolled fondant) and flower (petal/gum) paste
• Icing spacers to achieve an even 3mm (in) thickness
• Large disposable plastic piping (pastry) bags, 46cm (18in) or 53cm (21in) for piping frostings
• Paper piping (pastry) bags made from baking (parchment) paper for small quantities of royal icing/applying details
• Piping tubes (tips) fine for piping royal icing details; large for piping frosting (see )
• Scissors to snip the ends of piping (pastry) bags for tubes (tips) to fit snugly
• Large and mini palette knives large for buttercream; mini for cutting, turning paste and lifting paste shapes/features
• Paintbrushes a selection of sable (no. 3 for glue) and pony (no. 8 for glitter) are handy
• Set of 11 circle cutters (Ateco) nos. specified count outwards from the smallest, no. 1
• Icing smoother for smoothing and polishing sugarpaste (rolled fondant)
• Sugar glue for attaching decorative elements
• Cocktail sticks (toothpicks) for applying colour to icing and creating tiny indentations

• Shaped cutters ovals, hearts, square, star, triangle
• Kemper mini plunger cutters 4mm (in) circle and heart are used in many projects; PME blossom set comes with a foam pad to push the plunger against to cup the paste
• Ball tool and smile tool (PME) for adding detail to paste characters
• Dresden tool for scoring lines into paste and adding texture
• Paint palette for mixing colours and blending gold/silver lustre dust with alcohol
• Dusting brush for brushing lustre dust onto paste
• Foiled cake board for storing made-ahead paste discs

Now that you have all your basic equipment to hand, you are ready to begin your preparations for baking. You can use almost any recipe for the decorated cupcake projects in this book, and I have listed some of my special favourites here for you to choose from.

First, get to know the Golden Rules of Baking before you proceed. I always use a stand mixer and where possible give easy all-in-one recipes, but if you wish to make your cake mix by hand, cream the fat and sugar together in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy before gradually beating in any liquids and finally incorporating the flour with a large metal spoon.

• Let all your ingredients come to room temperature before you begin to make your cake mix.
• Before starting to make your cupcakes, read the recipe right through to familiarize yourself with the method.
• Preheat your oven and check that it is reaching the correct temperature by using an oven thermometer.
• Prepare tins (pans) before starting to make your cake mix so that it doesnt have to sit.
• Ensure you weigh the ingredients accurately the key to great cupcakes!
• Never cream your mixture on full speed start on slow and work upwards.
• Eggs are best used when they are at room temperature.
• Add eggs one at a time or gradually to prevent curdling, adding a tablespoon of the flour if it looks like the mixture may be starting to curdle.
• Always fold in the flour. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment (flat beater) on the slowest speed.
• Generally fill the muffin baking cases (liners) two-thirds full for a flat top and to allow room for frosting.