Susan Akass - My First Cupcake Decorating Book

my first cupcake decorating book my first cupcake decorating book 35 fun ideas for decorating cupcakes, cake pops, and more, for children aged 7 years + Published in 2012 by CICO Books An imprint of Ryland Peters & Small 519 Broadway, 5th Floor, New York NY 10012 2021 Jockeys Fields, London WC1R 4BW www.cicobooks.com 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Text copyright CICO Books 2012 and the recipe authors listed on
Design, photography, and illustration copyright CICO Books 2012
For recipe credits, see . The authors moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress and the British Library. eISBN: 978-1-782492-73-3
ISBN: 978-1-908170-36-1 Printed in China Series consultant: Susan Akass Editors: Susan Akass, Katie Hardwicke Designers: Elizabeth Healey, Barbara Zuiga Step artworks: Rachel Boulton Animal artworks: Hannah George For photography credits, see .

All spoon measurements are level unless otherwise specified. Both imperial and metric measurements have been given. Use one set of measurements only and not a mixture of both. All eggs are US large (UK medium) unless otherwise stated. This book contains recipes made with raw eggs. It is prudent for more vulnerable people, such as pregnant and nursing mothers, babies and young children, invalids and the elderly, to avoid uncooked dishes made with eggs.

Some of the recipes contain nuts and should not be consumed by anyone with a nut allergy. Ovens should be preheated to the specified temperatures. All ovens work slightly differently. We recommend using an oven thermometer and suggest you consult the makers handbook for any special instructions, particularly if you are cooking in a fan-assisted oven, as you will need to adjust temperatures according to manufacturers instructions. Contents Cupcakes look fabulous, taste delicious, and are fun and easy to make. In this book, we have a whole bunch of exciting ways to decorate a cupcake.

But why stop at cupcakes? The latest trend is cake popsyummy, creamy cakes on a stickand we have a chapter on how to make and decorate these little beauties. Finally, there is a chapter of scrumptious chocolate brownies, gingerbread, and cookies to be made and decorated in a stunning variety of different ways. Before you decorate, you need to bake your cakes or cookies, and we have included recipes and detailed instructions on how to do this. Of course, you will always need to ask an adults permission before you start, and will need to ask for help with heating ingredients on the stove and using the oven, but, as you become more experienced, you will be able to do more and more of the cooking yourself. The decorating is the really exciting part and you can do most of this by yourself or, for even more fun, with the help of a friend. What better way of spending an afternoon than creating stunning cakes for your birthday tea, or a special picnic, or a sleepover? Most of the recipes use ingredients which you will probably have at home or which you can buy at the supermarket.

A few use more specialist ingredients, which you can buy online or at specialist stores. To help you, we have graded all the projects with one, two, or three smiley faces. The grade one projects are easy and can be made with ingredients from the supermarket. Grade two projects are a little trickier, take more time and patience, and may use some specialist ingredients. Grade three projects also use specialist ingredients and are the hardest. They include more difficult techniques, such as using an icing bag.

Happy baking! Project levels Level 1 These projects are easy and use basic ingredients. Level 2 These projects are a little harder and may use specialist ingredients. Level 3 These projects use more advanced techniques and specialist ingredients.

• Always wash your hands before you start cooking.
• Tie long hair back so that it is out of the way.
• Wear an apron to keep your clothes clean.
• Make sure your ingredients are fresh and within their use-by date.
• When using sharp knives, electrical equipment, or the stove, microwave, or oven, always ask an adult to help you.
• Use oven gloves when holding hot pans or dishes.
• When using the stove, make sure that saucepan handles dont stick out over the front of the hob where you could knock them off.
• Always remember to turn off the heat when youve finished cooking.
• Use a chopping board when using a sharp knife or metal cookie cutters this protects the work surface and will help to stop the knife from slipping.
• Keep your work surface clean and wipe up any spills on the floor so that you dont slip.
• Dont forget to clear up afterwardwashing the dishes can be as much fun as baking!

Basic equipment Mixing bowls in different sizes Heatproof glass bowls Microwave-safe bowls Wooden spoon Measuring pitcher (jug) Weighing scales or measuring cups Wire whisk Spatula Pastry brush Rolling pin Strainer (sieve) Measuring spoons 12-hole muffin pans 12-hole mini muffin pan Baking trays Cake pans Small saucepan Cookie cutters Grater Lemon squeezer Baking parchment Sharp knives Palette knife Wire cooling rack Paper cupcake cases Mini muffin cases Basic Recipes Vanilla cupcakes You will need: cup (175 g) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup (175 g) superfine (caster) sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup (175 g) all-purpose (plain) flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons milk 12-hole muffin pan paper cupcake cases (makes about 12) Ask an adult to turn the oven on to 350F (180C) Gas 4. Next page