We’ve spoken about our fondness for all things BKD in the past (check out the baking kits and Mini Bakers’ Club) and now founder Adelle Smith has launched her own cookbook. BAKED: Amazing Bakes to Create with Your Child (Orchard Books, RRP £14.99) is a wonderfully creative collection of goodies to bake with your little ones, from brilliant birthday cakes (think rockets, dinosaurs and rainbow funfetti pinatas) to beautiful biccies (minibeasts, pirates and a glorious gingerbread house) via crazy confections like burger cupcakes and ice cream sundae cake pops. As well as looking rather lovely, it’s a great baking resource with suggestions for a comprehensive larder and essential tools, instructions for various basic cakes, fillings and frostings, plus piping techniques and party tips and tricks. Guaranteed to get even the most reluctant young chefs having fun in the kitchen. Adelle has kindly allowed us to share our favourite cupcake decorating idea from the book with you – how amazing do these rainbow unicorn cupcakes look? We’re going to make them over the holidays – do share photos if you have a go.
RAINBOW UNICORN CUPCAKES
Makes 12 large cupcakes
TOOLS
• non-stick mat
• silicone rolling pin
• petal cookie cutter
• blunt knife
• plastic piping bag
• scissors
• piping nozzle (2D star tip)
• paintbrush size 6, for rainbow food colouring
• measuring cup
• paintbrush size 00 or black edible ink pen, for nostrils
FOR THE CUPCAKE BASES
1 batch vanilla or lemon cupcakes (you can use your own favourite recipe or check out the book) in silver cupcake cases
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
• 1 batch buttercream or cream cheese frosting (you can use your own favourite recipe or check out the book)
• food colouring gels in rainbow colours
TO DECORATE
• icing sugar or cornflour, for rolling out
• 140g white sugarpaste
• 6 large white marshmallows
• black edible ink pen or black food colouring gel
• edible candy eyes
• edible glitter (optional)
I would suggest starting with the sugarcraft work for the unicorns before baking the cupcakes or making the frosting. This will allow some time for hardening. If you can leave overnight, even better!
SUGARCRAFT
01 Dust the non-stick mat with a little icing sugar or cornflour. Using the silicone rolling pin, roll out the white sugarpaste to approximately 4mm in thickness. Cut 24 petal shapes for the unicorns’ ears. Pinch the wider ends together.
02 Use the remaining white sugarpaste to make 12 unicorn horns. Roll a small piece of white sugarpaste in the palms of your hands to make cone shapes. Make them around 4–4.5cm long and ensure the bases are wide enough for them to stand up on the non-stick mat. Repeat the process 12 times. Take the blunt side of a knife and gently press it around the horn from tip to bottom to make a spiral indent. Leave the sugarpaste shapes to dry and harden.
MAKE THE CUPCAKES
Prepare and bake the vanilla or lemon cupcakes.
MAKE THE RAINBOW FROSTING
01 Make a batch of your chosen frosting. Prepare your piping bag with a 2D star tip nozzle.
02 Line up the food gels in rainbow order: ROYGBIV. Dip the paintbrush into the red pot first, then paint a line down the inside of the piping bag from top to bottom. Paint twice, along the same line. Do the same for each of the other colours, leaving a gap of about 2cm between each one, around the whole of the piping bag.
TIP: Don’t worry if you accidentally get a little food colouring on the wrong part of the piping bag. It won’t show when you pipe the cupcakes.
03 Once you have finished painting the piping bag, fill it with the frosting. Using a measuring cup, scoop up the frosting and drop it into the bag. Shake the bag, holding the top with two hands so as not to disturb the food colouring too much. Keep adding the frosting and shaking until your bag is full.
04 Gently press the bag to ensure no air is trapped and that the frosting is right at the bottom. Twist the top of the bag and pipe the frosting through the nozzle until you start to see the rainbow effect. Set your piping bag aside.
CREATE THE UNICORN CUPCAKES
01 If necessary, slice off the top of the cupcakes so they are nice and flat.
02 Cut the large marshmallows in half and draw on two nostrils with a black edible ink pen, or use a thin paintbrush and black food colouring gel.
03 Take the rainbow frosting. Decorate each cupcake using the rosette technique. I like to use this style as it gives a flatter finish.
04 Add the marshmallow noses at the bottom centre of each cupcake.
05 Next, place two edible candy eyes just above each nose. Remember to leave enough room for the unicorn’s ears.
06 Add the ears, ensuring you stick them firmly into the frosting. Position them so they are slightly upright – they stay in place better that way.
07 Finally, add the unicorns’ horns. Again, push these in really firmly so they don’t topple over. If you wish, you can also sprinkle your unicorns with edible glitter for that extra little magical sparkle!
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