These 1st birthday cupcakes would make the perfect gift for a baby’s 1st birthday or a themed treat if you’re throwing a party for your little one.
You can swap the blue modeling paste for pink for a girl or cream for a neutral tone – the choice is yours. We’ve used chocolate cupcakes for the base of these cupcakes but you can use a different cupcake recipe if preferred.
How to make 1st birthday cupcakes
Ingredients
- 80g brown modeling paste
- 80g light blue modeling paste
- 40g green modeling paste
- 30g skin tone modeling paste
- 5g white modeling paste for the eyes and cupcake
- 2g black fondant
- 2g yellow fondant
- 1 batch of our chocolate cupcakes recipe
- Cornflour for dusting
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 1
Start by colouring your modelling paste. To get these colours we used Sugarflair’s dark brown, baby blue, gooseberry and a touch of tangerine for the skin tone. When you are adding the colour, start slowly using a bit of paste colour on the end of a cocktail stick and work your way up until you have the desired colour. Remember you can add but you can’t take it out, so be careful.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 2
Roll the brown modelling paste out to 1.5mm thick and cut 8 x 68mm scalloped circles.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 3
Roll the blue modelling paste out to 1.5mm and cut 8 x 58mm circles with the cookie cutter and, using the water brush lightly, stick the blue circles to the brown scalloped circles.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 4
For the '1st' cake topper, roll the green modelling paste out to 1.5mm thick and cut a 20mm x 40mm strip. Then using the sharp knife cut the corner off the top and a section from one side away to make the number '1' shape. Using another smaller strip, add that along the bottom for the base. To decorate emboss, the number one by pressing the writing piping nozzle into the paste to make dots and then stick to the topper with a brush of water.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 5
To cut the ‘st’ for the 1st, dust your surface and the cutter with a little cornflour. Roll and cut a small rectangle of brown modelling paste and leave to dry for 10 minutes, then cut the letters out. If the letters get stuck in the cutter use a soft brush to tease them out, this way you won’t mark the letters. Stick the letters next to the number one with a brush of water.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 6
For the mini cupcake topper, roll the green modelling paste out to 1.5mm thick and cut a 58mm scalloped circle. Trim a cupcake paper case shape out of the top and emboss the lines with the cocktail stick.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 7
For the candle, roll one green and one blue thin sausage. Roll them together from one end, twisting as you go. Trim to size.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 8
For the cupcake icing, roll the white modelling paste out into a long thin sausage shape, make it into a swirl shape as pictured, then use a brush of water to stick it to the top of the blue circle. Add the candle and flame, then stick the cupcake cases under the icing.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 9
For the baby face, roll the skin tone modelling paste and cut 4 x 58mm circles with the plain side of the cookie cutter. Add a smile by pushing the edge of the cutter into the paste. Add tiny balls of paste for the nose by sticking them on with a dot of water.
For the eyes, roll small balls of white paste and push them flat with the tip of your finger, repeat with a smaller ball of blue then a tiny ball of black and stick them onto one another, pushing down to flatten them with the tip of your finger.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 10
For the hat, roll the blue paste and cut 4 x 58mm circles, then cut one third from the top with a sharp knife.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 11
Stick the hat to the head with a brush of water, then roll the green modelling paste out to 2mm thick and cut a strip for the rim of the hat. Stick this on with a brush of water then, using a cocktail stick, emboss along the edge of the rim.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 12
To make the button for the hat, roll a ball of brown modelling paste and push it flat with the tip of your finger. Emboss the outside rim with the plain piping nozzle, then using the writing nozzle add two button holes and stick it to the hat with a dot of water.
1st birthday cupcakes: Step 13
Brush the cheeks with the dusky pink petal dust and a soft brush. Make sure the paste is dry before you dust the cheeks or it will stick and look blotchy.
Leave the toppers to dry fully over night before placing them onto the cupcakes.
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Hummingbird Bakery’s vanilla cupcakes recipe
First birthday cakes ideas