Make squirrel cupcakes as cute autumn cakes, or make the toppers to create an autumnal theme on a big cake. Our cupcake queen Victoria Threader shows you how to make these fondant designs with our easy step by step picture guide
Ingredients
Makes 6 toppers
- ½ batch basic cupcakes
- ½ batch chocolate buttercream
- 50g chocolate fondant
- 195g white modelling paste
- 5g black fondant
- Black sugar pearls for the eyes (or black fondant)
- Wafer paper Autumn leaves (Victoria uses Just Lift Peel and Munch)
- Edible glue
- Pink sprinkles
- 1 strand dried spaghetti
- Cornflour, for dusting (optional)
Step 1
To start, knead the chocolate fondant with 50g white modelling paste.
Roll and cut 6 x scalloped circles, leaving them to dry on a drying sponge or greaseproof paper. Knead 45g modelling paste with 5g off cuts from the brown scalloped circles. Roll to 2mm and cut the centre circles using the plain side of the 48mm cookie cutter. You want to leave these to dry for about 6 hours so make sure you give yourself plenty of time beforehand.
Step 2
To make the squirrel’s body, knead 5g black fondant with 100g modelling paste to make a grey paste. For the squirrel’s body, mould 10g pear shapes in the grey paste and then flatten a small ball of the light brown paste and lay it over the tummy part of the body.
Step 3
For the feet, roll a tiny ball of grey paste and cut 3 lines to make toes. For the arms, roll a tiny tapered sausage shape and repeat, cutting 3 lines in the smaller end for the fingers.
Step 4
Stick the feet and arms to the body using a brush of water.
Step 5
Roll a small ball of paste for the head and 2 tiny balls of light brown paste for the eyes and cheeks.
Flatten the light brown paste balls and using the water brush, stick them on for the cheek and eyes. Add the black sugar pearls at the bottom of the eye patches and then the pink sugar sprinkle for the nose. If you don’t have black sugar pearls, you could also use small dots of black fondant.
Step 6
Cut tiny teeth from an off cut of white paste and make ears, shaping tiny triangles of grey paste and stick them to the top of the head.
Hold the head onto the body with a small length of dried spaghetti.
Step 7
Roll 2 thick sausages for the tails, one grey and one light brown, then flatten one side and roll them together.
Step 8
Flatten one end of the tail to stick to the body and curl the other. Use edible glue to stick the tail on and then use something to support the tail until it has dried completely.
To make edible glue: Pop a small piece of fondant in a heatproof dish with 1 teaspoon water and melt for 5-10 seconds in the microwave.
Step 9
Cut the wafer paper leaver out with a sharp knife.
Step 10
Roll the remainder of the grey paste out to a thickness of 2mm and cut the letters out for your message. Arrange the letter onto the toppers and stick then on with a brush of water.
Step 11
Make tiny acorns with the offcuts of paste by rolling tiny balls of paste and sticking them together.
Step 12
Using a palette knife, spread chocolate buttercream onto the tops of the cupcakes. Use a nutty chocolate spread to give it a nutty taste if you like.
Step 13
Using the edible glue, attach the squirrel to the topper and then glue the paper leaves around him. You can bend the leaves by brushing them with edible glue and bending the edges with the tip of your finger. Add the toppers to your cakes.
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