How to Make Leaning Tower of Pisa Cupcakes

Hey guys! Are you ready for another tutorial?

By the way, if you have any requests, leave a comment, say hi, or if you are my neighbor, just holler :) I have a few ideas up my sleeve but I'd like to hear from you also :)

After the Eiffel Tower Cupcakes Tutorial, I thought I'd make a tutorial of another famous landmark, The Leaning Tower of Pisa. I remember Cake Boss making a ginormous cake version of the tower with a couple riding a Vespa and I thought, hmmmm.... how about we make  a cupcake topper version?

I made this topper using the same technique as the Eiffel Tower Cupcakes, I call it the Google and Trace technique. You know, find an easy to copy clip art on Google, trace it on a tracing paper and transfer to gumpaste. Then following it up with details using royal icing. This technique works well if you have want to create a two dimensional topper like Eiffel and this one. I find this a very useful (and inexpensive too) technique since not all shapes are readily available as a fondant cutter. 

So here it is! hope you guys like it!

What we need

Cupcakes (of course!)

Buttercream in Electric Green (with some in a piping bag with a grass tip)

Leaning Tower of Pisa Template (I just googled "Eiffel Tower Clipcart" and copied the simplest image I can find and tranfered it to a tracing paper)

Knife

Gumpaste (I use Country Kitchen's Gumpaste Mix)

Royal Icing tinted Chocolate Brown in piping bag with a #1 tip

Slim popsicle sticks

Here's How:


(1) Using an offset spatula, spread some of the buttercream into the cupcakes. Make sure to just spread thinly as we'll be adding another layer first. Consider this a "primer coat"

(2) Pipe the grass on the cupcakes.

(3) Roll out gumpaste and cut out the Leaning Tower of Pisa(s) using the template. Let it dry overnight

(4) Here's the template I used along with the cut gumpaste version.

(5) Using the Royal Icing in piping bag with a #1 tip, pipe the outline of the tower

(6) Then proceed piping the inside details of the tower. Let it dry (... again) 

(7) Assemble towers on top of the cupcakes with popsicle sticks for support. Make sure to make the tower lean a little bit on the right. It wouldn't be the Leaning Tower of Pisa if it doesn't lean, yeah?

How to Make Eiffel Tower Cupcake Toppers

February is the only month when it is unofficially okay to have pink as your picture background for every post for the rest of the month. By "you" I mean "me". And while where at it, I'll include April on the list since it's my birthday month and I can practically do anything I want. 

But then again, pink is a popular background for all my posts. I hope by now you're used to it, though I try to balance the whole vibe with other colors as well. Sometimes, you see browns, oranges, reds, greens, oh well, you get it. But pink is the closest to my heart. Just saying. 

Anyway, since it's the love month and all, I thought I'd show you how I made the Eiffel Tower Cupcakes from this post. And I'm posting it early to give you all the prep time you need. How's that for nice? :)

What we need

Eiffel Tower Image

Knife

Gumpaste (I use Country Kitchen's Gumpaste Mix)

Brown gel food coloring

Royal Icing in piping bag with a #1 tip

Bronze luster dust

Vodka [friendly note: vodka is used to thin out the luster dust and not for drinking while doing this project. After all, friends don't let friends cake decorate while drunk :)] or a clear extract (ex vanilla or lemon)

Brush

Slim popsicle sticks

Here's How:

(1) Roll out gumpaste and cut out the Eiffel Towers using the template. Let it dry overnight

 (2) Thin out brown food coloring with vodka and brush onto the towers. Let it dry for about 2 hours.

 (3) Using the Royal Icing in piping bag with a #1 tip, pipe the outline and details on the tower. Let it dry (... again) 

 (4) Thin out the bronze luster dust with vodka and brush onto the details.

 Here are some cupcakes I prepped with heart sprinkles. Cupcakes taste so much better with sprinkles, says Fancy Nancy. Oh wait, that was ice cream I think. Same difference. 

Assemble towers on top of the cupcakes with Popsicle sticks for support. Oh la la!!!

How to Make Dragon Cupcake Toppers

I'm a little time challenged this past week.

You see, all the clocks around the house stopped. At different times. One reads 3 o'clock, another reads 9:50 and another one 11:30. Must buy batteries soon. I don't know if I'm getting enough sleep or simply just been awake too long. I do hope I am not too late to welcome the Chinese New Year. Kung Hei Fat Choi everyone! 


2012 is said to be the Year of the Dragon. And in the spirit of fun, I looked up what's in store for Bake Happy (the blog, not the blogger) this year. Here's the 411:


Blog Name: Bake Happy
Birthday: July 12, 2008
Chinese Zodiac: Earth Rat


According to ChineseZodiac.com "Earth Rats prefer a sense of stability, digging in and putting down roots early to help ensure a successful future. They believe that slow and steady is the best approach." I like it!


So how will Bake Happy fare in 2012? Let's see - 

"Those people born in the Year of the Rat, will see considerable improvement in their energy and luck in the year of 2012 compared to 2011. Events will be smoother this year for all age groups. You will be lucky in love and romance, with even chances of being blessed with babies! It is also possible to settle down this year if you already haven’t. You will do well in business, career, social life, and romance too. However, take care not to indulge too much in the known vices and be cautious about gossip and vile words from others. Wise investments will bring in great harvest as your wealth luck is superb in 2012. Time to rejoice even more this year with favorable stars shining upon you!" 

Liking it better and better! 2012 seems to be Bake Happy's lucky year. I don't know about the romance stuff because... well, Bake Happy is a blog and it is just turning four this year. Practically a baby... so yeah.

And on to why I made this post. Let's make some Dragon Cupcake Toppers to usher in the Year of the Dragon.

What we need - 

Fondant in purple, orange, black and white

Fondant rolling pin

Medium sized oval fondant cutter 

Polvoron Shaper

Knife

Waste as glue/paste

Small brush for the water

 Here's how - 
(1) Roll out the orange fondant and cut out small triangles.

(2) Roll out the purple fondant and cut out an oval shape. Cut it into two. 

(3) Place it one on top of the other and cut the bottom part using the polvoron shaper. This will be the dragon's wings.

 (4) Cut out two small triangles for the dragon's ears.

 (5) Roll 6 balls using the purple fondant. The two big ones will be the head and body, the four small ones will be the hands and feet.

 (5) Shape the small balls to resemble tears.

 (6) For the head, shape it as well to resemble a tear but make sure the smaller end is still round.

(6) Do the same for the body but elongate the smaller end as it will become the tail. For the tail part, use a knife to cut out an arrow of some sort for the tail end.

 (7) Attached the head to the tail. Still doesn't look much but have faith :)

 (8) Attach the ears, hands and feet.

 (9) Attach the small orange triangles from head to tail as well as the wings.

(10) Finally, using toothpicks, the black and white fondant, make the dragon's cute face.

And with that, let's welcome the new year with these cute-as-can-be, soon-to-be-fire-breathing dragons!

How to Make the Angry Birds Cupcake Toppers

For more tutorials, please visit the Bake Happy Tutorials page

Hi Everyone!

Are you ready for a tutorial? I hope you are because I am! My friend Emely requested for an Angry Birds Tutorial and I am gladly obliging. My sister loves this game, I had her explain to me how it works (too bad, I'm not a gamer), it's pretty cool actually no wonder so many are hooked!

For this tutorial, I'll be showing you how to make the red Angry Bird. It's kind of the base for making the other birds. Once you know how to, you'd be able to make the other ones all on your own. Pinky swear.


What we'll need - 
Fondant in red, orange, black and white
Toothpick
Fondant ball tool
Rolling pin
Round fondant cutter
Water (to serve as glue)
Brush

Procedure:
1. Roll red fondant into a smooth ball.

2. Roll the white fondant flat and cut out round shapes.

3. Using water as glue, glue it at the bottom of the red bird.

4. Make small tear shaped fondant from the orange colored ones.

5. Using a toothpick, make a small hole into the middle of the bird's face, brush on a bit of water the insert the orange tear shaped fondant. This will be the red bird's beak.

6. Using the fondant ball tool, indent the bird's eve sockets.

7. Roll small pieces of white fondant and press into the eye sockets,

8. Shape small black fondant into a. tear shaped ones and b. round ones.

9. Glue tear shaped ones as the bird's eye brows and the round ones as its eyes.

10. Lastly, add some feathers (three tear shaped red fondant) into the top of the bird's head.

Here's the finished Angry Bird

Here are the birds' nemesis, the pigs! Boy they are cute!

Here's the whole gang! So who's playing Angry Birds now? I am!

Happy Cupcaking, 

Aikko

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