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15 Minutes or Less: Making a zoo of cupcakes
Like most 3-year-olds, my son has developed a bit of a sweet tooth.
We tried to avoid giving him sugar-loaded foods, but as sweets lovers ourselves, it’s hard to tell him he can’t have a cookie when you’re nibbling on one in the first place.
But moderation in everything, right?
This week, we made cupcakes together (and by together, I mean I made them while he sat in at the kitchen counter trying to get the wrapper off the sprinkles) and instead of leaving the whole batch at the house, which would mean a daily battle over how many he should get to eat, I dolled out one to each of us and then I brought the rest to share with my co-workers.
Pretty cute, huh?
I wish I could take total credit for baking these bad boys from scratch, including the icing, but I had the help of a few new products from Duff Goldman, the guy behind the Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes.” (I don’t usually write about national products like this, especially $9 cake mixes or $24 fondant, but the cupcakes turned out pretty moist and delicious and I wouldn’t have been able to put them together in less than 15 minutes without the assistance of pre-made fondant.)
But who am I kidding, it’s the cheap animal-shaped cookie cutters from IKEA that made this project blogworthy.
Fondant’s consistency makes it perfectly suited to be cut with cookie cutters, and if you have gelatin, glycerin and a willingness to experiment, you can try your hand at making it at home. (I came across a few recipes that relied on marshmallows instead of gelatin and glycerin. Have any of you tried it either way?)
Duff’s fondant tasted pretty good, definitely better than most fondant found on wedding cakes but not as good as a rich buttercream frosting. I only used about a quarter pound of the two pound container, which means I’ve got plenty left for more zoo cupcakes.
Just don’t tell Julian.
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