Tinted Fondant Food

BUTTERFLY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the wings: Dust the work surface lightly with confectioners' sugar. Roll the yellow fondant out to a thickness of 1/8 inch, moving the fondant occasionally as you roll to make sure it does not stick. Cut out 24 hearts with a 2-inch heart cookie cutter.
• Arrange the pencils, pens or chopsticks on the work surface. Pair hearts together by overlapping their points by an inch. With a small brush, dab a little water on the overlapping area between the 2 fondant pieces and press gently to adhere. Drape each pair of wings over a pencil to shape the butterfly. Allow to dry until stiff, about 2 hours.
• For the antennae: Unroll the licorice and cut into twelve 1 1/4-inch-long pieces. Separate the two strands of each licorice piece, leaving them attached at one end. Roll 2 small (1/4-inch) balls of green fondant for each pair of antennae and attach the balls to one end of the licorice. Enclose the remaining fondant in plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Repeat with the remaining pairs of antennae. Set aside to dry.
• For the bodies: Shape about 2 teaspoons green fondant into a butterfly body, about 2 inches long, with a head at one end and the other end tapering to a point. Attach a pair of antennae by sticking the licorice into the head. Using a small brush, moisten the front of the body with a little water and attach 2 yellow sprinkles for eyes.
• To assemble and decorate: When the wings are dry, turn them over and place between 2 pencils for support. Brush the center of each with a little water; add a body and press gently to adhere. Brush the wings lightly with water and stick on the multicolored sprinkles to decorate. Let dry 30 minutes.
• Melt the chocolate. Add pupils to the eyes by dipping a skewer into the melted chocolate and making a small dot on each yellow sprinkle.
• Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons buttercream. Top each cupcake with a butterfly and press them gently into the frosting to adhere.

TINTED FONDANT

Steps:

• Working on waxed paper, knead a tiny amount of food coloring into fondant. All the parts shown are made by gently forming the fondant as if it were clay. It's just sticky enough that you can press the parts together (lift the finished decorations with a thin spatula).

LADYBUG CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the antennae: Unroll the licorice and cut into twelve 1 1/4-inch-long pieces. Separate the two strands from each other, leaving them attached at one end. Roll 2 small (1/4-inch) balls of yellow fondant for each pair of antennae and attach to the separated ends of the licorice. Enclose the remaining fondant in plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Repeat with the remaining pairs of antennae. Set aside to dry.
• For the legs: Cut more licorice into 2 1/2-inch segments. Separate the strands from each other to make 72 legs. Roll 72 small (1/4-inch) balls of yellow fondant to make a foot for each leg. Attach a foot to the end of each leg. Set all the legs aside to dry.
• For the bodies: Shape about 2 teaspoons of red fondant into a ladybug body the size of a small walnut. Make a line in the back of the body with a small knife. Roll a small ball of black fondant about 3/4 inch in diameter for the head. Attach a pair of antennae by sticking the licorice into the head. Using a small brush with a little water, moisten the front of the head and attach 2 yellow sprinkles for eyes.
• Roll enough 1/4-inch balls of black fondant for spots and flatten them slightly. Moisten the backs of the ladybugs and attach the black spots. Attach 3 legs to each side of the body by pressing them in. (Use a skewer to make holes to help guide, if needed.)
• To assemble: Attach each head to a body by brushing the surface of the body with a little water and gently pressing the head on to adhere. Add pupils to the eyes by dipping a skewer into the melted chocolate and making small dots on the yellow sprinkles.
• Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons buttercream. Place the ladybug in the middle and press gently into the frosting. Repeat with the remaining elements.

QUICK POUR FONDANT ICING

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine confectioners' sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a temperature of 92 degrees F (33 degrees C.) Mixture should be thin enough to pour, but thick enough to coat cake. Stir in the almond extract.
• To cover cake: frost cake smoothly with buttercream (see Editor's Note) and place on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath. Pour fondant over iced cake, flowing from center and moving out in a circular motion. Touch up sides with a spatula.
• Excess fondant can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for about four weeks. Reheat over a double boiler just until pourable.