I've been in the kitchen again all day baking cakes for this week, and thought I'd grab an half hour or so to catch up with you all and finish off the cupcake post from earlier in the week.
I only baked a batch of 12 cupcakes for work but I wanted to decorate these each individually using both buttercream and royal icing. So being fair in everything I split these up into two batches of six and, then again into pink (for the girls) and blue (for the boys). The icing techniques were ones that I had learnt a couple of weeks ago at Country Cupcakes, and I'll try and explain what I did and how to get the icings the right consistency.
Royal Icing
What You'll Need
For up to 10 cupcakes
Royal icing sugar - quantities are difficult to tell you, as it all depends on consistency
Glass of cold water
A couple of drops of Glycerin - notreally needed, but it helps to stop a 'crust' forming on top of the royal icing and cracking
What You'll Need to Do
If you're using both buttercream and royal icing to ice your batch of cupcakes, I'd ice the royal icing ones first, that way you can put them to one side to set while you mix up your buttercream and ice the other cupcakes
I've found that the key with royal icing is getting the right consistency; too runny and it sort of just falls off your cupcakes, too thick and you can't spread it very well and it ends up unattractive crumbs in it
In a sugar mixing bow, add a 3-4 heaped tablespoons of royal icing sugar, mix in a teaspoon of cold water, making sure that the icing sugar is well mixed and does not clump together
The consistency you are looking for is not too runny and not too stiff. The icing should slowly dribble off a spoon, it shouldn't fall off in a clump and it shouldn't run freely
You'll need to add water a drop at a time until you get the right consistency, and if the icing is too runny, add another tablespoon of icing sugar until you're happy that you've got the texture and mix that you need
If you are colouring your icing, add a couple of drops to the icing at this point, and mix it in well to get an even colour.. now you're ready to ice some cupcakes
The best cakes to ice with royal icing, are those that haven't risen completely out of the cupcake case, where the case forms a sort of lip, this way the icing will sit inside the case on top of the cupcake and your icing won't run off down the side of the case
If your cupcakes are well risen on the top you can cut off the top to get
a flatter surface to ice on, but you might be more prone to crumbs in
your icing so give you cupcake a little shake to get rid of an loose
crumbs
Using a tablespoon take a dollop of icing, hold it above your cupcake and let you icing drop off the spoon into the middle of your cake
Gently spread your icing to the edges of your cupcake and then tap it gently on your work surface, this helps the icing 'flood' the cake case and set with a nice smooth top
Let the icng set for 30 minutes - 1 hour, then you're ready to decorate...
Buttercream Icing
What You'll Need
For up to 10 cupcakes
250g Icing Sugar
125g Butter - softened
2 tablespoons Milk
Colourings - I've gone with blue and pink; and you only need a tiny drop
What You'll Need to Do
Sieve the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl or into the trusty Magimix
Add the softened butter and blitz it until you get a soft, fluffy texture to your buttercream
If you cube the butter before this makes it alot easier to cream, if you're doing so by hand
Add the milk gradually, mixing it well into the buttercream
If you are making cupcakes in the summer when it is warmer, and they may be out for a while, you may wish to use water instead, just incase the milk could sour
Adding the milk or water, gives the buttercream a more smoother consistency and it is easier to pipe or spread onto your cupcakes; I've had a few instances when my piping bag and nozzle have become solid and bunged up when the buttercream is too thick
I split my buttercream into 2 smaller bowls at this point, and then coloured each batch up with a couple of drops of the blue and pink food colourings, rather than having to make two individual batches of buttercream in the Magimix
Make sure that you mix the colouring well into the buttercream, so that you get an even colour all the way through... Now you're ready to ice your cupcakes
If you have a lot of cakes to ice, cover your bowls with a damp cloth until you're ready to use it and decorate your cakes
Again, if your cakes are well risen on the top you can cut off the top to get a flatter surface to ice on, but you might be more prone to crumbs in your icing so give you cupcake a little shake to get rid of an loose crumbs
If you're piping the buttercream onto your cupcakes, you'll need a large star or round piping nozzle, and a piping bag. Starting at the outside of the cupcake, pipe the buttercream onto the cake, spiralling inwards, then... Go crazy with the sprinkles, glitter and anything else that takes your fancy!
