Haunted Portrait cupcake

                                    haunted portrait cupcake

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I love zombies as much as the next person but when I have reached my flesh eating critter weekly limit, I like an old school movie with a haunted portrait or you're haunted by the portrait. 

Hichcocks 'Rebecca' 

Otto Premingers 'Laura'

Oh, oh, oh and I love, Oscar Wilde so 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' 

Momentarily lost my camera this week (ok a longish 27 hour panic), but "yay" I found it for the cupcake shot and "awww" didn't have it for the tutorial, ummm but I have a few dodgy badly lit phone photos... a quarter of a "yay" at least for that! Today's haunted portrait themed cupcake starts with the frame. 

I don't use moulds much but I do like these small frame moulds. The moulds were lightly dusted with cornflour, fondant (or modelling paste) is pressed in. I put mine in the freezer for a few minutes for fast release from mould. 

Once dry the frame was painted with copper and gold food paints, when that's dry a little black petal dust was used to bring out the details and add a vintage feel. 

Head shaped.

The hair is made from a base piece of fondant then spirals I made on a toothpick are attached with a dampened paint brush. 

I started by fitting base of dress into the frame, before adding bodice, arms and head. 

And this is about when the panic of not being able to find my camera really set in and I stopped taking pics.

The rest is joining the bits and bobs together and colouring with petal dusts and food marker. 

I could contemplate now whether I should make a new years resolution now about "better tutorials", but for now I might just go with.... 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!  

Something quick and easy for Halloween treats and mix up some Chocolate Peanut Butter Spiders

Spider Egg Tins

                             chocolate "spider eggs" in tins

A quick and fun "craft" idea for Halloween but also great for any of your gothic themed dinners. Not in a gothic dinner party time of life? children will like designing labels and filling the tins.  

Give these chocolate filled spider tins out as favours, use them for place setting markers or passed around after dinner with coffee. 

You need small metal tins with lids (craft stores). 

A bag of rubber spiders or cockroaches if you want cockroach eggs instead (toy shops, craft shops etc). 

Crispearls are used extensively in patisserie and chocolate work to add "crunch". 

Small rounded candy or chocolates.  I used dark Callebaut crispearls, tiny, shiny pearls of dark chocolate with a crunchy toasted cereal centre but any small lolly or candy would do. Cocoa shelled popping candy would also work. 

Make labels for your tins in whatever program you have from Word to Photoshop. Using clipart from the internet or your files. Print your labels on sticker paper or on plain office paper.  If you used plain office paper cut out your labels and adhere to your tins with non toxic glue.  Oh, don't forget to personalise the labels, print friends names, greetings etc.

Use tissue paper in contrasting or matching colour to line the bottom of the tins, fill with chocolates/lollies of choice. Top with a single layer of tissue, put your spider on top of that and close the lid.  

Happy crafting :) 

The Tell-Tale Heart Cupcake

                                      The Tell-Tale Heart Cupcake

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"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!" Edgar Allan Poe

I absolutely love 'The Tell-Tale Heart' the gothic story written in 1843 by Edgar Allan Poe!

My step son said today it reminds him of 'The Simpsons', yes it is a much referenced tale in pop culture.

Of course you will need fondant "floor boards" for your tell tale heart cupcakes. 

White fondant was tinted with ivory colour gel, rolled thinly and cut into strips.  Using a toothpick and modelling tool mark out "wood grain", "nail holes" and "joins". Allow to dry.  

With a small soft brush lightly apply brown shades of petal dust to highlight the grain. Your aiming to only highlight the grain with the darker colours so remove excess brown dust on a piece of paper towel before applying. Top with a dusting of cream or yellow petal dust. 

When making hearts; mine are small so I've just used 50/50 white modelling chocolate and fondant. If making larger hearts consider using a lolly, chocolate, RKT or cake pop mixture inside the heart.  

The mixture is coloured red with cake gel colour (I used no taste red for bulk of the heart and a little red red for veins). Make a heart shape, make sure you add the aorta and other arteries to the top and few veins for texture.  Allow to dry. Dust lightly with brown petal dust.  

Assemble your cakes, I used frosted cakes with cookie crumb topping. Attach your heart to your cake with a single toothpick, lean or attach boards with frosting.

Using cake decorating gel (coloured red if clear) and a small paint brush paint a thin coat of "blood goo" on to your hearts. The brown petal dust you used earlier will blend/smudge giving you a "meaty" look to your heart. 

Happy baking or gothic Halloween making :) 

In the mood for more Poe cupcake raven tutorial.  

Halloween Cake Lace Butterflies

                               metallic cake lace butterflies 

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Can butterflies be creepy? I thought so when I was saying to a friend I was planning on making butterflies for Halloween, they disagreed but hey, I was determined to get more use out my gorgeous but expensive Claire Bowman silicone butterfly mat.

Claire Bowman making cake lace butterflies

As seen in the video, butterflies made the Claire Bowman way usually have a *first layer of pre made metallic icing and after baking a second layer of white cake lace icing. The second layer is to prevent brittleness, but since I haven't had a problem with the butterflies being brittle I just used one layer of silver.

I baked the mat/butterflies for 5 minutes at 60 cel (140 F) . Leave to cool for a few minutes, check a butterfly by lifting a corner... they should peel off easily. If your butterfly still seems to soft, return to oven for a few more minutes.

Once baked, I placed my butterflies on the back of an egg carton covered with plastic wrap to add shape.

When fully set, a soft brush was used to dust on cake decorating black shimmer dust. The finished butterflies reminded me of vintage marcasite brooches. Attach the butterflies to cocktail and dessert glasses with a *tiny dab of cake glue and of course the butterflies make the perfect toppers for your Halloween cupcakes, chocolate truffles and cookies too.

 *for use on the glasses the single layer cake lace worked perfectly, staying firm and in shape all day. If you need to manipulate the butterflies further then I would recommended following Claire Bowman's instructions. 

*make sure you only use a dot of cake glue if the butterflies become wet they will dissolve. 

Happy Baking :)  

You might also be interested in an attack of the swamp zombie cupcake

or perhaps Poe is more to you liking with The Raven and Black Cat cupcakes

Half a Grasshopper Pie

                                               Half a Grasshopper Pie

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Grasshopper Cocktail: The drink reputedly originated at Tujague's in the French Quarter New Orleans. The cocktail contains equal amounts of creme de menthe and white creme de cacao with added cream and shaken with ice.

You start with the thought "I'm going to make Nigella Lawson's Grasshopper pie", that was until you realise you don't have and can't get some of the ingredients.... which brings us to today's recipe a "half a grasshopper pie".

I thought I did, I thought I did... have whie creme de cacao. I didn't. We don't have Bourbon biscuits here but I'm Australian so dark chocolate Tims Tams it was. 

Tim Tams: chocolate coated and chocolate cream filled biscuits (cookies) popular in Australia, use the equivalent in you country i.e. chocolate coated oreos. 

We also don't have the mini white marshmallows Nigella uses here so I thought white soft eating marshmallows will do. Three supermarkets later I cannot buy white marshmallows, I can buy fruit swirled, chocolate dipped, pink and white mixed but no "white". 

Yep, this is why I found myself separating pink from white marshmallows. I've since found out Aldi in Australia has white eating marshmallows... dang I should have asked my all knowing friend Jacinta first! 

Half a Grasshopper Pie recipe

1 loose bottomed 25x5 cm (10x2 inch) fluted tart tin

300g grams (10.5oz) of chocolate coated cream biscuits (approx one and half packs of dark chocolate Tim Tams) 

50g (1.75oz) of dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)

50g (1.75oz) softened butter

200g (7oz) grams soft white eating marshmallows (cut in half or quarters depending on size)

2tsp of pure vanilla extract/essence

80ml (2.7 fluid ozs) green creme de methe 

125ml (4.22 fluid ozs) milk

375ml (12.7 fluid ozs) thickened cream

few drops of green food colouring

*optional vanilla whipped cream, fresh mint and chocolate curls to serve

oiled scissor blades make short work of cutting marshmallows 

Process the chocolate biscuits (cookies) with the chocolate in a food processor until it's a rough crumb, add the butter and pulse until it just comes together. 

Base processing finished and ready to press into shell. 

Using the back of a spoon or your hands press the crumbs evenly around the base and sides of fluted tart tin. Make sure you press firmly, particularly around the edges coming up the sides. Refrigerate the base. 

Put the cut marshmallows with the milk in a small saucepan, *over low heat. Once the milk starts to foam around the edges, remove from heat and stir marshmallows to completely melt in. Pour into a heat proof bowl, stir in the creme de menthe, vanilla and green food colouring if using. Set aside to cool. 

Whisk the cream until soft peak stage (it will hold it's shape but drop gently off a spoon), add cooled marshmallow mixture. Whisk until combined but not over beaten. 

Pour mixture into chilled crust. Spread lightly to fill shell evenly, create a few swirls or smoother finish... whatever you prefer.

Refrigerate pie a minimum of four hours, use a plastic dome lid or aluminium foil to create a dome over the pie. You don't want the surface to be touched.

When ready to serve either top with crushed chocolate biscuits (cookies) or as I did with a dollop of vanilla white cream, chocolate curls and a fresh mint leaf. 

* Trouble shooting: gentle, gentle heat melting marshmallows if the mixture boils the marshmallows don't reset. 

* a delicate texture similar to a Sara Lee Bavarian dessert, this pie needs to be refrigerated... it will collapse if left in a warm place. 

Was the pie worth it? Absolutely!!  Happy Baking :) 

You might also be interested in Ode to Bounty Bar cupcakes   

Happy Halloween

               the continuing adventure of the Gingerbread man

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The Gingerbread man is still on the run from his first blog appearance Christmas 2009.
Caught up with him in Egypt in 2010.

Lost him in 2011 but found him under attack by Zombies in 2012.

This year I thought I'd cut him a break and let him cut himself a costume to do some Trick and Treating. 

Happy Halloween :) 

You might like to do some "gingerboy eating" with this chocolate truffle ginger cupcake recipe

Frankenstein's Monsters Cupcake

                             Frankenstein's Monsters Cupcake; topper made from modelling chocolate and fondant

“I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel...” Mary Shelley

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by Mary Shelley about eccentric scientist Victor Frankenstein, who creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Wikipedia

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Goodness, I'm late, I'm late, I'm always running late but instead of making a white rabbit/Alice in Wonderland cupcake I had a slight panic moment when I saw Martha Stewart's Halloween issue is out already... it must be time to work out this years Halloween baking theme. Shall it be classic monsters? Yet, I've never done Hitchcock before.

Mad scientists appeal to me. I think I can make something with a bowl of green goo (green coloured peanut butter turned into powder perhaps?) or pop rocks/space candy, I love pop rocks, I could fill test-tubes with those and give them out to sprinkle of top of frosted cupcakes or bake them into the cases of chocolate chilli tarts.

Hmmm, what to do? What will you do? 

Also out now the first edition of Taste.com.au magazine. Definitely worth a look, with  Zumbo, Manu and Matt Preston writing stories/recipes plus a plethora of other aussie food journalists. Paper copy from Woolies, digital copy from itunes. 

I'm off now to read Martha Stewarts Halloween :) Happy Baking. 

The Walking Gingerbread Men (Zombie Apocalypse Cupcake)

The Walking Gingerbread Men (Zombie Apocalypse Cupcake)

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Zombies, Zombies, Zombies; I've read 'World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War', I've run from the zombies with the 'Zombies, Run!' app and can't stop watching 'The Walking Dead' on cable (can you?).

And I'll tell you now... not since grade three when I was chosen last for the tunnel ball team have I been more disappointed to learn that everyone I know is not taking me with them if a zombie apocalypse strikes.... well, that's not including the few that said "you could be useful as bait". 

Darn that fibromyalgia, just because I can be a bit slow and limpy... I bet I speed up and eat (their) brains when I'm a ZOMBIE! 

Back to 'The Walking Dead' (not a neat segue, but I'm distressed!!), where there is so few humans left I'd be watching out for those gingerbread men this Christmas!!! 

Happy Halloween :) 

Oh, and if you want to make these toppers you will need, a gingerbread man mini cutter, some gingerbread coloured fondant or modelling chocolate, a black food marker, a little white fondant.... plus frosted or fondant covered cupcakes and I added a few fresh gingerbread "crumbs". 

Dan the Shrunken Head Halloween Cupcake

                 Dan the shrunken head halloween cupcake

I've been drying chicken in the oven for dog treats this week, the pugs love the shrunken pieces... and yep, this is segue into today's shrunken head cupcake.

Firstly, don't stress about your sculpting skills when you whip up shrunken heads of your hubby, boss or teenagers... you really just need to pick up a few identifiable features. 

Here is Dan, my step son. I could have put his hair shape and beard on a ping pong ball and people would have still said "it's Daniel". Sooo, a bald head, eye glasses, big ears, red hair, curly hair or maybe a nose ring will make up the features of your shrunken head. 

Dan's shrunken head started with this basic shape modelled from a 50/50 modelling paste/modelling chocolate combination.

It's easy with modelling chocolate to smooth and blend joins (like the top of Dan's nose), the heat of your fingers will do it. The addition of modelling paste or fondant with CMC powder added will make sure your piece dries firmly, important if you are living in a warmer climate.  

The bonus of making Halloween shrunken heads and zombies is that if a bit doesn't look right you just give it a squeeze or break a bit off, "it's shrunken". 

Have fun.

Happy Baking :) 

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You might also be interested in an easy white modelling chocolate recipe

Attack of the Swamp Zombie cupcake

                            attack of the swamp Zombie cupcake

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The dietician on talk back radio was saying "don't deny your chocolate cravings just buy a Freddo Frog instead of a whole block of chocolate"... first thing I thought... hope that includes cream frogs! 

Some might consider 1950's sci fi and horror films schlock; I prefer to think of them as little gems, their black and white film reels disguised with bright and lurid poster art.

1950's poster art

Besides they are so much fun and a great inspiration for Halloween cupcakes. Today's cupcake relies on "a hand", it can be a zombie, a sea creature or perhaps an alien hand. Make your hands with fondant or modelling paste the night before you need them, insert a tooth pick or a piece of dry spaghetti amd the leave to dry. Next day pop them in your fondant, iced or frosted cupcakes and they are ready to hold your treat of choice.

I used Cadbury Cream Freddo's, they come in Strawberry or Peppermint. 

Just before serving I broke the Peppermint filled Freddo Frogs to allow for the right amount of Halloween goo. 

Happy Baking :)