These present cupcakes are perfect for a special occasion like a birthday or even for Christmas if you're giving them as a gift. Learn how to decorate your cupcakes for a special occasion and these will make the perfect birthday present for your favourite person. The decoration might take around 30 minutes, but it's well worth it, as the result is really pretty and you can use your favourite sweets to decorate them.
Ingredients
12 carrot cupcakes
12 multicoloured fizzy belt sweets (approx 25 x 2 cm /10 x 3/4 inch)
edible pastel pink glitter
Marshmallow icing
1 large egg white
a pinch of cream of tartar
60g caster sugar
75g mini white marshmallows
Equipment
disposable piping bag
large star nozzle
WEIGHT CONVERTER
to
Method
To make these cupcakes, cut six sweets in half. Cut a further two sweets in half lengthways, then cut each thin length into three short lengths. To make a bow, take a sweet half and fold in half, but so the join is in the middle. Take a short length and wrap it around the join a few times, quite tightly. Repeat to make 12 bows.
To make ribbon tails, cut each of the remaining four sweets in half lengthways, then cut each of these in to three to make 24 short thin strips. Cut a small triangle out of one end of a strip, to give you a fork like the tail of a ribbon. Repeat with the remaining strips.
To make marshmallow icing: Put the egg white and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl. Whisk until soft peaks form using an electric hand whisk. Then gradually whisk in the sugar until you have a glossy meringue and the sugar has dissolved. Put the bowl over a pan of simmering water and add the marshmallows. Whisk continuously for about 5 minutes until the marshmallows have nearly melted. Remove from the heat and whisk for a further 5 minutes until the marshmallows have completely melted and the mixture thickens sufficiently. Leave to cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture stands in soft peaks.
Put the marshmallow icing into a piping bag with a large star nozzle and pipe zigzag patterns or large swirls over the top of each cupcake, starting from the outside edge and working your way to the centre.
Put two thin ribbon tails on top of each cupcake, then top each with a bow. Sprinkle with a little glitter and leave to set for 1 hour.
Top Tip for making Birthday present cupcakes
Look out for multicoloured fizzy belt sweets in newsagents orsweet shops, or use anything similar that can be bent. If you like, you could make it out of coloured, ready-to-roll fondanticing instead
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