Sweetest Garden Cupcakes

by Maria Roca
(Wichita, Kansas, USA)

These 100% edible cupcakes were created for a special friend who can always be found playing in her garden.

The cakes were created as follows:

1.) Fondant (which was colored to match the natural terracota colors, a little powdered sugar was added to the fondant add to the clay effect). Stems and leaves were also made from fondant and colored with leaf and mint green shades. The little party bug and signs for each pot was hand sculpted out of fondant as well.

2.) Crumbled oreo cookies (without the filling) were used for the dirt.

3.) Ice-cream cones were used to provide the form of the flower pots. Prepare cake mix as directed on package. Pour scant 1/4 cup batter into each ice cream cone, filling scant 1/2 full. Set in baking pan. Bake as directed for cupcakes. Cool.

4.) Once cooled frost the outside of the cone with buttercreme frosting then cut your colored fondant to wrap around pots. I used 2 seperate peices for the rim and bottom.

5.) You can add special effects once completed very softly dampen the leaves and stems to add a "dew effect" be careful not to overdampen as fondant can become sticky. Also if you are making a piece that needs a little more sturdiness like a branch or a twig, add a little gumpaste to your fondant - this will give it that extra firmness. I placed these pots in a gardening container as opposed to a cake tray to add to the special efects.

HAVE FUN!