How to Draw Unicorns

So you want to learn how to draw unicorns. Well, you've come to the right place. I have been a professional illustrator of unicorns since 2007, and have been an appreciator and collector of these magnificent beasts since long before that. What I'm saying is this: I'm pretty much the best person to teach you how to draw them.

I'm not going to twinkle-toe around it, because I want to get straight to the good stuff. And by that, I mean creating magic with pen and paper. So here we go:

How to draw unicorns

No superior work of art ever resulted from a lackluster state of mind. So before you get started, you have to get inspired. There are a few sure-fire ways: surround yourself with unicorns you love, read this post about hipster unicorns, watch Planet Unicorn on youtube, or rent The Last Unicorn

 How to draw unicorns

Now that you're fired up, grab some supplies. I am demonstrating simply using a sharpie with pink construction paper, but you can feel free to use whatever medium makes you happy. I have yet to discover how a tiny naked baby can assist in the unicorn-drawing process, but I am a believer, so I am sure that one day I will learn.

How to draw unicorns

Oooh, ooh, ooh. Now that we're suited up and insprired, it's time to get drawing!

How to draw unicorns

You'll start with the horn. It's easy, really: a thin, tall triangle with stripes for the ridges of the horn.How to draw unicorns

Now, add little ears on the sides of the horn. You want your unicorn to be able to hear the clatter of cupcake tins that means you're getting ready to bake, don't you?

How to draw unicorns

Now, extend the face, adding two little "knobs" on the side for nostrils. You want your unicorn to be able to smell it when you bake cookies, don't you? How to draw unicorns

Now for the biggest and possibly scariest step. Draw a long line which starts at the ear and cascades all the way down in a wave, forming the unicorn's back and the back of its hind leg. Whew! How to draw unicorns

Now, starting at the bottom of the middle of the unicorn's face, draw another line--this is the front leg. How to draw unicorns

In the space between, draw a total of 4 legs. Be sure to add hooves at the bottom, otherwise your unicorn's feet will be too sensitive to prance about. How to draw unicorns

Oh, goody! We've reached what I personally consider the funnest part of drawing a unicorn. How to draw unicorns

Add a mane, both as a little puff of hair in front of the horn and between the ears, and a nice cascade of hair down the back of the neck.

How to draw unicorns

Add a swingy tail, too!

How to draw unicorns

Add two assertive dots for eyes. Finally, your unicorn can see your pretty smile! Now, add two lighter dots below, for the nostrils.

How to draw unicorns

Be sure to add a heart near the unicorn's butt. This is a spot from which it draws power and magical love energy.

How to draw unicorns

Hooray! Now you have a unicorn to be your friend and companion. What will you name it? What kind of adventures will you share?

How to draw unicorns

Enjoy the magic of unicorn art!

How To Write Letters Like a Unicorn: A Tutorial

Unicorn letter

Have you ever wondered how a unicorn writes a letter?

Well, I was hanging out with my pet unicorn, Sprinkle, who helps me with many things, from headstands...

to everyday advice like how to make rainbow jell-o cups or what time of day I'm most likely to see a shooting star with a rainbow trail.

So, me and Sprinkle were having a nice gossip sesh over frosting shots one day, and after maybe one shot too many, she told me the secret way in which unicorns write letters.

Writing letters like unicorns

Because unicorns do not have hands, they do something really special to send their buddies messages. They whisper messages into rainbow rays, and then they wish them over to their friends, who are not only greeted with a rainbow but good tidings.

Listen, I'm not going to lie: humans do not have the magic ability to do this.

But we can co-opt the idea and send a friend a bouquet of rainbows and sweetness by stuffing balloons with little notes and gifts. It basically guarantees a magical day for the recipient. 

Here's how you, as a human without magical abilities, can make it happen.

How to write a letter like a unicorn

You need:

  • a variety of rainbow colored balloons
  • messages or small gifts to put in the balloons
  • tissue paper and packing material
  • a shipping box
  • love

Step 1: Start by preparing a bunch of small notes, like so:

Writing letters like unicorns

You can also grab some other things, like candy or marbles or small things that will make nice little gifts.

Writing letters like unicorns

You can also draw some unicorn horns and includes some of those, too: Writing letters like unicorns

because then the recipient can hold them up to ponies and make them instant unicorns, like so:

A pony no longer!

Step 2: Place the notes or gifties in the balloons. One or two things per balloon. Roll up notes to get them inside of the balloons with ease. 

Writing letters like unicornsWriting letters like unicorns

Step 3: Blow up the balloons. Blow them kind of small, about the size of a large apple or so. 

Writing letters like unicorns

Step 4: Once you have a number assembled, place them in a box lined with tissue paper. Line the sides and top with packing material before sealing and addressing the box.

Writing letters like unicorns

Step 5: Send it on its way! Unlike unicorns, you can't wish your package to its recipient, so you'll have to hit up the USPS or UPS or Fedex. For best results, use a fairly rapid shipping method (such as priority mailing). Be happy in knowing that you will have a very delighted recipient when it's received!

Although this is definitely an adapted version of the unicorn method, it's a highly delightful method of making someone's day brighter. And any unicorn would deem that magical. 

So there we go! And now you know...

Writing letters like unicorns

Who in your life deserves a magical letter? 

Mother's Day Flower Pot Cupcakes Tutorial

Hey, I know you probably already bought your mom the best Mother's Day present ever. But just in case you've slacked...

here's a fantastic and exclusive tutorial just for CakeSpy readers, by Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School!

You may remember how they previously shared a tutorial on making a magical unicorn cupcake. Well, this one is just as sweet! 

For easy reference, here's a review of what you'll need to make these sweet cakes:

Tools

  • 6 silicon flowerpot cases
  • Medium calyx cutter
  • Medium daisy cutter
  • Sieve
  • PME cone tool
  • Small rolling pin
  • Piping bag
  • Sponge former
  • Tweezers
  • Large lily cutter

Ingredients

  • Basic Victoria sponge (or vanilla cake) recipe to fill 6 muffin/ plant pots
  • 400g/ 14oz Ganache
  • 50g/ 1.7oz white flower /gum paste
  • 50g/ 1.7oz green flower/gum paste
  • 12x 20g white wires
  • Green florist tape
  • 6 pose pics
  • PME pearl spray

Enjoy, and happy Mother's Day in advance!

Tutorial for Children: The Art of Stealing Easter Candy

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

This tutorial is an act of public service, from CakeSpy to the children of the world. 

Every year, millions of children are deprived of the proper amount of Easter candy that they are due. Parents actually hide or otherwise withhold this Easter candy, justifying this behavior by saying it's for the children's health. 

How do I know this? Because, dear readers, I was one of these children. It's true. As a child, every year when stores started displaying their Easter candy wares, my mother would buy bags and bags of candy, notably Cadbury Mini Eggs. And she would dole them out to we starving children only very sparingly--in torturous servings of one or two at a time. Sometimes she'd even hide them around the house, so that we had to perform a mini egg hunt before enjoying our treat! 

But after a while, I got wise. I realized that she had to have a stash somewhere, and I found it. But how to get access to the sweet treasure without mother's watchful eye noticing? 

As a fairly clever kid (if I do say so myself) I devised a way. And now, children of the world, I'd like to share this method with you. I'm posting it now, at the end of January, so you can hone your art as the Easter Candy season approaches--you might just find it works with Valentine's Day candy, too!

Keep in mind that this method works best with bags of candy that contain many small units--for instance, you wouldn't want to do this with say, a two-pack of Reese's cups. You'd be busted right away because the missing pieces would be evident. But to perform this candy-poaching method with a bag of, say, Cadbury Mini Eggs, it works like a charm.

How to Steal Easter Candy Without Your Mom Noticing

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

Step 1: Assemble your tools. I suggest an X-Acto Knife, and clear tape. You can use a pair of sharp scissors, using one extended scissor leg as a knife, if you don't have access to a knife. The glossy kind of tape is best, but the matte kind is OK. 

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

Step 2: Turn the bag over, so you are looking at the back of it. Flip the flap on the back.

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

Step 3: Using your X-Acto knife, gently cut a 2-inch or so incision along the flap which you've flipped back, trying to keep your line as straight as possible. Don't cut too deeply or you might cut through the entire bag by accident!

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

Step 4: Remove a few candies. I know your impulse is to take a bunch, but stay cool. Don't take too many, or you WILL be busted. There will be more bags, trust me.

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

Step 5: Cut a strip of tape to the length of the incision. Cut the tape in half, lengthwise, so it is quite narrow. Adhere it to the incision, pressing it flat and smoothing out air bubbles.

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

Step 6: Fold the flap back.

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

Voila! Now, take the candy and run. Smile to yourself when mom says "Gosh, they put less and less candies in these bags every year!". 

How to steal Easter Candy: Tutorial

Cue the "the more you know" music, and let the rainbows provide a fade-out! No need to thank me, but yes, you're very welcome.

Cute Food Tutorial: Summery Cupcakes and Cookie Unicorns

Hi all! Norene Cox here from Party Pinching. I'm so excited to be guest blogging for CakeSpy
because I am such a big fan! I’m a lover of cupcakes, photography, writing, beagles & all things
chocolate. I started my website because my kids are growing up (they do that you know) and I
missed being a room mom. I love blogging about all of my fun snacks and party ideas. Today
I’m sharing some fun summer treats that are super easy to make with store-bought candy and
cookies!

Oh, and they’re cute. ‘Cause I’m all about cute food…

These tropical drink cupcake toppers are made from malted milk balls.

Just slice off the top, and with a little melted white chocolate, attach a little piece of licorice lace and some flower sprinkles. Ta-da! You've got yourself a mini coconut drink. Stick in a paper drink umbrella and you have one festive little cupcake- perfect for a luau party!

Mixing coconut or crushed malted milk balls in the batter is pretty yummy too. Heck, you can even add both.

Another super cute summer cupcake topper idea is to take Pez candy and add a little flower sprinkle on one end. Now you have teeny tiny flip flops. Can you imagine anything cuter? Oh, but wait! There’s more cuteness coming…

Behold! A unicorn cookie - the epitome of cuteness.

This little magical sweetie is good for any time of year. It’s made out of a Pepperidge Farm Milano cookie dipped in white candy melts. Simply add some candy eyes and a small marshmallow cut diagonally for the ears. Use an edible black marker to draw the nose on a white candy melt. Then cut the mane out of blue fondant using a mini daisy cutter. Carefully cut the tip off of an ice cream cone for the horn.

It’s cute.

And lucky.

And charming.

It’s magically delicious.

Have a sweet summer everyone!

Magical Unicorn Cupcake Tutorial

Paul Bradford Magical Unicorn for CakeSpy

Topping the list of life skills you never knew you needed? How to make a magical unicorn to put on top of your cupcake.

But the days of blithely living your life unaware of how to complete this magical task are over, thanks to my friends at the Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School, who kindly offered up an exclusive tutorial to put on CakeSpy. Not only that, but they were willing do do a tutorial involving a magical unicorn! And don't freak out too much, but in a few days I am going to keep the good times going with a giveaway for some Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School DVDs - so you can get some educaketion at home.

Here, in all its glory, is the video. It's broken up into four parts to keep things manageable for you!

 

To give you a little bit of a 411 on the Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School (don't you want to go there?), here's their mission statement: 

Paul Bradford Magical Unicorn for CakeSpy

 

Our aim is to provide you with all the information and skills you need to be a successful cake decorator.
We have hundreds of hours of step-by-step video courses on our website, with new cake designs added weekly. The courses will teach you a wide range of cake decorating skills, with basic designs to suit beginners to more challenging designs for the experienced. Whilst the cake designs featured in our courses may inspire you, the skills and confidence you will gain are invaluable, allowing you to create cake designs as wild as your imagination.
With a wealth of experience including making cakes for royalty in the UK and Prince Albert of Monaco, to running one of the UK's  biggest designer cake businesses, Paul Bradford and his team have a lot of expertise which they are happy to share.
For more information, and to join our lively cake decorating community come to:

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Paul Bradford Magical Unicorn for CakeSpy

Also, if after watching the video you decide that you must make this magical unicorn all by yourself, here's a list of the ingredients and tools needed:

Ingredients
Cupcake (muffin size)
Sugarpastes (fondant):
75g Pink
30g Lincoln green
20g Fuschia pink
15g Jade
15g Blue
15g White

White magic sparkle flakes
Pearl white paint
Black paint

Tools
Small rolling pin
Smiley tool (PME)
Stitchy tool (PME)
Ball tool (PME)
Pasta

No1 Paint brush 

 

...and, fine, one more unicorn picture for the road: Paul Bradford Magical Unicorn for CakeSpy

How To Make Edible Rock Candy Jewelry

This necklace is not only delightful, it is delicious.CakeSpy Note: This tutorial is provided courtesy Cake Gumshoe Jasmin, a suspected sweet genius who, among other things, has invented cupcake-stuffed strawberries. Check out her work at 1 Fine Cookie!

It’s fashionable, pretty, tastes good, affordable and easy to make. What’s not to like about 1 Fine Cookie’s rock candy jewelry?

These precious “stones” are made with unique flavors, such as marshmallow, peanut butter and more. The flavor is up to your preference!

Make these for ladies’ night, showers, bachelorette weekends, birthday parties, with the kids, or for Mother’s or Valentine’s day. The possibilities are endless!

The bare-bones basics are listed below; for a more detailed tutorial, visit 1 Fine Cookie.

Ingredients and Tools:

  • clothes pin
  • large glass container
  • ribbon
  • sugar
  • optional but recommended: Torani syrups.
  • optional: food coloring

 Process shot!

How to make it happen

  1. Cook about one part water to three parts sugar. One necklace will be about 1 cup water, as a reference point.

  2. Once the sugar has completely dissolved and simmered, turn off heat and cool. Mix in any food coloring, and a few drizzles of your choice Torani syrup for flavor. 

  3. Soak middle of ribbon (about 2 feet or more) in the sugar water mixture, then coat in sugar overnight until dry.

  4. Place middle of ribbon inside of sugar water, which has been poured into a large glass container. Use clothespins to clip the ribbons and prevent from falling in.

Allow to grow! Move necklaces around a little every day to prevent it from sticking to the sides. While factors will play into how long this will take, including the size of your piece, the humidity, et cetera, you're basically looking at 1-4 weeks.

Cakespy has written permission to feature the recipe, writing and photos of 1 Fine Cookie. Be polite: if you would like to share as well, please visit the website for policies first.

 

 

Sweet Dough: Sugar Cookies that Look Like Doughnuts

Doughnut Cookie

So, you're making sugar cookies. Awesome. Good for you.

You've got the batter all mixed. At this point, you pretty much have two choices. You either roll out the dough and cut out some cute shapes, or you're going to drop them on the sheet and bake them. Right? WRONG.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Put away your rolling pin, because I've got an easy way to make your sugar cookies cuter: bake them in a mini doughnut pan .

If you own a mini doughnut pan, like I do (jealous? I got it at the Wilton tent sale when I visited their headquarters), you simply must employ it to make your sugar cookies more adorable.

Honestly, it couldn't be easier to do (provided you have a mini doughnut pan). Here's how I did it.

First, prepare a batch of sugar cookie dough. I am not going to be bossy about what recipe, but I will tell you that I used the one on page 13 of this e-book. Once mixed, set aside for a little bit.

Preheat your oven to the temperature your recipe says it ought to be.

Next, lightly butter your mini doughnut pan. Or spray it with non-stick spray. Whatever you want. 

After it's greased, stuff the dough in the mini doughnut wells. Fill them til they're mostly full. If you think your cookies are going to spread, put less dough in (or put a cookie sheet under the mini doughnut pan while you bake them).

Bake the cookies, but check them about 5 minutes before your recipe would call for, because they're baking in a different vessel.

Donut cookies

Once golden brown, remove from the oven. Let them cool for a while (maybe 20 minutes) in the doughnut pan. Then, gently remove. I found that after loosening one edge with a sharp knife, they basically just popped out. 

Let the cookies cool, and then apply a dab of pink icing (pink is really best) and be sure to put sprinkles on them too.

Enjoy! They're adorable and sweet. But they're not doughnuts, they just look like them.

Doughnut Cookie

Magically Awesome: Rainbow Unicorn Pinata Cookies

CakeSpy Note: if you follow me on facebook or Twitter, you probably know I'm partial to documenting my sweet discoveries and daily goings-on. Here's where I post a daily feel-good photo, for no particular reason other than to showcase these sweet little nothings, in hopes that they'll make you smile.

Behold, the most magical cookies, possibly ever: Rainbow Unicorn Pinata Cookies. 

As Sheknows.com contributor (and possible soul twin) Sandra Denneler says,

These multi-striped, burro piñata sugar cookies come complete with hollow centers that you can fill with a secret stash of your favorite candies. Break open or bite into these festive treats and be greeted with a sugary surprise. Olé!

Now. I know that they are meant to be rainbow burros - but really, they look like unicorns to me, so I would like to announce that I have made my decision: unicorns they are.

In the day or two since this recipe was published online, an astonishing number of family, friends, and readers have sent this recipe to me, which is beyond flattering: when you think of sweet, magical, rainbow, unicorn things, YOU THINK OF ME! That's about how it should be, I think.

Find the full recipe and tutorial on sheknows.com.

Tutorial: How To Make A Cupcake Flower Topper

Photo: Cakeb0tI love modeling chocolate for cupcake toppers! Modeling chocolate is a yummy, soft alternative for gumpaste, and it's easy to make yourself. 

Above is a video tutorial on how to make a modeling chocolate and a yummy cupcake flower; below are the instructions!

Supplies:
Small rolling pin
Gumpaste flower cutter
Modeling Chocolate (click for complete recipe on Cakeb0t)

You also need:

Small round sprinkle for the center
Tooth pick or Craft knife

Procedure

1. Take the modeling chocolate and knead it so it is just softened.

2. On a flat surface, roll out the modeling chocolate to the desired thickness of your flower. This flower was about 1/8" thick.

3. Press a flower cutter in the rolled modeling chocolate to create a flower. Pull away the excess.

4. Place a round sprinkle in the middle of the flower and shape the petals of the flower so they come up halfway toward the center.

5. With a craft knife or tooth pick, simply pick up with flower, and place it on top of your cupcake!

About the author: Binky Veloria is the songwriting, photo/video-taking pastry grad behind Cakeb0t.com. Binky shares free tutorials from her favorite decorators and from her own kitchen with anyone who loves to bake and decorate. Readers have the chance to sign upfor a free Buttercream eBooklet, along with behind-the-scenes videos and newsletters.

Cookie Props: A Tutorial from Sugarlicious by Meaghan Mountford

Sugarlicious by Meaghan Mountford

CakeSpy Note: This is an excerpt from Sugarlicious  by Meaghan Mountford; you can enter to win a copy here! Photography by Abby Greenawalt.

What's cuter than a cookie pop? How about a cookie prop pop? These adorable pops are decorated like accessories, so you can play with your food--and then eat it, too!

Prop Cookie Pops

Recipes

Supplies

*Find cookie sticks, decorating bags, couplers and tips at the craft store. For food coloring, I suggest Americolor Soft Gel Pastes, found online or in specialty stores.

1. Roll out chilled cookie dough on a floured surface about 3/8-inch thick, cut out your mustaches, bow ties and eyeglasses with the templates, insert sticks and bake according to the recipe. Let cool completely.

2. Prepare royal icing according to the recipe, divide and tint. Use any preferred colors for the mustaches (such as brown or gray), bow ties and eyeglass frames. You’ll also need black and white. I used black, white, brown, bright blue and red. Prepare 3 decorating bags with couplers and 3 different size tips. Fill the bag with the size 3 tip with the black icing, the bag with the size 5 tip with the brown icing, and the bag with the size 2 tip with half of the white icing. Cover and reserve the rest of the white icing and the blue and red icing. Close the bags tightly with rubber bands.

3. Outline your eyeglasses, mustaches and bowties with the black icing as shown. Let set about 15 minutes.

 Sugarlicious by Meaghan Mountford

4. For the mustache, pipe the brown icing to fill the mustache, piping in the direction of the “hair” growth so the lines of icing look like hair. Let dry overnight before handling.

Sugarlicious by Meaghan Mountford

For the eyeglasses, pipe to fill the frames with brown icing. Flood white icing in the glass area. To flood, thin the reserved white icing with water, a few drops at a time, until the consistency of thick glue. Fill an empty decorating bag with the thinned icing, snip ¼-inch from the tip, and loosely pipe back and forth to fill the cookie. Use a toothpick to encourage the icing as needed until the entire space is filled. Let dry several hours; then pipe highlights on top of the white icing with the black icing after switching to a size 2 decorating tip. Let dry overnight before handling.

Sugarlicious by Meaghan Mountford

For the bow ties, use empty decorating bags to flood the blow tie with red or blue icing. Let the icing set several hours and pipe dots using the white icing in the decorating bag. Let dry overnight before handling. 

Sweet Tutorial: How to Make a Fondant Trophy

File under "things you now know how to do": Making a Fondant Trophy. This tutorial, which will help your cake or cupcakes be the winner no matter if there's a contest or not, is reprinted with permission from the book Fondant Modeling for Cake Decorators: 100 Fondant Features to Top Off a Special Cake. Also included in this helpful volume? Tutorials on how to attain different effects using fondant, and how to make other toppers, including a fondant doctor, fondant aliens, and a fondant bible. Because you never know when you might need these kinds of cake toppers.

Edible supplies

  • Gum paste
  • Corn starch (for dusting)
  • Edible glue
  • Royal icing
  • Dried Spaghetti strands
  • gold or silver luster
  • Vodka

Tools

  • Workboard
  • Rolling pin
  • Circle cutters in small, extra small, and extra large
  • Paintbrush
  • Ribbon Cutter 
  • Paper Towel

Procedure

  1. Roll 1 ounce of paste. Use the circle cutters to cut out one large, one medium and one small circle. Pile up the three circles in size order, with the largest at the bottom. Fix with edible glue.
  2. Make a ball from 1/2 ounce of paste and flatten to a hemisphere, but keep as much height as possible. Place this centrally on the top disk and secure with royal icing.
  3. For the trophy stem, roll 1/2 ounce of paste very thinly and wrap around a spaghetti strand. Secure to the base of the trophy with edible glue.
  4. For the trophy body, shape 2 ounces of paste into a cylinder, then narrow one end. Attach to the base by threading a spaghetti strand through the trophy body and stem and down to the base.
  5. To make the trophy lid, cut out another small circle from the white paste and place on top of the trophy body, securing with edible glue. Shape 1/2 ounce of paste into a hemisphere and attach to the circle with edible glue. Add a dot to form a knob on the top.
  6. Roll the remaining paste quite thinly, to 1/8 inch, and use the ribbon cutter to cut strips for the trophy handles. Curl one end of the handle one way and the other end the opposite way. Attach to the trophy on either side with edible glue, and support the shape with a paper towel until dry and set.
  7. Make a paint by mixing gold or silver luster with vodka, and paint the cup.

 

Cake That Looks Like Pie: Blueberry Chocolate PiCake Tutorial

Photos: Cake Gumshoe SetiaCakeSpy Note: This is a guest post from Cake Gumshoe Setia, who just started blogging at cakesbysetia.blogspot.com.

I love cake. I bake cakes for many people and many occassions, and am constantly brainstorming my next cake project and an occassion to make it for. So, imagine my surprise when I happily tell my husband that I have a wonderful cake idea in store for his birthday, and he responds "I was actually thinking I might want pie". (Insert gasp of horror here). Pie? Seriously? You are asking a lover of cakes - a cake-artist-in-the-making, if I may be so bold, to make you a PIE?

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against pie. In fact, on occassion, I quiet fancy a slice; heated, served with a side of vanilla ice cream. I can even make a decent pie when I put my mind to it. Yet that is not the point, is it? The point, if not already apparent, was that I was desperately excited to come up with some wonderful cake creation for my husband's birthday. Sure, I knew he was probably teasing about the whole pie thing...right? However, I was now bound and determined to make something a bit tongue-in-cheek that would teach him a lesson, and yet give him what he wanted at the same time.

A cake that looks like a pie seemed like a pretty obvious solution! Why not? I'd never made one - it sounded like good fun! He'd get a good laugh! Perfect. Hmmm...yet it didn't seem quite perfect enough. More brainstorming required... Then I remember hearing of a place in Philidelphia that serves a dessert called "Pumpple Cake". It looks like a regular cake from the outside, but has an entire pie - two in fact - (apple inside vanilla cake, pumpkin inside chocolate cake, double stacked) on the inside. Now this got me thinking...What if I took that a step further? A cake disguised as a pie is great fun. But a PIE, disguised as a CAKE, further disguised as a PIE...well that is just genius!! (At least in my muddled little mind!)

My husband loves blueberries; fresh blueberries, blueberry pancakes, blueberries on cereal, and yes, of course, blueberry pie. And what goes swimmingly with blueberries - or any kind of berry for that matter, I asked myself? Why, chocolate of course! And so, I went forth and baked...And the results, in my opinion, were both pleasing to the eye and to the palate! Voila! A deep-dish blueberry-looking pie!

Here's how you make it happen.

Blueberry Chocolate PiCake Instructions

 

  1. Make favorite never-fail chocolate cake recipe.
  2. Pour enough batter into the cake pan to just cover the bottom.
  3. Insert pie onto batter.
  4. Pour remaining batter on top and around sides of pie.
  5. Bake the cake/pie as directed- takes considerably longer than regular cake-baking time. It seems like the top will never cook, but be patient, it will! Just keep watching it!
  6. Turn pie over onto work surface so it is upside down.
  7. Smother with a delicious chocolate ganache. Smooth ganache with hot knife to ready it for the fondant.
  8. Decorate to look like a deep-dish pie, using fondant. (I decided to do a lattice "crust" on the top).
  9. Use a little brown food colouring and vodka mixed together to 'paint' more colour onto the fondant, giving it a more "baked" look.
  10. Add fresh blueberries as desired.

 

Good Fish: Goldfish Bowl Cookies Tutorial

So, recently I received a review copy of a book called Good Fish: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the Pacific Coast by Becky Selengut.

Now, I know why I received a review copy. It is because it was put out by the same publisher of my soon-to-be-released book, entitled CakeSpy Presents Sweet Treats for a Sugar-Filled Life, which I might add is available for pre-order (nice plug!). It is also because I am a fan of Becky, who is not only a razor-sharp wit, but a heck of a cook, and a valued customer of mine (she used my cards for her wedding thank you cards, so she is guilty of very good taste).

But here's the thing. There's not one dessert recipe in the entire book. There are quinoa cakes, but of the savory persuasion. But everyone knows that savory cakes are just a good way to warm up your belly for sweet cakes.

So, in Becky's honor, I have created these goldfish-bowl cookies. Employing melted jolly ranchers form a translucent "bowl" over the goldfish crackers which are then finished off with writing icing, these cookies may look fishy, but taste anything but. While I would be lying if I said the jolly rancher taste was totally harmonious with the sugar cookie, it does make them awfully cute, and you can pull off the decoration before eating if desired.

Goldfish Bowl Cookies

 You need:

  • 12 jumbo sugar cookies, about 3 inches in diameter
  • Blue Jolly ranchers or translucent blue or clear candies (about 2 per cookie)
  • Goldfish Crackers (I used the S'more variety)
  • writing icing in various colors, for decoration

 Procedure:

  1. Lay your cookies in a row, and position the goldfish on each cookie in advance.
  2. Get out a small dish. Put about 4 of your candies in it at a time (you can do about 2 cookies' worth at a time; do more and it will get hard too fast). Microwave at medium heat until melted (for me, about 20 seconds). Holding the bowl carefully (you might want a mitt or something to protect you, because it will be hot), pour the candy directly on top of the positioned goldfish, using a spoon to smooth the candy into a circle. Work quickly because the candy will harden rapidly.
  3. Repeat, melting candy in small batches, until all of the cookies are done.
  4. Once the candy is hardened, use writing icing to form the bowl shape more clearly, and to add little fronds or pebbles in the "bowls".Decorating is more fun when you have feathers in your hair.
  5. Serve to your delighted friends after dinner, preferably something like this "heart-stoppingly delicious" dungeness crab mac and cheese from Becky's book, which can be purchased here.

Let it Snow, Man: Snowman Cupcakes from Bredenbeck's Bakery, Chestnut Hill, PA

Winter got you down? Well, here's a way to add some sugar to the cold, dark days: Snowman Cupcakes!

Snowman-ify the cupcakes of your choice with this super-easy tutorial from Philadelphia's Bredenbeck's Bakery--not only is it easy, but it's fun and delicious when you're snowed in.

Here's how you do it.

You’ll need:
  • A dozen of your favorite cupcakes
  • 16 oz. vanilla icing
  • 22 oz. (two packages) white chocolate chips
  • Red shoestring licorice, black gel icing, candies for decorating
  1. Start with your favorite cupcake recipe and bake according to instructions
  2. Flip your cooled cupcakes upside down, and spoon a dollop of icing on top to add height
  3. Place the iced cupcakes in the freezer until icing is firm
  4. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler
  5. Place frozen iced cupcakes on a wire rack
  6. Spoon melted white chocolate over top of iced cupcakes, allowing excess to drizzle through wire rack
  7. Wrap a few pieces of shoestring licorice around for a scarf, create a face, nose and buttons using the black gel icing and candies.

Of course, if you make them, share your pictures with them on the Bredenbeck's Facebook Page for sweet snow day fun!

 

Guest Post: How To Make Gelatin Bows by Nellie Cakes

CakeSpy Note: This is a guest post from Nellie Cakes, a blog written by Nell, a mom who taught herself how to bake so her daughter could have way cooler cupcakes on her birthday than anyone else in school. 

First thing: look at the cake on the top left of the above picture. Now, disregard the cake for a minute, and check out that bow on top! How pretty is that? And guess what! It’s completely edible.  Here’s a closer look at it:

It doesn’t actually taste like much of anything, but it won’t detract from the taste of the cake either, if you decide to slice right on through it. (Which would probably be pretty tough to do.)

Bows aren’t the only thing you can make with this method either! (Flowers and butterflies would look gorgeous too, no?)

There’s another cool thing about it too! You can use the scraps from your project to make your own home-made edible glitter for all your other pretty desserts! To do that, just take the clippings that you’d normally throw away after you finished the project and cut them into tiny pieces. When I held my clippings next to the glitter I bought, I couldn’t tell the difference at all!

You’ll have to plan a little ahead of time if you want it to be ready for that cake you made because it takes about twelve hours for it to completely dry, plus the assembly time.

Ok, here’s what you need:

  • Unflavored gelatin (like Knox)
  • Water
  • Food coloring
  • A clean paint brush
  • A non-stick surface, like a pattern board for fondant. (I used Duff Goldman’s Texture Tiles, which were at Michaels for $5)
  • Scissors

Take one packet of the gelatin (about one tablespoon) and put it in a small bowl with 2 ½ tablespoons of water. Give it enough time to soak up the water completely, about five minutes.

After that’s done, put it in the microwave for about five seconds. Gelatin melts at really low temperatures, so that’s all you’ll need to liquefy it. When you pull it out, it should look like this:

Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes. When it cools to the right point, a layer of… well, scum, will form on the top. Take a stick of some kind and lift that layer off. If it won’t stay on the stick, let it cool for a few more minutes and try again. It should come off mostly in one piece. Discard that part. Once that’s done, it should look like this:

Nice and clear.

By this time, it will probably be too thick to do anything with, so throw it back in the microwave for another five seconds. When it comes out, add the food coloring and mix it around. To make the pink/red in the bow, I only put one drop of regular liquid food coloring in there. If you want it to be more intense, you could always add more. You can also paint the dried gelatin afterward, with a mixture of high proof vodka and food coloring, so if it dries a lighter color than you anticipated, it’s not a total loss. If you do paint it, the gelatin will warp when it gets wet. Make sure you have two non stick surfaces you can sandwich it between, and put a book or something on top until it dries again.

Once you have it the right color, dip your paint brush in the gelatin and paint it onto the non-stick surface, like this:

I made mine pretty thin, stretching the gelatin to cover two and a half boards, which worked out perfectly for the bow, which measured about five inches across. If you want the bow to be bigger or smaller, you can alter the amount. 

My original surface had a simple pattern on it, so it came off pretty easily. Be careful with patterns that are deeper. They’ll cause the gelatin to pool in certain spots, which will make it pretty difficult to peel off the board without cracking it.

Now you wait. It will begin to harden up pretty quickly, but it takes about 12 hours to fully dry. You’ll know it’s dry because you’ll hear it popping off the board. The first time this happened, I walked all over the house trying to figure out what that crackling noise was. I figured it out about a half an hour into the search. I felt like a moron.

The second time I made this, I made sure to paint it on at night so it would be dry the next morning.

Now that it’s all dry (and weirdly plastic like), slowly pull it off the board. It’s amazingly strong, so you don’t have to worry too much about ripping or cracking it.

Take out a pair of clean scissors (you could even use fancy craft scissors) and clean up the edges so it’s a nice rectangle. Then, cut the rectangles into strips. Mine were about half an inch thick. Like so:

This is where it gets a little trickier. Take the strip and bend it in half, trying not to crease it anywhere. You kind of have to fidget with it to get it right. Once it looks good, warm up some more of the gelatin (if you have some left over. If you don’t, make a tiny bit more) and dip the opposite end of your paint brush in it, and put a dot of the gelatin where you want the edges of the bow to attach. Just pretend it’s Elmer’s glue. You might have to hold it there for a little while until it stays stuck, of you could use paper clips like I did:

 While those are drying, trim a little bit off the ends of the strips you have left, and make smaller loops. And then do it again with even smaller loops. While you wait for those to dry, you can begin assembling the larger ones, if you feel they’re stable enough. Use some of the gelatin to glue the edges together, forming a star with the loops, kind of like this:

Make sure you glue everything together on top of your non-stick surface, or you’ll end up chiseling gelatin off your table. (Not that I’d know first hand or anything…)

Once that’s stable, add in the smaller ones on top of the first row, but still in between them so it looks well spaced. Repeat. You kind of have to mess around with it to see what looks best. Keep adding the loops until you feel like it’s nice and full. Also, make sure to give yourself time between each major addition, so it doesn’t all fall apart on you.

Let it dry over night.When it’s totally dry, you’d be surprised how durable it is! Now you can put it on top of a cake! I used a couple dabs of corn syrup to make it stick.

Here’s a picture of the finished bow before it went on the cake:

...and here's the cake again.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! For more awesome, visit Nellie Cakes!

Totally Sweet Guest Post: Decorated Party Cookies by Bird Crafts

CakeSpy Note: This is a guest post from Bird, who would like to introduce herself thusly: Hi everyone, I'm Bird from Bird Crafts and I love to blog, chat, craft and design printable party goodies (which you can get at my shop on Etsy). You can also find the full tutorial on her site.

Yep, these are my first decorated cookies. I don't say that to brag, but rather as a huuuuuge disclaimer and perhaps as an incentive for you to have a go too. 'Cause if a total cookie virgin can ("can" being a very loose term here...), then anyone can!

I got my cookie dough recipe and cookie cutters from a baking supplies on-line shop as they make tons of cookies for demonstration purposes, and so I figured their recipe would stand the test. And it did!

It held the intricate frog and butterfly shapes beautifully and tasted great! The only ingredient missing was 2 tea-spoons of bicarbonate of soda or some other raising ingredient, I think.

Anyhow, if you're using this recipe, be sure to persevere until you eventually get a smooth dough like the photo above and refrigerate the dough covered in cling film for at least 2 hours. It is a very short (crumbly) dough and it needs to be chilled before you attack it!

TIP: before rolling your dough, make sure to cover you working surface and rolling pin with flour. It does not say that on the recipe sheet, but I found it helped a lot.

Whilst you let your cookies cool down on the wire rack (Yep, I even attempted lollipop cookies, but that's another post..), prepare your icing.

Now, this was a total guess work but later I discovered the ratio of icing sugar to water is just so the mixture has a syrup consistency and covers the back of a spoon without being too thin (very scientific...NOT). But you'll be able to experiment and get the right consistency after a few attempts. 

TIP: If it's too sloppy, add more sugar. If it's too thick add more water (a few drops at a time).

Add a few drops of liquid food colouring and set aside covered with film so it does not get a crust. 

I must say that if it hadn't been for Wilton's Icing tubes, I would not be writing this post. 

TIP: If you're a novice to icing you should purchase these tubes to practice with, otherwise you may totally lose the will to live...

The tubes are sooo easy to handle even if you don't have very steady hands. Plus, you can simply screw the lid back on and store the rest for another occasion. Please note: Wilton are NOT paying me to say that!

Where were we...Now, draw a thin line all around you cookie. Doesn't have to be neat, you'll be able to re-do it later. You just need a line to act as a barrier holding the thinner icing inside. Fill the gap with the thinner icing you reserved. 

TIP: Don't be tempted to place too much on, otherwise it may run over the lines.

TIP: Use a tooth pick to help you "guide" the icing into the little corners and small spaces. 

TIP: Note that I am decorating the underside of the cookie? This is because the right side is slightly raised in the cooking process and you really need a flat surface to work with - So turn those babies upside down to decorate.

Let your cookies dry over night. I sat mine on a baking tray on my worktop.  

Next day, add the finishing touches to your design, like going over the edges of the cookie one more time with the Wilton's icing tube and adding detailing.
Let the cookies dry another day, but make sure there are no curious hands or teeth about. Place them in cute party bags and make someone's day!

Oh, and I used the cupcake toppers from my Garden Party Collection as favor tags, and my assorted  matching Fabrics as the the background (fabrics coming soon to my shop)! Tags vailable at my Etsy shop.

TIP: Although this whole process takes 3 days you can make the cookies in advance:

1. You can chill the dough and roll it out the next day.

2. You can freeze the baked cookies without the icing

3. You can also freeze the cookies already decorated in a covered plastic container, separated by grease-proof paper. Defrost them covered at room temperature for about 2 hours. They taste basically the same as fresh. Honestly, I tried!

I don't really know how long you can keep them in the freezer for, but I am testing that for you. I guess because the recipe contains butter it wouldn't be advisable to freeze them for longer than 3 months...(CakeSpy Note: but really, will they last that long?)

Sweets for the Sweet: Valentine's Day Cupcake Tutorial from Hello Naomi

Now would be an appropriate time for me to act very high and mighty on the subject of Hello Naomi in a "I discovered her way before the fact" sort of way. After all, she was first featured on CakeSpy over 2 years ago, while she was still a student and baked only as a Flickr-posting hobbyist. But I'm not gonna be like that--I can share.

Of course, awesome like hers couldn't be contained, and now she's moved on to wonderful things including starting her own baking business, and she's also dipped into party planning and works with a company that does invitation design

And happily, she's offered up a sweet tutorial for Valentine's Day Cupcakes. It's not too late to whip up a batch for your sweetie!

Valentines Day Cupcake Tutorial

Makes 12

What you will need:

 

  • 12 vanilla cupcakes (here's Naomi's recipe)
  • 500g ready to roll white icing (fondant)
  • Red gel food dye
  • Blue food dye
  • Circle cutter (the same size as your cupcake tops)
  • 2 size heart cutters
  • Non-stick small rolling pin
  • Plastic mat
  • Pure icing sugar for dusting
  • Water or cake decorating glue w/ small paintbrush

 

 Procedure

  1. Divide the fondant into 4. Using a plastic mat, dye one lot of fondant red, one pink, one blue and leave the other white. Colouring is done by kneeding drops of colour into the fondant until mixed through evenly. Pink is made by using a small amount of the red dye, red is eventually achieved by using a fair amount of dye (using a gel dye is much faster than using liquid dye). Use sifted icing sugar to soak up any moisture from the dye and prevent sticking. Wrap each colour in cling wrap. Wipe mat after each colour.
  2. Roll out the white fondant until aprox ¼ inch thick. Dust icing sugar on the top and bottom if sticking and dust away excess.
  3. Cut out 3x circles using the circle cutter. Using a pallet knife or flat knife lift each circle, lightly wet the back using a paint brush and place onto a cupcake. Smooth the top and edges using the palm of your hand. Wrap excess fondant in cling wrap.
  4. Repeat for 3 pink cupcakes and 6 blue ones.
  5. Once all the cupcakes are covered it is time to decorate them. Roll out the remaining pink fondant and cut out 3 large hearts. Lightly wet the back and place in the middle of 3 blue cupcakes. Roll out the remaining white fondant, cut out 3 large hearts, lightly wet the back and place in the middle of the remaining 3 blue cupcakes.
  6. Roll out the red fondant, cut out 12 hearts, lightly wet the back and place in the middle of each cupcake.
  7. Package them in a cute box with tissue paper, alternating designs, and give them to someone special!

About the contributor: Naomi was studying her PhD in Computer Engineering when she discovered her love of cake decorating. By posting photos onto the photo sharing website flickr under the user name ‘hello naomi’ she quickly became well known for her original designs and demand quickly grew to the point where she decided to start a business in 2009. Since then she has also ventured into party planning, collaborating with Imprintables invitations to form scissors.paper.cake.