Merry Christmas to you all! If you fancy baking something a little different to a Christmas cake this year, why not try a cupcake wreath. A simple but impressive display made up of cupcakes. I demonstrated how to make this at the Cake & Bake Show in London last year and it’s one of my favourites.
You will need;
- 10 cupcakes in green cases
- 12″ cake drum
- 300g sugarpaste to cover drum
- green 15mm ribbon
- 3mm double sided sticky tape
- 100g red modelling paste for the bow
- paintbrush
- edible glue
- drying foam
- green buttercream
- large piping bag
- 1J nozzle
- royal icing
- Christmas decorations made and dried overnight
This tutorial shows you how to make a cupcake wreath using 10 cupcakes and a 12” cake drum, but you can make them as big or as small as you like. Even doing a second layer inside the first for a really big party.
I’ve broken it down into separate tutorials as there’s a lot I want to show you.
You will need to make your wreath decorations, including the modelling paste bow, in advance. I’ve used a mixture of moulds which I’ve painted, cutters and mini candy canes, but this is where you can really personalise your wreath using whatever toppers and colours you like.
Firstly, cover a 12” cake drum in sugarpaste (roll out icing). To do this, roll out your icing to 5mm thick on a corn floured surface, turning the sugarpaste as you roll to get an even shape and to stop it sticking. Spray your drum lightly with water and then using your rolling pin to lift your sugarpaste, lay it gently on the board, securing it with your hand and cutting off the excess with a sharp knife. Leave this to set overnight. To see a video of me covering a board in sugarpaste, check out my post here.
Then, to apply a board ribbon, use 5mm double sided sticky tape and a 15mm width ribbon. The hardest part here is peeling off the backing of the tape!
Next, create a cute flat bow to attach to the front of the board. Use a length of your 15mm ribbon (approx 12cm) and fold in half to make a crease. On this creased line, stick two bits of double sided sticky tape, as pictured. Then fold the halves in on themselves to look like the middle picture. stick a shorter piece of ribbon around the middle of your bow. Attach to your board with more double sided sticky tape.
To create a bow out of modelling paste for the top of our wreath, cut four identical strips out of red modelling paste to your desired thickness. On two of the strips, cut a triangle to create the ends of the ribbon. Then cut a smaller strip for the middle of the bow.
With a small amount of edible glue, fold over the plain strips in on themselves to create the bow loops. Then glue the small strip in the centre as the third picture.
The strips that you have cut the ribbon ends, dry on foam with a ripple in the icing to create a more fabric look. Do this by pinching the top and bottom together, you can also use a cel stick if it helps.
Leave the bow to dry upright to create prominent bow loops.
Now for the wreath. Bake your desired flavour cupcakes in green cases, I’m using my vanilla cupcake recipe here (I’ve used metallic ones for a more Christmassy feel.) Make up some green buttercream (you can find my recipe here) and fill a large piping bag with a 1J nozzle.
Once the cupcakes have cooled, pipe onto them by starting in the middle of the cupcake and working your way slowly outwards. (I found I went round the cupcake 2 ½ times.) A gentle and even pressure is needed here.
Leave the buttercream to set slightly so they are easier to move about. Then position your cupcakes on your dried iced board. Once you are happy with the shape of your wreath, stick your cupcakes down with a little royal icing. You don’t need to use a lot. It’s just to secure them enough to transport the wreath. We still want people to take them off to eat them!
Once your cupcakes are secured to your board, decorate to your hearts content! Adding the bow to the top first, then using your toppers.
And there you have it! A cupcake wreath for the festive season!
Equipment can be purchased from Iced Jems.
For more information on how to decorate your cake and go from home bake to showstopper, check out my list of latest online cake decorating courses here.
Give it a go and let me know how you get on, either on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram.
If you want to turn your baking hobby into a career, check out my book Cakes, Bakes & Business for everything you need to know about running a successful baking business, including pricing, marketing, insurance and much more!
Happy baking and Merry Christmas!
Britt xo
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