Showing posts with label unicorn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unicorn. Show all posts

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Candylicious Macarons


I love it when I have left over macarons and get to have a play around. I had half a dozen of these pretty purple mac's sitting around plus a bit of the teal ganache and we always have sprinkles and candy sitting around so I whipped up these cute Candylicious macarons.

They might be my new favourite macaron, well to look at anyway. They look so pretty and party ready and of course they are a little bit inspired by Katherine Sabbath's beautiful cakes.




Mostly you just melt the ganache and spread it onto the top and gently push it over the edge so it dribbles down then press a few pastel pearls and sixlets onto the top. I added some mini shards of pastel chocolate as well.

You can buy your macarons or here is my recipe CLICK HERE

My macarons are coloured with Wilton Violet and the ganache is tinted using Americolor teal. The larger rounds are sixlets in shimmer white, shimmer pale pink and bright pink and I chopped some in half to give different heights. The mini pastel pearls are Queen Fine Food soft pearls in Australia you can pick them up at the supermarket. I have popped in a link to a similar US version below :)



Happy Baking



Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the Children's cookbook Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! Published in the USA in 2011 the book is still available at Amazon and many online bookstores.

Affiliate links may earn me money and contribute to supporting this blog.

Original ideas, photography and recipes Linda Vandermeer please do not reuse without permission.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Wall Mounted Unicorn Head tutorial video

 

So a while back I decided to make a wall mounted cake for my daughter's birthday party.

Y'know like you do. Y'all completely know how it is.

Well embarrassingly I videoed myself making it - first go, no do overs and this you tube video below is the result.


Yup pretty much it took me nearly 6 months to put it up as, I think I was on a sugar high while I recorded it, and then a sugar low, and then another high.

Oh yeah whoever it is out there leaving messages on Youtube that they don't like my voice, seriously this is how I talk, I'm from Australia, you should hear me say G'day :)



Anyhoo, so as well as the video I thought I would tell the story of the cake which only exists because my brother helped me out. He is always happy to help me out with crazy idea's and one day I messaged him the following:

'Hi I have a super crazy cake idea that will need a structural engineer or maybe you to help me out for 'Sweet's' birthday do you have a little time?'

To which I received the answer 'Sure. When?'

I followed up with a number of very confusing messages and the following picture.


Yup, this happened. I sent a picture of Pinky Pie 
in front of a frame to try and explain what I wanted.

And yet still he came over and worked out the following support structure for my unicorn head cake.
 

That's actually not a mirror it's some type of contact like sticky stuff. The gold frame is a plasticy frame from Ikea spray painted gold.

I didn't get a chance to take many process shots like I usually do but if you check out the video I go into all the detail of the hair, horn, eyes, etc.

 

If you love this cake pop over and see my Unicorn Cookies - I have a full free step by step picture tutorial HERE plus a link to the you tube how to.


For more pictures of the actual party click HERE for the full 'I believe in Magic" party post.


Linda Vandermeer is strangely obsessed with unicorns, a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores.

Original Ideas, photography and recipes by Linda Vandermeer do not reuse without permission. 


Sunday, July 21, 2013

Unicorn Cookie Instructions - I wish I was a unicorn with flowers in my hair


I wish I was a unicorn with flowers in my hair,
I would dance around the forest spreading magic everywhere,
Happiness, fun and music would swirl around me in the air,
Oh I wish I was a unicorn with flowers in my hair.*


I have been playing around with cookie designs for the girls birthday parties and this seems to be a bit of a favourite for Sweet. I guess who doesn't love unicorns, plus ombre pink with touches of gold, it's a magical combination.


EDIT update 2/0/13- we have had the party CLICK HERE to see all the lovely pictures



If you follow me on Instagram you would of course have seen the pretty copper horse cutters as soon as I bought it and lots of progress pictures of me making the cookies along the way. On facebook we had a vote - pink or gold hooves, for which gold won quite easily. Although I'm still undecided as a number of people told me the actual magic is in the horn so it should be the only gold part. 


I hope you love these cookies as much as my kids do. Check back in around a month's time for Sweet's magical birthday party table (which will feature these cookies). Plus next week I will have some of Bubble's 9th birthday party celebrations up.

My cookie cutter was from Ecrandal but you can use any horse or unicorn cutter you have on hand for a similar cookie.


*first and last line of poem inspired by 'I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair' by Sandi Thom.

Unicorn Cookie Tutorial

 CLICK on the picture below for the video tutorial otherwise continue to read for written instructions.

Horse or Unicorn shape cutter
Small plastic rolling pin
Cornflour
Sugar Cookie Dough (see below for recipe)
White Ready Rolled Fondant ^
Gel Food Colour (Dusky Pink, ivory, black, teal)*
Sugar Flowers (Click here for my easy sugar blossom tutorial)
Gold Luster dust and rose spirits
Couple of clean brushes used for food only
Sharpe knife

^fondant dries out quickly, when not in use store in an airtight container or ziplock bag. To use fondant knead until pliable and smooth and roll out on a workbench dusted with cornflour (cornstarch).
*You will need dark dusky pink, medium pink and light pink fondant for the unicorns tail and mane and dark ivory fondant for the unicorn horn and hooves plus a very small amount of black and teal for the eyes.


 The day before decorating colour all the fondant and make the unicorn horns. To make the horn roll out 2 pieces of the dark ivory fondant into thick ropes and then twist together. Using the palm of your hand roll until the desired width, you may need to stop and retwist every now and then to ensure the horn has a tight swirl. Cut to desired length and twist the end until it is has a thin sharp point.


Using the cookie recipe and instructions below cut out and cookie horse cookies, allow to cool.

Knead white fondant until smooth and pliable. Dust workbench with cornflour (corn starch) and roll out fondant until quite thin then using the horse cutter cut out a fondant shape.

Roll out some of the darker dusky pink fondant and cut out a horse shape, you actually only need the tail and mane area. Roll out a small amount of the medium pink and cut out the horse head.
 

Place the darker dusky pink over the top of the white horse cut out and cut a line across where the tail meets and also along the back of the horse for the mane.


 See picture for example. Do the same for the medium pink to cut out the unicorn's 'fringe/mane'.

Brush water onto the cookie and adhere the fondant, use the rolling pin to smooth the fondant into place.

Use a knife or cake modelling tool to indent details into the horse, like a mouth, nostril and leg definition (if required)

Take pea sized amounts of the dark dusky pink and roll between your palms into a thin rope, then use the rolling pinto flatten into a long ribbon. Twist each end of the fondant ribbon in the opposite direction to make a flowing corkscrew swirl.


Place onto the cookie tail area and use a small amount of water to adhere in place. Use the sharp knife to cut any excess off. I adhered around 3 on the tail and 5 on the mane area (see picture).


Repeat the process with the medium pink and then the light pink until the mane and tail appear full..



Fold a small piece of cardboard into a V to act as a support.

Mash a very small amount of fondant with water to make a firm glue past and adhere the horn to the front mane part, move the cardboard support under the horn. Add a sugar flower on top of the horn (using the fondant water glue) and where the tail meets the body.

Decide if you are having pink or gold hooves and roll out that colour fondant. Use the horse cutter to cut out the feet area and use the sharp knife to cut out hooves. Adhere to the cookie with a small amount of water.

Add eye detail, you can just draw on an eye with edible black pen.


Other wise use a small amount of black, white and teal fondant to make an eye by pressing the colours into small rounds, see picture for detail.


If you are having gold detail, mix the edible luster dust with a little rose spirits and paint onto the horn and hooves.

Allow to dry until set and then store in airtight containers for up to 3 days.



Sugar Cookie Recipe (makes 12 large cookies)

460 grams plain flour (16 1/4 oz all purpose flour)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
230 grams unsalted butter (8 1/8oz)room temperature
220 grams caster sugar (7 3/4 oz superfine sugar)#
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
#use regular white sugar if you do not have caster/ superfine sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium low, add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce mixer speed to low and mix in the sifted flour mixture until combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in fridge for 30 minutes or so.

Line a few baking trays with parchment/ baking paper.

Dust workbench with plain flour and using a large rolling pin roll out the dough until around 1/2 cm (1/4") in thickness. If the dough is to hard you may need to work/knead it a bit until you can roll it out.

Cut out cookies shapes and place the cookies on the prepared trays. (Knead and reroll dough as necessary, if it becomes to soft you can pop it back in the fridge.)

Pop the cut cookie dough trays into the fridge to chill again for around 30 minutes until firm (or in the freezer for 10 minutes).

Preheat oven to 160 C (320 F) and cook the cookies until they just start to turn golden, around 15 minutes (less or more depending on cookie size).

Cool on trays for 5 minutes and then carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely prior to decorating.

- Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 week.



Unless stated otherwise, the above pictures and post are original works and the property of Linda Vandermeer.

Linda Vandermeer is a blogger, baker, maker and author of the cookbook ' Sweets on a Stick': More than 150 kid friendly recipes for cakes, candies, cookies and pies on the go!. Published in the US the book is available at most online book stores:

Link to Amazon:

Or at Fishpond (free shipping Australia)
Sweets on a Stick: More Than 150 Kid-Friendly Recipes for Cakes, Candies, Cookies, and Pies on the Go! 


This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links may result in earnings, however will not cost you any more :)