At the risk of sounding like someone retelling a story that they heard from someone they knew who knew someone else who knew something from someone else, I first came across these gorgeous cupcakes via Vogue member and fellow food blogger Iron Chef Shellie who in turn saw these on flickr member’s hello naomi’s pictures.
I loved the idea of these pastel topped cupcakes with messages such as “Eat Me” and “Drink Me”. Who really ever needs prompting to try cupcakes? It was all very Alice in Wonderland, a children’s story with a distinctly surreal and dark side. So assembling my very best Alice themed china, the varied Wedgwood Harlequin set, I set about having my very own tea party, Alice in Wonderland style.
The cupcakes I made were vanilla cupcakes filled with strawberry jam and cream, pastel fondant icing, royal icing writing and patterns and silver cachous. Despite my somewhat fearful beginnings, I’m starting to really like using Royal Icing as I love the finish and consistency of it. I know that vanilla cupcakes with jam and cream filling sounds rather boring but this was the cupcakes that my girlhood fantasies were made of. I loved this combination and my favourite ever cakes when I was small were this. Yes, sadly, I do remember vividly one cake from my childhood with absolute clarity and some days, I can still taste it if I close my eyes and wish.
Alice in Wonderland Eat Me Alice cupcakes
- 90g butter softened
- 1/2 t vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (150g) Self Raising flour
- 2 tbs milk or buttermilk
Decorations
- 150ml pure cream whipped with 1 tablespoon caster sugar
- 1/2 cup strawberry jam
- 200g prepared fondant
- Royal icing (see recipe below)
1. Preheat oven to moderate 180degrees/160 fan forced. Line 12 hole standard muffin pan with paper cases2. Beat butter, extract, sugar, eggs, flour and milk in small bowl with electric mixer on low until ingredients are just combined. Increase speed to medium, beat until mixture has changed to a paler colour.
3. Divide mixture among cases, smooth surface
4. Bake large cakes about 25 minutes, small cakes about 20 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
5. Cut out a hole in a cone shape 2cms deep from centre of the cake. Fill with cream and jam. Slice off long end of the cone to make a circle and slot circle back on top of cream and jam filling
6. Colour three lots of fondant with pink, aqua and violet (use gels very lightly as want pastel shades). Roll out each colour and cut out circles to fit the tops of the cupcakes.
7. Use small piping bag-you will only need about a third of the amount of the royal icing that you make below. Pipe letters and patterns and accent with silver cachous.
Royal icing:
- 1 egg white (30g)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 150g sifted icing sugar
1. Beat egg whites with lemon juice until foamy on low speed increasing to medium speed.
2. Add sifted sugar by the spoonful while beating until desired consistency is reached. If too stiff, add a little warm water.
3.Use immediately and cover any royal icing not being used with clingfilm.
Wedgwood Harlequin Teacups and saucers available from Myer and David Jones.
I am entering this in the Skinny Gourmet’s Spring Tea party event! Wish me luck! 
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34 Comments | Add your own
Lorraine, I love your tea cup collection!
Such pretty, beautiful china and styling. Is this what all your guests get if they come to your place? hehe
I love the idea of the messages on food (Though didn’t feel the same when Tim Tam packaging appeared recently with “Buy me” “Hide Me” “Eat me” etc. Arnotts being a giant corporation.. I felt stubborn resistence rise-up in me and slightly insulted that they’d try to hypnotise me with their wording.. hehe! I wouldn’t feel that way about your cupcakes though
I have always wanted to make royal icing.. for ages I’ve wanted to.. but still haven’t done it yet!
Gorgeous, inviting tea party.. truly well done Lorraine
p.s. I think jam and cream is perfect
I can’t say it emphatically enough – I love them – and the theme is so easy for anyone to relate to. Colours, presentation – the whole 9 yards – a total winner.
my first thought was “OMG the B!atch copied mine!”
LOL!! please forgive me… for i actually stopped looking at the pretty pictures and read and saw I was mentioned! =D
They look awesome! and they sound so yummy too!!
I need to find a cupcake stand like that… better add that to my wish list! *sigh* =P
x
What a lovely presentation! I hope you had some good friends over to enjoy these beautiful cupcakes and tea.
wonderful cupcake fairytale
very cute theme, and i love the pastel colors! very easy on the eyes, and even easier on the tastebuds–strawberry jam and cream inside? yum!
Hi Y-Thanks! A good teacup collection does wonders for enjoying tea
Hi Maria-Haha only if they’re willing to put up with lots of photo taking by me. I think my friends are rather patient people
Yes a gigantic multinational using those cute messages is like a Ladette playing coy-it just doesn’t wash 
I was scared of royal icing because I had heard it is hard but it’s very satisfying to use and just requires a lot of practice-and I still needs lot of practice with it! Thankyou so much Maria 
Hi giz-Why thankyou for your lovely words!
Hi Iron Chef Shellie-Hah well I did credit you and of course the original creator Hello Naomi. I always credit people when I know their names (and I left a message on your blog that I was making them). Has hello naomi said anything about your post? After all she was the original brain behind these gorgeous creations
Hi LisaRene-Thankyou! I did indeed, I corral my friends round for tea parties as often as I can so that I can avoid having too many dozens of cupcakes in my house at once
Hi andreaa-Thankyou so much!
Hi grace-thanks, I wanted it to be as much of a little girl’s fantasy as I could make it. And when I was young, it was strawberry jam and cream for me
These are so beautiful, Lorraine! I love the pastel colors you used – those make the cupcakes so delicate!
Lovely, and I like the idea of strawberry jam inside. As a former dinnerware designer, I love you china collection. Charming post!
I love jam and cream, classic not boring! What a beautiful teapot! This post is a joy to read (and to devour I’ll bet!)
Thanks Heaps
Nah I didn’t send her the link, perhaps I should. She is just AMAZING when it comes to cupcakes!
You’re looked awesome
It’s hard to get the writing as perfect as hers!
Keep up the awesome baking!
x
Hi Patricia-Thankyou so much!
I had to be very hesitant with the colouring gels as they are so strong -as I learnt one time trying to make violet icing and ending up a bright purple 
Hi Kim-Thanks so much, when I saw this china set I fell upon it like it’s long lost mother!
Hi Shannon-Thanks!
I hope my guests enjoyed them, they seemed to which was a relief!
Hi Iron Chef Shellie-I think she’d definitely like it especially if she got credit and a link back
Thanks, you too!
I’m mad for this idea and these cupcakes (pardon the pun!)
Seriously, I love Alice in Wonderland and think these cupcakes and this theme are just phenomenal! Regardless of who originated the idea, these photos are gorgeous and I would love to host or attend a party like that!
Hi Sandie-Thanks! It might be a good idea for a future gathering to get a motley set of beautiful teacups and get everyone dressed up as Alice. That would look fabulous!
i ADORE those tea cups…they’re too divine for words…love the mad hatter’s tea party idea…it was always my favourite part of the book as a child
They look gorgeous and I am sure they taste great. Where did you get the prepared fondant from?
Hi airy fairy-They’re crazy fabulous aren’t they! Yes me too, I just love the idea of a tea party
Hi lisa-Thankyou! I just buy it from Coles, it’s called white icing by Orchid brand and comes in a pink box
Gorgeous tea setting. Can I come ?
Hi tigerfish-Why thankyou!
And of course!
This could not come at a better time. I am throwing my younger sister a bridal shower with Alice in Wonderland theme and these cupcakes will go perfect with my mad hatters cake!! Thanks
Hi saniel-Wonderful! The Mad Hatters cake sound amazing, are you baking it or buying it? Great theme idea
Hi,
)
Just wondering where you get those lovely white cup cake papers from?
TIA
Hi vix-They’re by Donna Hay and they’re called French pleated cups. Unfortunately I haven’t seen them around much lately and I’m almost running out myself so I’m on the hunt for more!
where did you get the teacups from?
Hi someone-They’re from Wedgwood’s Harlequin teacup collection.
The cupcakes are so softly colored and the “Eat Me” idea is so cute! And the Queen of Hearts cupcake is just absolutely adorable! I think that the ideas are so perfect! LOVE IT!!!
I really want to know where those cups and the teapot came from!
Hi Natalie-Thankyou so much! That’s so lovely of you to say!
Hi Meagan-They’re from Wedgwood’s Harlequin teacup collection
Thanks a bunch!
Oh I love the Wedgwood Harlequin tea cups. They’re already on my wish list!
Of course I love the cupcakes as well, they look amazing.
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