Alice in Wonderland cupcakes
Anna Maria Roche from Planet Cake
Alice and me. Alice in Wonderland that is. It’s enough to get a girl excited for today I’m making Alice in Wonderland cupcakes with Planet Cake who hold regular classes in cake and cupcake decorating. I’d heard of the classes and seen many gorgeous results including my buddy’s Christie’s Easter cupcakes. This class would be their first Alice in Wonderland cupcakes class and they were designed by Anna Maria Roche. Mother of two boys Roche is originally from Austria where she learnt her trade as a pastry chef but whilst Austria is known for cakes, it is not known for cake decorating in this style. When she moved here in 1991, they had to make their own ready to roll icing (RTR icing aka fondant) and cake decorating wasn’t anywhere near as prolific as it is now. As for me, I was just happy to be able to learn some more cupcake decorating tips!
My Alice in Wonderland cupcakes…
What can I say…I see things in technicolour!
We take a peek at the designs we’re doing today and I already spot a few favourites. We’re making an Alice down the rabbit hole,a teapot, a mushroom, a misleading sign, Mad Hatter’s hat, a cheshire cat, a clock and a rabbit. We’d be making two of each designs and the purely doing the decoration. The cupcakes are made by an external bakery for Planet Cake as all of the time needed to complete all of the designs. I was excited, I was only a novice cupcake decorator and skill levels at this class varied from first timers like me to a someone who was on her seventh Planet Cake class!
The equipment
Our workbench
Two of us share a large stainless steel workbench and in the corner are our sets with the tools of the trade. We are given a plastic ruler, a frilling tool, a turntable, a small paring knife, a small offset palette knife, a vinyl sheet and a small rectangle of acrylic much like an overhead projector sheet, a sifter of cornflour, a pizza cutter and a small rolling pin.
Ganaching the cupcakes-the one on the left has been smoothed over and the rest have a rough application of ganache
The first thing we do is ganache the tops of the vanilla cupcakes. This is to give them flavour and keep them moist as well as allow for a smooth surface for the ready to roll fondant. We first rough ice them and then using our palette knife dipped in hot water and gently tapped on a chux, we smooth it over so that the icing reaches the edge of the cupcake cup to create a perfect dome. If a cupcake has overflowed slightly, trim the cupcake with the paring knife.
Slicing off any overhanging cake to give a smooth rounded surface
Icing the board using the transparency film
We then ice a 16 inch board with fondant by rolling it out. This is for later once the cupcakes are finished and we will adhere them to the board using ganache and then place them on the board to transport home in a box (and it’s a large box, I caught a cab home!). We go through how to mix fondant colours – don’t worry I’ll go through this later, they’re great tips 
. All of the fondant that we use today has already been coloured for us. Interestingly, Planet Cake use slightly different formulas for the RTR icing during Summer and Winter as it needs to be slightly firmer during the Summer heat and slightly softer during the cold Winter months.
My what bright colours you have!
My bench mate Katherine and I team up to cut out the fondant colours to top our cupcakes. Luckily we both want bright, vivid shades and we do bright purple, green, blue, fuchsia, orange and green as well as leaving two for our white clock.
We then break for lunch which consists of salads and wraps as well as juice and there are cakes, tea, coffee and water that we can help ourselves to during the day.
Rabbit parts
Making the hat brim
We then learn how to make the teapot and the rabbit. Anna Maria then she shows us how to make the Mad Hatter’s hat brim using a pasta cutter which helps to achieve an even level of thinness and she makes the body of the hat using an acrylic smoothing tool. Our next one is the toadstool and after that is my favourite: Alice falling down the rabbit hole (which I promise I’ll show you how to make step by step, it’s so brilliant!).
Shaping the hat using acrylic smoothing tools
Brushing the wood grain effect on the signs
We’re then showed how to make the signs which are made using a dry brush and brown liquid colouring (ensure that you stipple it first to avoid too much colouring on the brush) and then a rather detailed cheshire cat whose stripes are made using a pasta maker.
Cheshire cat
Cheshire cat smile
Painting the gold rim around the clock
My favourite bit is next and that is the painting and we paint the edge of the clock gold, draw numbers on the clock, the shoes on Alice and the text on the signs. Before we know it, it’s 4:30pm our creations are finished and everyone’s look fantastic without exception!
Everyone’s completed cupcakes
The Top 10 tips for cupcake decorating:
And I did promise you that I’d share the top 10 tips I learnt from the day so here goes!
1. If you’re kneading a lot of fondant (over 500grams or 1 pound) use your shoulders and body weight to do this and stand over the fondant. As a shorty (155cms tall, petite is such a nicer term for it ) I was given a stool and it helped enormously. It also helped me roll the fondant evenly.
2. French rolling pins are all very pretty but they’re not ideal for rolling large amounts of fondant. A regular one where the body spins is best as it does most of the work for you. Press down the fondant into a square shape and then roll 6 times in one direction and then turn it 90 degrees and roll it another 6 times until you make a square. Keep doing this until the desired thickness is required.
Kneading fondant
Press down to flatten fondant before rolling
3. To roll fondant ready for use, you want to knead it in order to get one surface (on the table) as smooth-the other surface can have lines. You will of course use the smooth surface on top. Use a shaker of cornflour to ensure that the fondant doesn’t stick to the table. If it does, use a paring knife quickly and carefully under the fondant to undercut it.
Colouring fondant
4. To colour fondant, first pinch off a golf ball sized roll of fondant. Take a fingernail sized amount of colouring gel (they use Wilton gel) and wearing disposable gloves knead it into this ball. It will still be glossy with gel on the outside but you can store this colour ball and use it for later. Pinch off a small amount from the colour ball and knead it into a larger amount of white fondant. Knead it like dough (in circles) and then slice it in half-you can see that there are streaks throughout it. Then re-knead it and cut again and repeat until there are no more streaks inside.
Kneading the colour ball into the white fondant
Slicing the fondant in the centre revealing the streak patterns from kneading
5. Make coloured fondant 1-2 days days before you need to use it as it will fade or use it straight away. Purples are particularly susceptible to fading as are some pale pinks (which can turn white).
The teapot on the right was made previously and has faded slightly whereas the one of the left was freshly shaped and slightly glossy
6. Always work fondant in your hands if you are modelling so that it gets slightly warm. It is much easier to adhere it to other parts of fondant (eg. the teapot spout to the body) and it should be slightly glossy when it is ready.
Making the pear shape: make use of the natural groove in your palms-the ball end will be in the centre of your palm while the thinner tapered end will be closer to your wrist.
Place a perfectly round ball of fondant in thegroove and roll
Which will produce a pear shaped piece of fondant
7. If you are modelling figures with fondant always start with a perfectly round ball with no cracks or lines. A very common modelling technique is the one we used for the rabbit which produces a teardrop. This is where fondant is rolled between the grooves of your palm back and forth to produce the teardrop shape.
Covering fondant between uses
8. Cover fondant when not in use as it dries very quickly. You can use vinyl tarp for this – it doesn’t need to be anything special.
9. If you are decorating large quantities of cupcakes, the best way to measure fondant is to make a sausage shape, cut one slice off and weigh it and if it is correct, slice off pieces in the same size to avoid individual weighing.
10. Essential bits of equipment are: plastic ruler, a frilling tool (although some use a toothpick which is quite fiddly but would do the job), a small paring knife, a small offset palette knife, a vinyl sheet and a small rectangle of acrylic much like what overhead projector sheet, a sifter of cornflour, a pizza cutter and a small rolling pin.
Even though I thought I knew a bit about cupcake decorating, I found that I learnt a lot. It was also very inspirational and motivational and I came out out there wanting to buy paints, gold dust and more fondant to create even more cupcakes ( much to Mr NQN’s dismay when he sees the bill for cake decorating supplies!).
Alice Falling Down The Rabbit Hole Cupcakes
And I did promise you some Alice in Wonderland Cupcakes didn’t I? Here is a step by step tutorial for making the fabulous Alice falling down the rabbit hole cupcake.
1. Make the layers of the skirt. Using a chrysanthemum cutter cut two white discs and one blue disc. Using a frilling tool, frill the edges by rocking back and forth with the blunter end of the frilling tool. This can also be achieved using a toothpick.
2. Roll out a small sausage in a flesh coloured fondant (about 7 cms in length)
3. Pinch both ends to make feet. Cut in the centre. You have two legs! We were all absolutely floored by the adorable doll legs 
4. Place a large black disc of fondant on top of an iced cupcake using a little water on a small paintbrush to fix it. Place frilled blue disc first using a small amount of water.
5. Add both white frilled discs and adhere with a little water.
6. Poke two holes quite deep with the frilling tool to insert the legs.
7. And pop the legs in! Paint the feet back to simulate shoes.
Oh Alice!
And eat eagerly knowing that you have 19 other cupcakes to devour
NQN attended the Alice in Wonderland Cupcake Class as a guest of Planet Cake.
Planet Cake
106 Beattie Street, Balmain, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9810 3843
www.planetcake.com.au
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109 Comments | Add your own
You made this post for me, right? All sweet, colorful and cakes!!! This heavenly, tough work haha
All the best,
Gera
The look gorgeous. One day soon, I’ll learn to work with fondant. Till then, can I hang out with you?
What a fab post Lorraine – looks like so much fun! Very inspiring =)
How gorgeous – that looks like so much fun!!
Wow this is taking cup cake decorating to a whole other level -how impressive!
Thankyou so much for sharing this post – it looks like such an AMAZING experience! I would LOVE to learn how to make the teapot cupcake – my mum LOVE’s teapots!!!
So fun! I haven’t gotten up the nerve to try anything with fondant yet, but my mom and sister-in-law are fantastic at it.
Wow, that is astounding! Absolutely amazing!!
I love the upside down Alice one! It’s so cute!
They’re gorgeous.
I don’t know if I could eat any of these cupcakes though – I’d feel too guilty
These all look delicious! Cake is my favorite thing in the whole world, hence the fact that I am perpetually on Weight Watchers and at the gym! This is funny: I am not quite Erma Bombeck! I am now following you on twitter…if you would like to get acquainted, I would love it. molly
Oh my Lorraine, this is a BRILLIANT post. I love the cute designs, especially the one of Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Priceless.
They are way too cute!!! Good job
I am absolutely gagging to do a planet cake course – those cupcakes look fabulous!! I love the shot of everyones cupcakes all together – just magic!!
How cute. I love the cupcakes. I have always wanted to wonder down to planet cake for a lesson. They have the most amazing cakes.
Those are some of the cutest cupcakes I have ever seen. Especially the Alice. I don’t know if I would be able to eat them.
Oh Lorraine… unbelievable. Thank you for sharing, your photos are amazing, as are your descriptions. Lewis Carrol was (apparently) on a form of LSD when he wrote Alice in Wonderland. Any attempt I might make at these cupcakes would look as if I too had indulged…
so gorgeous! i love them all! my favorite though is probably the one with the legs
on the topic of cooking classes, I did a FANTASTIC class at Patisse in Waterloo, Mastering French Classics with Vincent Gadan. We did so much in just four hours – a creme brulee tart, eclairs with chocolate or salted caramel filling and a pastry and belgian chocolate mousse millefeuille. The best part being that we learned short pastry, choux pastry, creme patissiere and a creme brulee custard plus chocolate glaze and salt caramel recipes. So fun, so comprehensive, complete recipes given to take away and we had dinner and wine as well. BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!
Wow these look fantastic, too good to eat. Thanks for the handy tips, great blog post.
I just bought mum a cupcake decorating class for Mother’s Day, after reading this I know she is going to love it.
Oh so pretty, love the colours and the varied ‘Alice’ designs. Well done Lorraine.
It was exciting reading through the whole process as I attended a Planet Cake Christmas decorating day a few years ago and it was the most thrilling experience. I didn’t want it to end but was eager to show off my decorated cake to family, they all oohed and ahhed .
oh my! they are amazing. Something to which I can only aspire. I’ll have to put a Planet Cake cupcake course on my wishlist.
I’m totally enrolling into one of those classes! The cupcakes look amazing.
Fabulous. What a fun lesson.
Planet cake have the most amazing cake designs! And the book is fantastic, but the classes are so darn expensive. Looking forward to seeing some of your own designs are creations, now that you have all the tools!
I love it! Even though I am no baker, I have bookmarked this. Just in case one day I need these tips.
Lucky YOU!
Brilliant! Those tips are fantastic and well-timed…I’m making my brother’s wedding cake/cupcake tower next week (eek!)
Love the Alice cakes.
I did Planet Cake’s cupcake class a few years ago and it was FAB, too! I really dislike colouring the fondant, though, because it’s so hard to mix the colour all in.
The Alice in Wonderland cakes you made are so adorable – did you see Anna’s Easter Show cake – beautiful
Stunning creations …I would not want anyone to eat them .
Wow I want to go to Planet Cake course too.
These are just so cute! Too cute to eat! I am dying to do a class at PC.
So adorable!
Alice falling down the rabbit hole is sensational!
How long was the class all up?
That place looks amazing. though what really want to know is how to neatly put the very first layer of fondant on over the ganache. can you help please, i’m making cupcakes for my husband’s birthday on friday..
Oh I’m so jealous! I’d love to do one of the Planet Cake
decorating courses. I’ve just been reading my friends Confetti Cakes for Kids book and now your story and now I feel compelled to cancel plans for the weekend
and make a batch of cupcakes.
Thanks for the step by step instructions on the Alice down the rabbit hole cupcake!
Aww thanks for this! I am even more excited about my course in a few weeks time! I’ve always wanted to do one of these courses and when they were offering 30% off not long ago I just couldn’t resist boking myself in. I’ll be doing basics 101 though so will be decorating a standard round cake. Yay!
Great review Lorraine – I knew you would love the course! Your cupcakes turned out beautifully
These are too cute! I only tried working with fondant once, but I love getting creative with cake/cupcake decorations.
I love love love this. This is a great blog post. It was fun to be a part of this day you had. I love how you take people with you and yet you never write in a way that it’s about you; it always feels like it’s about the reader. Not a lot of bloggers has this gift.
Love it love it! Absolutely amazing what you can do with fondant. Wish there are PC classes in Perth!
This is a great theme for cupcakes! I love Alice down the rabbit hole, and the colors on all of them are fantastic.
Absolutely adorable!
After you roll the teardrop for the rabbit how do you get the split for the legs and ears?
I love to bake, but I have always failed at icing. I don’t know what it is but me and icing just do not mix. I look at these cup cakes with so much envy I want to try…you have inspired me to try my hand at cake decorating again. I am also thinking an Alice in wonderland birthday party for my little girls 4th birthday would just be too cute.
These are completely gorgeous! Captures the spirits of Alice in Wonderland so perfectly.
How did they taste though? I have my reservations about fondant covered cakes because gorgeous as they look, they really look more like they belong in a glass display case than on a plate!
These are so fun and so intricate! I can’t help but smile at the one with the little legs poking out of the top. Totally adorable!
Hahaha! How whimsical is that?! I loved the cupcake with the legs flailing in the air!
These are sooo cute! Too cute to eat I think
Arghhhh! That’s the cutest thing i’ve ever seen!
Wow! Those cupcakes are just beautiful! I wish I could do that!
No one would every look at your cupcakes and pick you as a novice! Amazing, Lorraine. And the Alice down the rabbit hole is simply hilarious
These cupcakes are amazing!!! I would love to be able to go to a cake decoration course. This just looks so amazing!!! To be able to decorate cakes like that would be awesome (sorry if this post is a little repetitive)
How adorable!!! They look fantastic!! And it looks like you had a great time at the course!
NQN, what an excellent post! Love to give it a go sometime. Looked like a good demo.
They are so cute!!!
OMG I love Alice in Wonderland and these cupcakes are so adorable! I love the Alice falling down the rabbit hole – tehehe
They look too pretty to be eaten.
SWEET!
Thanks for this, I was just wondering what kind of cake I was going to make for my kinda sorta adopted daughter’s birthday (lovely kid whose mother kicked her out of home cause she is a psycho) and now I know! She loves Alice in Wonderland! Bookmarking for later.
Thanks gorgeous!
I was thinking of going for one of their classes..
Wow your cupcakes are amazing youre so talented!
Oh my goodness these are adorable. Nice work. Love them.
how colorful and cute! this was time well spent, obviously!
This class looks like so much fun! My favorite cupcakes are the mushroom and the teapot…so adorable! Your cupcakes look gorgeous, Lorraine!
Absolutely adorable, particularly the flailing legs in the air! Pity I prefer eating cream with my cakes but looking is enjoyable too!
So creative, Lorraine! I was incredibly impressed with the technique and the creativity. I am terrified of fondant… you really make it seem possible…
Those little legs are ADORABLE!
Interesting that they use Mondo for their cupcakes – or perhaps that’s just for using in classes?
WOW!!! WOW!! WOW!!!! Just beautiful.
lovely, just lovely! looks like a lot of fun. i think my fav is the teapot, although the cheshire cat is pretty darn cute, too!
Wow! beautiful cupcakes!!!
You’re so ummm, kiyou. No English word for it, good with your hands sorta goes some way to describing it I guess…It’s all so delicate and pretty, I wish I was kiyou ^^;
Wow these are amazing, great job
Wow…these must be the most beautiful cupcakes I have seen! That’s very creative. Looks like so much fun.
*squeal* These cupcakes are so gorgeous. Sounds like a great course, I picked up a few tips just reading this, I think I will try and get to a class soon, looks fun.
The cupcake designs are fabulous. Wow!
Oh what brilliant fun! I wished I lived in a place that gave cake decorating classes I’d be signed up in a flash! I love these cupcakes though I find those legs rather freaky sticking out of the cake like that! Great work, Lorraine!
Lucky you!! I have always wanted to learn how to work with fondant! Even though your instructions are detailed and exact, I probably need a class.
Your results are simply adorable and fun. Didn’t you all hate to eat them??
What a “wonderful” post! Those cupcakes are serious works of art – amazing stuff!
these cupcakes are gorgeous.keep it up
doyin
Those cupcakes look delicious! I finally went and saw Alice in Wonderland a couple days ago with a friend and I really enjoyed it, so when I saw the cupcakes here, I got all excited again! Yum
Oh Lorraine I have a love affair with Alice in Wonderland these are delish and yes too good to eat!!!
How long will they last in your house Lorraine???
these are so beautiful! i’m a huge fan of alice in wonderland too.
Oh wow!!! We bough my mum the large cake course for her birthday last year and SHE LOVED IT!! Said it was the best present ever
Total gorgeousness! Lucky you to be able to take this class – I’m completely overwhelmed with envy
ooh how exciting! Jealous!! seemed like a lot of fun!
Hi Lorraine,
It’s Katherine…you and I shared the bench at Planet Cake! Love your blog and love the PC info. Great photos.
Was lovely meeting you and even better that we shared a love of cupcakes and decorating.
Hope you’re well.
Katherine
Some brilliant tips there – I have to make some Siamese cats for a cake next week so this was very useful reading.
I had the Planet Cake book out of the library for ages, I kept being late renewing it and the fines I paid meant I could have bought it twice off Amazon!!!
Gorgeous Cupcake Decorations. My favorite one is the one with Alice upside down with the legs in the air. So adorable!
Wow what amazing cakes you have made. These are what I classify as mad skills.
Wow, absolutely amazing!
Oh how cute!! Love all the cupcakes.. Would love to see more tutorials on cupcakes
Ooh Lorraine, they are completely adorable. I LOVE the one with Alice falling down the hole and her little legs poking out.
And Happy Birthday for this weekend!! Hope you’re enjoying a scrumptious feast.
Briony xx
These are fantastic!
I love the teapot & not for the first time, I wish I lived in Sydney!!
I admire Planet Cake, however these courses are so expensive and always full. Do I have to book 3 months earlier?
My my what gorgeous cakes! I think this class must combine our childhood love of sugary icing and play-do!
Definitely suggesting this to friends for the next hens day event!
WOW!!! They look amazing
Thankyou for the tips; I have never baked (!) and am having a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party this Sunday – I have therefore made practice runs over the past few weeks but purely ‘winging’ it! Your blog has helped enormously :0)
wow, these are gorgeous! There are some really fantastic tips in this post – looking forward to trying some of them!
ALL the cupcakes look amazing! I wish I could find a class like this around here!
these are soo adorable lorraine
Can you show us how to make the Toadstool ??? Pleeaasseeee !!!
These are so adorable I would never eat them. I just keep them forever and ever to look at!
Hi there,
Great blog post and the cupcakes look fab!
Just wondering what gold paint or dust was used to paint the rim of the clocks? It looks like a really good shiny proper gold which I have trouble achieving, my gold tends to look yellow
Thanks!
I realize this is posted much later than May,but,just in case you come back to this page,… I
gotta tell ya, this takes the cake. I will write or blog to Anna with questions, but I want to thank you for this feature.My fellow artist & wise
dear friend, artist Michele De Onate, has done Alice In Wonderland figures and chairs, and the tea party in life-sized figures for her yard. And she loves to DO tea parties as a
business thing. She will flip over these cupcakes!
This is the most awesome thing I have ever seen
i would like to know if you do cake decorating courses in canberra, iam intrested in joining a course
Thank you
OMG! i just LOVE this site! it is AMAZING!!! the alice in wonderland designs are adorable but if it was horror then id sooooo love it more!! especaially if it was nightmare on elm street!!
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