There weren’t many heroines around for me when I was little. I should explain that statement. There weren’t many dark haired heroines on television and there was certainly no-one that really looked like me. Dark tresses was usually the territory of the anti heroine or the evil twin. I had the following to choose from:
1. Wonder Woman
2. Morticia Addams
3. Veronica from the Archies
Is it any wonder that I love all three?
Many years ago a friend and colleague revealed his tattoo to me. It was of Veronica from the Archies with an outraged look on her perfect but pouty face. I thought it was utterly fabulous until I realised all of that black hair would mean a world of pain. Shortly after I met him I moved to Japan where tattoos are more the territory of yakuza rather than ordinary folk and that plan was put the rest. I’m quite glad that it did as I never did find an appropriate place to put poor Veronica.
When I was visiting Busselton Jetty in Perth I came across an anchor cookie cutter. I had never seen one of these before so I immediately bought it. I was also given a box of Coco’s Tattoo chocolates from my friend Myriam only weeks before and I already had its destiny in mind. Not cookies but tattoo cupcake toppers!
I used Faith’s great yellow cake recipe which I also used for the Linzer Heart Cupcakes as this produced a lovely dome effect. Making or drawing a tiger was way beyond my abilities so I picked some easy tattoo patterns. An anchor of course, a dice which just involved cutting out squares, a “mum” heart and a tribute to Johnny Depp’s shortsighted tattoo when he was dating Winona Ryder and got Winona Forever tattooed on his arm. Alas poor Johnny was caught up in the romance and was unable to see the fate of most Hollywood fated relationships and they broke up and he had the last two letters of her name removed to say “Wino Forever”.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you have a tattoo? And which tattoo would you have?
Tattoo Cupcakes
Degree of difficulty: medium to high
Degree of frustration and fiddliness: high
- 1 1/2 c white sugar
- 3/4 c canola oil
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 c milk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
To decorate
- Red. white and blue fondant
- White chocolate ganache* see recipe below
- Anchor cookie cutter, heart cookie cutter, edible pens, small brush, glass of hot water, angled spatula, sharp paring or small knife and some cornflour/cornstarch and a small rolling pin to roll the fondant.
The scrolled ribbon and anchor
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F and line a cupcake baking pan with paper liners. Use a handheld electric mixer to beat sugar and oil together in a large bowl, then cream in eggs until light and fluffy; beat in milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat dry ingredients into wet until just combined, making sure not to over-mix.
2. Fill each cupcake well with batter to just under the top of the paper liner (I usually only fill cupcake liners 3/4 full, but for this recipe I like to fill the wells a little more than usual to make sure that I get a nice upper rim that I can cut off). Bake 22-24 minutes, or until light golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the cupcake comes out clean or with just slightly moist with a crumb or two. Cool for 5-10 minutes in the cupcake baking pan and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Getting your ganache on!
The rough ganache coat at first before smoothing it (the ones under the top one have been smoother over)
3. Make the white chocolate ganache. To create a smooth topping for a dozen cupcakes melt 300grams of white chocolate with 1/2 cup of cream until a smooth consistency. Allow to set firmer-you can do this in the fridge. Then uding a small angled metal spatula smooth the spreadable ganache over the cupcake coating it. Then filling a glass with hot water, dip the spatula in the water, shake off any excess water lightly and then smooth over the ganache surface to give it a smooth surface. The heat from the hot water and tiny drops of water make it smooth. Allow to set.
Smoothing the ganache to give a smooth surface for the fondant
4. Dust a clean surface with a light dusting of cornflour and using a rolling pin roll out the white fondant first. Cut out some circles to fit the top of the cupcake (I used a fluted cutter but a plain is fine), white anchors using the anchor cutter (sadly this is difficult to freeform cut unless you are very dextrous) and cut out some “ribbon” for the mum tattoo and fold it over at each end so that it looks like a ribbon scrolled. Cut out some small squares for dice. Roll out some thin “sausages” of white fondant which you will intertwine with red fondant to create the anchor ropes.
Anchor ropes
5. Roll out the red fondant (wiping the surface clean with a dry cloth between colours and redusting with fresh cornflour) and cut out some rounds to fit the top of the cupcakes, some red hearts and some lips (I shaped these in the same way I did the vampire cookie pops). Roll out a thin red fondant sausage and intertwine it with the white fondant to make the anchor. Roll out the blue fondant (again wiping the surface clean with a dry cloth and redusting with cornflour) and then cut out some discs to cover the top of the cupcakes.
6. With the brush, brush the ganache top of the cupcakes lightly with water. Affix the fondant discs onto the ganache. Place the hearts on top of some of the cupcakes and place the scroll on top affixing each with a small amount of water. Draw Mum on the ribbon with an edible ink pen or an icing pen. Draw dots on the dice and affix these to some cupcakes. Then do the same for the anchor and the rope and the lips where you can draw whatever message you like.
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90 Comments | Add your own
They look adorable Lorraine!
I don’t have a tattoo and I think I’m (fortunately) past that stage when I’d even consider one 
I love these! It obviously took so much time and attention to detail to create such cupcakes – they are truly works of art! And I love that you added the Winona tattoo – it adds even more fun to the whole tattoo cupcake idea.
Those cupcakes are decorated in such amarvelous way! I’d love to have you patient and talent when it comes to decorating cakes…
Cheers,
Rosa
Wow Lorraine your baking decoration is just going into over drive these days – super impressive!
What a fantastic idea, Lorraine! I seem to remember sailor mars being my heroine simply because she looked like me (or I looked like her..)
I don’t think I could get a big showy tattoo, it would have to be something small, maybe a ladybug
These are so cute, Lorraine! I especially like the anchor decorations. Tried my first fondant today as a decoration on a cupcake. To be honest it was dried out and tasted like plastic haha. I might have to try making the marshmallow version if I want to make these fun decorations!
I’m not a tattoo person – They’re far too permanent for my liking. Love the cupcakes!
My eyebrows are a product of embroidery or so called “advanced tattoo”. that’s the only tattoo i have! hahahaha!
nice cupcakes by the way! you do put a lot of effort in your work!
I love it when you make unusual and insipred treats on a theme. They are always so surprising!!
You have the best imagination.
Back to your question. When I was 17 I got a tatoo of a little cartoon devil on my backside ( yes that is underage but there are not too many tatooist around that are going to say no to a bare 17 year old bottom.
Natutally with in a year or so I hated it. I had it changed to a slightly larger pansy (like the Roxy flower) but it took me 10 years to get around to it. I know like it (…but never see it).
When I had the tattoo corrected I got the bug again and designed a little floral tattoo for my ankle. I like this one too because it is small but I can see it without a mirror.
That one is now 13 years old.
These look great! & haha wino forever – that always makes me laugh. I don’t have a tattoo. We were going to get one in europe but ben chickened out hehe. I would get something for my older brother. & i always wanted “la dolce vita” written on my foot
Heidi xo
These look great Lorraine! I loved the nod to Johnny D. I don’t have a tatt – it would hurt too much for little ol’ me, and my mother would kill me (even though I am, as you will have guessed, way past the age of consent).
great cupcakes – I knew I would love them just from the title of the post – I once did a life drawing class and one of the models had the most amazing tattoos I have ever seen and was quite happy to talk about it
wow – these are so very clever!!!
Very impressed with you tattoos!! No tattoo……unless you count the blue spot on my inner arm where my best friend stabbed me in 3rd grade with a freshly sharpened lead pencil !!!
Gorgeous choccies – and cupcakes, of course!
Well done, Lorraine, these are very cute.
I’m afraid I’m far too much of a chicken to even contemplate tattoo’s.
oh, as soon as I saw the title, I KNEW I would love these, and the first thing I thought of was JD’s Winona tatt hehehe :>
My tattoo is on my right forearm near the shoulder its a fobwatch with wings, and it has Tempus Fugit (Time flies) underneath it… why? because I am the sort of person that packs an hour into every minute of every day. I plan to get the first verse of Dylan Thomas’ “do not go gentle into that good night put on my left arm when my best friend has his done (we both are both looking after parents with alzheimers). Heading off to make cupcakes now to cheer us both up!
I have a tiny butterfly on my back which I have had for 10 years and still love it some days and hate it on others.
I think tattoos are a very odd decision – best avoided if you are a fickle mind changer like me
These are amazing Lorraine! I have just one tattoo, a little heart on my shoulder. An impulse purchase when I was 24!
These are so cute! I have three tattoos a snake on my lower back, a quotation on my inner right arm and a large bouquet of roses on my right upper arm/shoulder.
No I don’t have a tatoo (big surprise there). But I did find your commentary very amusing re finding the cutter – I had never seen one so I had to buy it. Would have been true for me as well. The cupcakes are cute too.
Gorgeous!
You are so over the top! And I love you for it. My son, a Depp fan, will appreciate the Winona Forever. Too cute!
These little works or art have quite cheered up my Monday morning badly threatening to ‘go wrong’! Admire your patience! Tattoos – I have to admit I don’t understand wanting to have one – one can change a dress or a necklace or a pair of earrings, but that’s kind’of permanent! And, if one ‘hides’ it, what is the use of having one or two or . . .? Yea, I know, funny me!
I considered getting a Tattoo when I was younger, but fortunately I sat with a friend while she got one and after that I would never ever ever consider it. I also struggled to work out what I wanted – for me it would be like choosing one pair of shoes for the rest of my life and I could never do that.
The cupcakes look like a great compromise though!
No tattoos, but I did have a belly ring. That was years before the 15 year old girls with flat stomachs started getting them. I hear you re dark tresses- I’m the same. Shannon Doherty was my hero!
Two wonderful things combined – tattoos and cake! Happy days. I can vouch for the fact that these cupcakes were as yummy as they look… mmmm… butter cake…
So cute! You really are the cupcake queen!
…..love ‘em!!
Can’t wait to go and try out your fabulous recipe….or should that be arty recipe.
I don’t have any tattoos and yes, to me it would be like making a decision to wear the same pair of shoes for the rest of your life!
Susie Q
I love these cupcakes Lorraine, very very cool
PS: I’m glad you liked the tattoo chocolates too!
Well done! Would love to eat these!
Cool ideas – and will take on board your cupcake recipe as im off to a cupcake decorating coarse LOL maybe from your Coco box above, Betty Page inspiration for decorating
They’re gorgeous.
Nope never been inclined to get a tattoo and never will. I don’t think I could ever make up my mind even if I did want one.
Such fun bright colours! my hero was always Michelangelo from the Ninja Turtles – no idea what that says about my personality!
‘Level of frustration and fiddliness’ – I love it.
They are amazing pieces of art, Lorraine.
SSG xxx
Hahaha these are so cute Lorraine! Love the cheekiness of the designs and that red, red, red dye colour!
Oh, the cupcakes are utterly FAB!
No Tattoo…. I think I’ll save the money for a nose ring. HA xx
I think the popularity of tattoos is all down to Angelina Jolie and those other celebs..I personally think they are tacky.
Hi Lorraine…no ink vwork on this fair skin…however, could you kindly tell me where you got the awesome looking baking cups from that you have used here. I have been after same type for ages but have been unable to find any online (I live in country NSW you see!)Thanks in advance…always love your blog…so very exciting to logon each morning to see what you’ve been up to!
Lorraine, those anchors are too cute. No tattoos here, but I’m taking a fondant class soon, so I can make these fun things too.
Too cute, Lorraine! I was a Wonder Woman fan and in the US we also had Isis (another brunette heroine- http://www.tv.com/isis/show/4994/summary.html). I was a Morticia fan and now I have my very own Gomez!
Love the MUM cupcakes – can I say “too sweet”?
I toyed with getting a fat-bellied dragon on my breast but I chickened out & am glad I did now. :} It’s a great look just not on me.
Love your new line: “Degree of frustration and fiddliness: high”
These look yummy but seem hard to make =(
These exude cupcake-parlour perfection! At first glance, I thought these were store-bought! So lovely and such gorgeous colours
By the way, Wonder Woman too was my heroine when I was a kid
Nope, never been one for tattoos. I always think they’ll lead to regret some time later down the track and tbh, I’ve never ever seen a grandmother or grandfather look appropriate with one!
Tattoos aren’t really my style, but these are so cute!
I would never get a real tattoo, but I’d gladly eat these
They look fantastic – although I doubt I’d be presenting them to a bunch of hardened bikies. Somehow, I doubt the tattoos would make up for the fact that they’re still cupcakes…
I have a tatt – a dragon on my back. At my mum’s wedding last week, the photographer got a shot of me from behind, wearing a ’50s style pale floral dress, my hair done up with pearls in it, holding a bouquet of roses… with my tattoo showing rather prominently. Ah well.
You have such a talent for making cupcakes. I think these cupcakes look fantastic. I can imagine all the pain and frustration that goes into making this.
Wow, what neat “tatoo” decorations on those delicious cupcakes!
What a fabulous idea! Cupcakes are all the rage now, and these just make them more funky and fun!
Great idea, and so cute! I love the idea of a tattoo that you can get rid of at will. I think I’ll just stick to henna ink ones for me,they only last about a week and then fade away.
The best tattoo I heard of was a male friends backside ‘branded’ with ’100% Aussie Beef’
This post has made me giggle! I don’t have a tattoo and have no interest in getting one, although I completely do think that they suit some people. I just am not confident enough that I’d like what I like now forever, if that makes sense?
I love the cakes, but I think tatoos are truly unattractive, especially on old women.
Hi Kate-Thankyou so much! I got the cupcake liners from the Donna Hay General Store in Woollahra
I was deperate for a tattoo when I was 15, never got round to it when I was older, I’m over 50 now and soooo glad I didn’t. They are so overdone now,cant imagine what all these people will look like when they are old, covered in tattoos.
I laugh when they are looking for someone,and the description reads no tattoos!!!
No, I don’t have a tattoo…I’m into avoiding pain wherever possible! But I love your tattoo cupcakes – very cool!
Now if there were ever to be bikers cupcakes, these would be it!
I couldn’t imagine you with a tattoo – well not anywhere obvious but I do know the Veronica image you are referring to and I agree, would be fab as a tattoo.. just not on me, I’m a wuss!
Love how your mind works – fantastic cupcakes!
These are brilliant! I have one tattoo (at the moment) a Shotokan tiger on the inside of my left ankle (I got it when my first students got their black belts).
I want to get a floral wrsit corsage (but around my right ankle) – and a friend is currently designing it for me, so soon….very soon.
Always thought of getting a tattoo, but then I think of what it will look like when I am 90 and all wrinkly, err no. Love the cupcakes!
I will probably never get a tattoo but for me, “wino forever’ is very apropos.
Those are brilliant-looking cupcakes – and I was laughing so hard at the “Wino(na) Forever” one! (I adore Johnny Depp!)
Being blonde, I never thought of the almost lack of dark haired heroines. I did however love Wonder Woman. Good job on the cup cakes!
WINO FOREVER!!!
Your cupcakes are always so beautiful, it would almost be a shame to devour them… almost!
I have a tat of a treble clef on the back of my neck that I got for xmas last year, and I’m hoping someone will pay for another one for my 21st…
I wish I had enough talent to make those!
They are too perfect Lorraine. No tattoos for me… with a hatred of needles I realized that tattoos and drug addiction were never going to be in my future… and that is a good thing, right? I think I’ll stick with temporary henna numbers and something like these cupcakes.. adorable idea!
Love these! Your white choc ganache looks so smooth. I always have trouble with white choc ganache, it tends to be too “runny”. What kind of white chocolate do you use Lorraine?
As for tattoos, I have two
PS – for the record, don’t regret getting them (the tats), and I’m going to get another when I turn 50.
I am in the low percentage of tattooed people who have regret.
Should I ever have the means I’ll be getting it removed, alas.
But the cupcakes look delightful!
Moi does not have a tattoo, nor do I ever plan to get one. That being said, I think they can be extraordinarily beautiful works of art, if done properly.
Beautiful cupcakes daaaaahling, especially loving the Wyno Forever. Mine would say “Whiner forevvaaa” LOL
*kisses* HH
“Wino, forever.” Gotta love Johnny Depp.
Lorraine, those are so darn cute!
I’ve never been brave enough to get a tattoo on my body. But now, I can’t wait to get one ‘in’ my body.
I’ll take one of each, please.
These look great. What a great and original idea. I love it!!
Imagine being young and very overweight, and getting a tattoo of a dick. Then think of getting very old and skinny,and wrinkly,… heh heh..
No tattoos here because an inner voice said not to mark the body.I did get pierced ears, though.In America, tats were associated with sailors on leave, and then heroin addicts and jailbirds,and then hippie girls and biker women. Tattoos have been raised to a fine art despite all of what was thought before. And now, in my mid-age,I am suddenly thinking of covering my arms and back with Asian tats of dragons and such.And no, my husband hates the very idea. It might get me diddled by a bear!
Very nice dish..I have a small blog award for u in my blog..I loved ur blog that much..Keep going.
Love
Deepa
Thanks Lorraine…also, I wonder if you have seen the loaf liners that Nigella raves about being available anywhere in Australia yet? Thanks again!
I’ve always though about a butterfly on the small of my back, but never really thought I was rebellious to get one.
Cupcakes look gorgeous! Becoming quite the cupcake fondant artist now arn’t we?
Wow, these are adorable – very kitsch!
These are soo cute! Love your dedication to making everything look so perfect!
Those look so cool, very good decorating! I have 2 tattoos which I got just after I turned 18. They are very addictive things and if I hadn’t have stopped at 2 I could have a lot more by now…
So cute, they are adorable!
I’ve got me a butterfly tattoo, was on my bucket list for years, went and did it, it now needs some colour touch up’s, but I just can’t bring myself to go through the pain again. LOL.
Hi Kate-I don’t know what loaf liners they are I’m afraid!
no tats for me, but i will say that i recognized johnny depp’s immediately. gah, he’s one sexy man.
They look marvelous!!
Oooh me too! Dark haired with no heroine but boy did I want to be Morticia! And no, no tattoo as my husband forbids it (as does my religion). But I so want one! Adorable cupcake.
So pretty!! You’re a genius, Lorraine.
These are really cool – the anchors remind me of Popeye!!
cute cupcakes! im not arty so not sure if I can pull this off at all.
I will love a tattoo and still toying with the design.
Love the cupcakes.
I have 1 tattoo on the inside of my right wrist, it is basically a ribbon star inside a heart, the heart (coloured purple my fav) represents me and each point of the star (in blue) represents one of my 5 boys.
I’m planning on getting more but it takes me a long time to design them. My husband as lots and lots and lots and lots lol
And the pain isn’t anywhere near as bad as you think it’s going to be, I wish I had done it years ago.
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[...] make one dozen cupcakes decorated in your style of choosing from this selection: Tattoo Cupcakes: http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/03/21/tattoo-cupcakes/ Linzer Hearts:http://www.notquitenigella.com/2011/02/10/linzer-heart-cupcakes/ Springtime cupcakes: [...]
[...] is a dozen freshly baked cupcakes by yours truly in whichever design you want from the following: Tattoo Cupcakes, Linzer Heart Cupcakes, Springtime Cupcakes, Koala Cupcakes, Jam Donut Cupcakes or Baby [...]
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