Gnome Cupcakes With Honey Honey Cake
Honey honey cupcake
Makes 8-10 cupcakes depending on size of cupcake
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1 cup plain all purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1/2 cup apple sauce
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1/2 cup honey (I used a Maya Sunny honey)
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2 tablespoons mild flavoured oil
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2 eggs
To decorate:
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White fondant with green, blue, orange and pink colouring
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Red fondant-I find it easiest to buy the red fondant as it is too hard to mix in
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Edible black pen
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Pocky sticks for the mushrooms and shovel
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Ready made daisies (I made these using a daisy push cutter I bought from Glasshouse Cakes)
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Toothpicks, about a dozen or so
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. In a bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon so that it is thoroughly combined. In a jug, measure out the apple sauce, honey and oil and add eggs and whisk together. Combine together and spoon into cupcake liners until 3/4 full. Baked for 20 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Step 2 - To shape the gnomes, make some blue fondant and roll into a ball with a slight taper at the top-this is the gnome's body. Using a little blue fondant, roll two small sausages and cut in half-attach to the body-they are the arms. if the fondant is warm and soft, the arms should adhere without need for water.
Step 3 - Add a little pink colouring to some white fondant to make a "flesh" colour. Shape into balls about 1/2-2/3 the size of the body and attach to the body. Roll tiny balls and make ears and nose. With the ears, use a toothpick to make an ear hole in each one. Roll little balls to make hands and attach these to the ends of their arms.
Step 4 - Roll out some white fondant and cut a triangular shape. Attach this to the face
Step 5 - I find the red fondant that I have quite tricky to work with as it bleeds everywhere so if you do too, do the red gnome hats last so that it doesn't get all over your fingers and board. Roll into a triangular shape. I used an icing tip lined in parchment to help shape it. Place a toothpick vertically so that the gnome stays together. Also don't forget to remind the kids and adults that there are toothpicks, you can probably do without this step if you aren't transporting them and it's always best to tell people about toothpicks or avoid using them if possible.
Step 6 - With the edible black pen (you can use a non toxic texta too), draw little eyes on the gnome.
Step 7 - Then using a small paring knife, give the beard some texture by pressing down gently to make lines.
Step 8 - Break a Pocky stick in thirds or halves and place some red fondant on the end and shape like a mushroom. Clean your hands (the red fondant tends to really stain and stick to hands) and then add little white balls to resemble toadstools.
Step 9 - You can give the gnome a garden tool-I made a pail which was actually meant to be a watering can but by the next morning the spout had fallen off so I made it a pail. I also made a shovel which I fastened on the end of a Pocky stick. I also made some daisies and coloured the centre with yellow edible pen.
Step 10 - Lastly, roll out some green fondant to fit the top of the cupcakes-I used a fluted cutter and used a toothpick to press dots into it. Using some water on the fondant or another toothpick, attach the gnomes to the cupcake and sink the mushrooms and shovel deep into the cupcake using the Pocky stick.