Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (6 page)

Read Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World Online

Authors: Terry Romero Isa Moskowitz Sara Quin

BOOK: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
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3. Unfold and get as flat as possible. If you have the time, set inside a large, heavy book to press out the creases. Your stencil is now ready for sprinkling! Just be sure you have enough room around the stencil to catch excess cocoa/spices and for something to hold on to. Stencil cupcakes on a sheet of newspaper or paper towels for quick clean up later.
4. Cheat this process by using a paper doily. Just be sure to get one with largeish holes, as too-small or detailed shapes won’t really come out when stenciled.
MAKING STUFF OUT OF MARZIPAN (FLOWERS, CRITTERS, ETC.)
We use marzipan almond candy dough to decorate the Green Tea Cupcakes (page 97) in this book, but really there’s no reason you can’t shape marzipan into little daisies, deer, daikons, or duck-billed platypi. It’s all vegan as long as your marzipan doesn’t contain egg albumin, so read that label before you buy! We’ve found lots of great marzipan in tubes and cans in the baking aisle of better supermarkets.
To work with marzipan: have a clean surface and one or more of the following: food coloring, powdered sugar, waxed paper, a small, smooth rolling pin, cutting tools like a thin sharp knife, decorative fondant cutters in different shapes, and toothpicks for making fine imprints.
Color marzipan by kneading it with a small amount of food coloring. Paste works best, but liquid works too. You’ll have to knead for a few minutes to distribute the color evenly and avoid any marbled effect. Set aside tinted marzipan in an airtight container if not using immediately.
Roll out the marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with confectioners’ sugar and cut out shapes with fondant cutters (or small cookie cutters) or a knife. Rolling between two sheets of waxed paper is another way to do this. Try stacking different shapes of different colors on top of each other (like a star on a circle) for a different effect.
Start shaping: it’s just like the kind of clay you played with as a kid, so model away. Dust your work surface lightly with confectioners’ sugar, and dip your finger in confectioners’ sugar too if the marzipan gets too sticky. Place your finished shapes on wax paper, carefully cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Store marzipan in a sealed container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap to keep from drying out when not using.
CHOCOLATE SHAVINGS AND CURLS
Nothing beats a flourish of chocolate shavings or curls to instantly add some class to your cupcakes. The simplest method involves a good quality vegan dark chocolate bar and a sharp, clean vegetable peeler. Allow the chocolate bar to warm up to room temperature, and then run the vegetable peeler on the edge of the bar for tiny curls, or along the smooth underside of the bar for longer shavings. Save the curls on a dish or shred directly onto frosted cupcakes. Store shavings and curls in a cool place until ready to use. For big curls, spread melted semisweet chocolate onto waxed paper with a spatula, making an oblong shape with as smooth a surface as you can manage. Allow chocolate to cool to room temperature until firm to touch. Run a large, sharp veggie peeler (or a sharp paring knife) lengthwise on the chocolate, taking care not to dig too deep, less than 1/8 inch. Gently lift the curls onto a plate or onto cupcakes. This is a slightly trickier method worth mastering that can help you make really big, fat curls that look like they came from a fancy bakery.
MORE CUTE TOPPERS
We also like to keep decorating simple. Here’s a quick list of cute things you may already have on hand that look great on top of cupcakes, beyond the usual sprinkles and chocolate jimmies, that broadcast to the world your veganitude.
 
Edibles
Cinnamon Sticks
Vegan gummies
Gel fruit slices (usually vegan made with pectin, but check ingredients)
Coffee lentils (check ingredients)
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg
Semisweet chocolate chips and vegan white chocolate chips
Colorful, fun-shaped kid’s vegan breakfast cereals
Chopped chocolate-covered peanuts, hazelnuts, almonds, raisins
Vegan gumdrops, licorice whips, jelly beans
Crushed vegan cookies
Fresh sliced strawberries, mangoes, cantaloupe, papaya, kiwis, star fruit, bananas
Chocolate-covered pretzels, coarsely chopped
Edible flowers (check the produce aisle for prepacked flowers sold as “edible.” Don’t use flowers from a florist, as they are often sprayed with chemicals. Or grow your own pansies or violets just for cupcakes!)

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