Cupcakes with Dots & Bows

I wanted to try cake decoration using sugar pastry a long time ago.  Then I find this beautiful book written by Peggy Porschen, "Cake Chic" featuring step-by-step guides to decorate gorgeous mini cakes, cup cakes to stunning multi-tiered cakes.  I decide to start on small cake with half of the recipes so that I won't feel so bad if it doesn't turn out alright.  I use ready-rolled icing instead of liquid fondant and with my fingers crossed, the cakes look good, taste good.  Of course, there is still things to improve on, and I will keep trying....

These little cakes are ideal for weddings, baby showers or birthday.

Cupcakes with Dots & Bows
(make 5)

For the cake:
100g salted butter, softened
100g caster sugar
2 medium eggs, beaten
100g self-raising flour
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For lemon syrup:
2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
25g sugar
1/3 tablespoon Limoncello liqeuer (I didn't put in as I hadn't got it)

For the icing:
100g ready-rolled white icing
50g ready-rolled white icing mix with a little pink colouring
silver balls

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180c.
2. Place the butter, sugar and lemon zest in an electric mixer and beat until pale and fluffy.  Add one egg at a time until the mixture is well combined and finally add in the sifted flour.
3. Fill the paper cases about two-thirds full with a spoon.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cake is cooked.  Cool for 10 minutes.
4. Prick the top of the cake with a toothpick, using a pastry brush, soak it with the syrup.  Cool cake on wire rack.
5. For lemon syrup: place the juice and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Remove from the heat and allow it to cool.  Once cool, stir in the liqueur and the flavour will develop overnight.
6. Roll the white icing onto the baking paper, sprinkle some cornflour over the rolling pin and roll out the icing until 2mm thick and cut it into 10 strips about 1.5cm wide and 10cm long.  (I divide the icing into 2x50g and roll it in two lots)  Cover any unused icing to prevent drying.
7. Take one strip at a time, pinch it together in the middle and at both ends.  Roll out some more paste to the same thickness as before and cut it into 5 strips each 1cm wide and 3cm long.  Wrap one strip around the centre of each bow. 
8. For the bow tails, pinch one strip in the centre, then fold the tails over so that they are forming a V-shape and cut the ends off the strips at an angel.  Place the bows and tails together.
9. Roll the pink icing as 6, use a round cuter that about the same size as the cup cake to cut 3 rounds. Re-roll the left-over white icing and make 2 more rounds as the pink one.
10. Place the pink icing on top of the cake, while the icing is still soft, stick on the bows and decorate with silver balls.  Use the left-over icing and roll into tiny balls for the dots. 

roll out icing

bows and tails

cake with syrup

finishing product