Next Monday is World Fashion Day so we thought we’d show you how to make some very fabulous leopard print cupcakes! These are fantastic for any occasion, particularly girly birthday parties and hen parties and so simple you won’t believe it…

What you’ll need

Sugarpaste coloured with a smidgen of Sugarflair Chestnut Gel Colour
Round cutters
Cupcakes & buttercream
Gold lustre dust
Sugarflair Liquorice Gel Colour
Rejuvenator spirit
Paintbrushes & small mixing bowls

1. First cover your cupcakes with your sugarpaste, making them as smooth as possible

2. Next mix some gold lustre dust with a little rejuvenator spirit until it forms a paint-like consistency. Paint gold ovals all over your cupcakes, giving yourself a little room in between each one. Vary the spots in size and shape as no two leaopards are the same!

3. Once your gold spots have dried, mix some liquorice gel colour with a little rejuvenator spirit in a small bowl (best not to use yours or anyone else’s best china for this bit!). Then paint the outsides of your spots – these should go around roughly 3/4 of the spot, not quite touching on one side. Short sharp brush strokes/jabs with the paintbrush give the best effect.

4. Work your way around all of the dots, varying the strokes and sizes. And you’re done! Absolutely Fabulous if we do say so ourselves!

Please rest assured no animals were harmed in the making of these cupcakes, we love leopards very much

Jenny x

One of the things we get asked about the most is the mighty giant cupcake, from recipe to decoration. So this week we thought we’d tell you exactly how we do it! Below is the recipe and instructions for our vanilla giant cupcake.

Ingredients

350g Unsalted Butter
350g Caster Sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
350g Self-raising Flour
175g Plain Flour

You’ll also need a giant cupcake pan. Our favourite is the Wilton Giant Cupcake Pan for shape and ease of use, so the baking method is based on using this particular mould. We use this with Wilton Cake Release, which is used to grease the pan, making the cake easier to remove.

1. Turn the oven to 140C/275F/Gas mark 1 and grease the giant cupcake pan with the Wilton Cake Release
2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl, using a standalone or hand-held mixer
3. Add the vanilla and the eggs gradually, mixing all of the time, until combined
4. Mix in all of the flour by hand using a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth
5. Spoon two thirds of the mixture into the side of the pan intended for the bottom of the giant cupcake
6. Bake for roughly 20 minutes
7. Remove from the oven and spoon the remaining mixture into the side of the pan intended for the top of the cupcake
8. Replace in the oven and bake for a further 70 minutes or until both sides are baked. To test whether the cake is cooked right through, insert a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean your cake is cooked, if not return to the oven until cooked. If you find your top is a little drier than the bottom adjust time accordingly.
9. Leave the cake in the pan on a cooling rack until cooled
10. The cake should come away from the pan fairly easily, but carefully slide a palette knife down the sides of the cake to release it if it sticks a little
11. Leave until completely cooled before decorating

For a master-class on how to ice a giant cupcake please click HERE to see our Youtube video!

If you’re finding your giant cupcake a little dry, try adding 1 tsp glycerine, which primarily helps keep moisture in the cake, making it a little softer. And if you’d rather make a chocolatey giant cupcake simply leave out the vanilla extract and replace 60g plain flour with good quality cocoa.

Enjoy!

Jenny

One of the cakes we’ve delivered today was for one of the lovely ladies at the shop where my own wedding dress came from http://www.theweddingrooms.com/ ordered by her colleagues as a birthday surprise.

This bad boy is a dense Devil’s Food sponge, with chocolate ganache surprise in the middle, and chocolate ganache buttercream, topped with mountains of chocolate and chocolate stars and a creme egg!

We make lots of cakes for lots of gorgeous parties, weddings and special occasions, but after delivering this cake this morning, we heard that it was so good it made the Sara cry! That’s made my week!

(I did wonder if it might be the thought of the calories that made her cry..)

Have a lovely birthday Sara x

A belated happy birthday from Blue Door Bakery to Kimchi who indulged her party guests with a fabulous chocolate chip giant cupcake and coordinating cupcakes, with her favourite yellow butterflies… And because we know it’s the little details that matter, you’ll notice her ‘i’s are dotted with hearts just how she wanted them! Happy birthday Kim, hope you had a fabulous night.