Alice in Wonderland Cupcakes

Last week I was honoured with the task of making 21st birthday cupcakes for a colleague's daughter, Alice. Alice (a befitting name!) is a big Alice in Wonderland fan, and she celebrated her milestone birthday with an Alice on Wonderland themed party.

The cupcakes were a big hit and, most importantly, they brought a big smile to the birthday girl's face :)

In designing the set, I did some research about the story as it was so long since I had read it. I also remembered a recent NQN post.

Clocks, teacups, toadstools, hearts, rabbits - just some of the iconic imagery from Alice in Wonderland.

Toadstool

Wonky Clock

Queen of Hearts

The cupcakes were a mixture of chocolate and vanilla and to ensure the cupcakes stayed moist for the party, I topped them with ganache and allowed them to set for several hours before decorating with fondant.

Ganache is so wonderful on cupcakes and it is very easy to make. You just need to give yourself some time for it . Here are my own ganache recipes for you to try. The sweetness of the white chocolate ganache is balanced out with the vanilla bean, and the chocolate ganache is lovely and rich without being bitter.

White chocolate and vanilla bean ganache

1/2 c pure cream

300g white chocolate, finely chopped

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.

2. Heat the cream to boiling point then remove from heat.

3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until combined, then add the vanilla bean paste.

4. Allow to cool and set (ideally) overnight.

Rich chocolate ganache

1/2 c pure cream

110g dark chocolate (I use 70% cocoa)

90g milk chocolate

1. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
2. Heat the cream to boiling point then remove from heat.

3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until combined.
4. Allow to cool and set (ideally) overnight.

A few tips

• You can store extra ganache in the fridge for up to a week, but ensure your cream has at least a week's shelf life from the date you use it. Then when you need to use it, remove it from the fridge and soften it by warming it up in short bursts (10 - 15 seconds) in the microwave.
• If you are make a larger amount of ganache, you can store it in the freezer in smaller containers. Then just take it out and let it come up to room temperature before you need to use it. You can then soften it in the same way you would if it were straight out of the fridge.
• If you want to pipe ganache over cupcakes, it can be whipped. Just be careful not to take it too far.. Stop as soon as it reaches the desired consistency and before it starts losing its gloss.

Happy baking, everyone :)

Happy birthday once again, Alice - I'm glad you enjoyed the cupcakes!


Ladybird x

Mr Ladybird's 30th Birthday Party!

So as many of you will know, Mr Ladybird turned 30 last week. We hosted a party on Saturday to celebrate with our family and friends. It was so much fun, the hubby had such a great time - thank you to overyone who came along... it was so nice seeing you all!

For Mr Ladybird's birthday, I decided to get him a Liverpool cake - he is such a diehard Liverpool fan so I thought it would be great to have a liverpool themed cake! The magnificent cake was created by Sharon of Sharon Wee Creations. Her attention to detail is so impressive. It was a lovely moist vanilla cake, with a layer of white chocolate ganache in between. I cannot sing Sharon's praises highly enough - she is one talented li'l lady! To read about the cake from her perspective, click here.

Due to popular demand, here are the names of some of our other 'suppliers' for the night!

Our balloons and party supplies, including disposbale champagne glasses were from Sydney Party Shop at 485 Forest Rd, Bexley NSW. We used a DIY helium balloon kit - it was good value and easy to use. PLUS- karaoke on helium is a lot of fun ;)

The Jukebox & Karaoke machine was from Jukebox Hire. It was so much fun and really helped make the night a success - guests had a lot of fun choosing songs and giving karaoke a go :)

The cheese & spinach and the pea puffs were from The Original Maltese Cafe at 310 Crown St, Surry Hills. These delicious flaky pastries will melt in your mouth, and they are FAR superior to the cheese and spinach pastries you get in the supermarket, not to mention the fact that they are such good value!

Umm no I didn't make the dips, sorry :( I would have loved to have made them myself, but I simply had no time! The dips were from Yalla Dips on Anzac Parade, Maroubra. This is where the factory is located, but you can still but the dips there. You can them at DJs, as well as quite a few supermarkets and delis. My favourite was the Hummus.. so tasty with warm turkish bread!

Ladybird x