Marshmallow Blossoms as Cupcake Toppers !

Hurrah for the first "cake/cupcake" decorating post on my blog ! Come to think about it, it's kind of funny that decorating had to wait till the 16th post on my blog to be featured considering that my foray into this hobby/spiritual spa  started with cake decorating.   Somewhere along the way , "baking from scratch " took over fueled by my insatiable quest to try new and varied bakes while decorating took a back seat. Now, what with all the New Year starts , trying to balance on that front too. It will remain my earnest wish not to be biased towards decorating ..will dabble in it occasionally and share my experiences with you guys on this blog.

Let's start with these beautiful lilac blossoms !!! Don't you think they make the perfect cupcake toppers? Frankly , was getting bored of just swirling buttercream on them, so decided to try something new .Pinterest always comes to the rescue and in this case also there was no exception . Not only do these look beautiful , they are easy to make too. So , what are you waiting for ? Check all the things that you need for these pretty marshmallow blossoms. Once, you have those ready , read the step by step instructions on how to make colored sugar dust and shape the blossoms as well.

Materials-

Cupcakes (my flavor of choice was German chocolate)

1 bag of marshmallows ( don't buy the very small ones)

castor sugar for sprinkling

food color of your choice (I used wilton violet )

Edible bead/pearls  to decorate (optional)

Method -

Frost your cupcake . We need it just as base..the marshmallow flowers will be covering them up, so don't  worry about a smooth and neat finish to your frosting.

Now , let's see how to make colored sugar dust . The color is entirely of your choosing . Take half  cup of castor sugar in a ziplock . You can save the leftover for another project like dusting on top of brownies.

With the help of a tooth pick, put some color in the sugar.A little goes a long way so be frugal with it.

Now add little water, about 1/4th of a teaspoon. We don't need to wet the sugar, just aid in the mixing process.

Close the ziplock bag and with the help of your fingers, press it together in a kind of kneading motion .

 This is kind of halfway done, but you get the idea..keep on mixing till you get uniform color consistency.

Now, take the sugar out of the ziplock and leave to dry for a few hours. The wetter the sugar , the more time it will take to dry.

When dry, press it to make it into a fine powder or dust form. We will be dusting it on top of the cupcakes.

Let's move onto the marshmallows. We need to cut them to give the blossom shape . Since, marshmallows tend to be sticky, refrigerating them might be a good idea.I Also, have a cold and slightly damp towel paper ready for wiping the knife after each cut.

The first cut has to be vertical . It will be sticky so a little pressure is required.

This will yield two halves. Notice how they are sticky in the middle. Time to wipe your knife with a cold damp towel.

Take one half and make a diagonal cut from the side . Firm pressure is again recommended.

Viola ! we have the petals...atleast half of them. Time to do the same cut with the other half of the marshmallow. (diagonal cut on the side).

We have a complete flower  !!!! Now, is the time to place it gently on your cupcake. An edible pearl can be added in the middle for pure vanity .

Remember the fine sugar dust we made earlier. We will be sprinkling it on top of the cupcake. (The above pic shows it on the chopping board but you guys get the idea ) 

Now, give these beautiful marshmallow blossoms cupcake toppers and wow everyone !