Ladybug Cupcakes
Our adorable ladybugs won't fly away home but you may find they fly off your plates - and into your mouth. Best of all, they are easy to make and fun to eat. To simplify this design even more leave off the antennae.
What you will need:
Cake: 12 cupcakes (we used red velvet cake but any cupcake recipe can be substituted)
Icing: 1/2 recipe of Chocolate Glaze (see BAKE)
Decoration: 1/4 cup white wafer chocolate and 1/2 cup dark wafer chocolate to make antennae, eyes, smile, and dots; 1 1/2 cups of red nonpareils (online at wilton.com or kitchenkrafts.com)
Miscellaneous: one 12-mold muffin pan, pastry cones, antennae templates, 1 half-sheet pan, parchment paper or cellophane
How to do:
1. Bake the cupcakes and let them cool completely. Freeze for 1 hour to overnight.
2. Prepare the glaze.
3. Melt the dark wafer and white wafer chocolates separately. Pour the white and dark chocolates into separate pastry cones. Keep the chocolates warm on a heating pad or a pan placed over a hot water bath, since they will be needed in various steps throughout the directions.
4. Place the antennae template on a sheet pan. Lay a sheet of parchment paper or cellophane on top. Lightly secure the parchment paper with one or two pieces of tape. Using the templates as a guide, pipe out 12 sets of dark chocolate antennae. For added impact, overpipe a thin white chocolate line. Set aside to harden.
5. Glaze the cupcakes. Take the cupcakes out of the freezer - just a few at a time so they do not sweat. Hold the cupcake firmly by the paper liner and invert it into the pot of melted glaze. Submerge the cupcake just up to the paper line and move it about to insure the entire surface is covered. Pull the cupcake straight up and gently spin it above the bowl by rotating your wrist, to allow any excess glaze to drip off. Flip the cupcake and carefully place it on a wire rack to set. Allow the glaze to set for 3 to 5 minutes at room temperature.
6. Pour the nonpareils into a small bowl. Carefully dip three quarters of the cupcake into the nonpareils; try to create a straight edge where the glaze and nonpareils meet. The glaze will act as the bugs black head.
7. Starting in the middle of where the head meets the body, pipe a thin chocolate line down the center of the ladybug's body. Pipe 3 medium dots on each side of this line. To pipe a dot, hold the chocolate pastry cone perpendicular to the surface of the cupcake. Keeping the tip stationary, squeeze and hold in place until the dot is the desired size. Release pressure and pull straight up. Use the photograph as a guide.
8. Pipe two white chocolate eyes on each head. Pipe chocolate dots on top of the whites to give the effect of googly eyes.
9. Use a large skewer to score the cake where the antennae will be inserted (on either side of the chocolate line, where the head meets the body). Press the antennae halfway into each cupcake.
10. For fullest flavor, serve the cakes at room temperature.
