I started by baking a small batch of chocolate cupcakes and crumb coating them with some buttercream to make the fondant stick. I then started working on one of my decorative pieces, chocolate leaves! I used bay leaves because I knew they were edible and had a perfect shape. Sullivan suggested to, "Dip the a pastry brush in the chocolate and paint it over the back of the leaf" (Sullivan 43). After doing this on a few leaves, I decided to try dipping the leaves in the chocolate because I was impatient with the painting. It didn't work as well so I decided I should just trust the book and finished the rest of them by painting. I put them on parchment paper then put them in the fridge to cool.As the chocolate covered leaves were hardening, I made the royal icing. I decided to work with royal icing instead of buttercream because it doesn't separate as easily, it hardens quickly, and it looks clean! Sullivan stated that the consistency should be that of toothpaste so I kept an eye on the texture to know when I needed to stop mixing (Sullivan 35). I left the icing white because I was planning on making colored fondant!
The fondant was easier to work with this time because I had some experience with it! I was able to color it evenly, get it the right consistency for rolling, then roll it out evenly and cut a smooth shape! I cut them in circles the same size as the cupcake so they could lay on top and provide a colorful and even base for decorating. It didn't take as long as last time and turned out really well. I colored them blue, purple, and pink.
The final step was assembling all the pieces I made. I first placed the fondant circles on the crumb-coated cupcakes. I then frosted them using a big tip just in the center so the color of the fondant was still visible. I sprinkled small edible pearls on top to add some texture.The final step was to peal the leaves from the chocolate and place them on the cupcakes! I'm happy with how they turned out. I feel like it was the most clean and professional project that I made.
How did your guys' IRP's progress? Did you find improvement in your skills? I know I did, and I had fun doing it too!
These look so good! What was your favorite part of making these and how long did it take you?
ReplyDeletethe chocolate-covered bay leaf idea is really cool, do you think you'll use any of the techniques you learned, through this quarter, on later pastries?
ReplyDeleteI've loved looking at your posts, it's been really fun to see how you've progressed How do you feel after completing your IRP? Are you going to continue to hone your skills after?
ReplyDelete