Grey Buttercream Icing

It's a topic I can't keep away from for long: colour - and my lurve of working with it!
Surely, there must be a limit to what I can say on the subject?  You'd think…
But while the number of primary and secondary colours may be limited, all the possibilities of shades and blends out there are probably infinite. (Insert big smiley face here!).
So, these pages may be in for a few more discourses on the subject.
 If it's not your cup of tea (and cake), my apologies; I'll post another recipe soon!


Today let's talk grey.

For our Buttons and Bears themed cupcakes, I chose a blue, grey and yellow colour scheme.

And because we also do buttercream icing techniques in the classes, I made icing in the same colours. Well - I made pale blue and yellow icing; completely baulked at the thought of navy icing, but decided to brave the grey. 

Here's how:

Start with white icing :

- use white margarine (locally it is called "Wooden Spoon" white margarine)

- or substitute some of the butter with vegetable shortening

- or use a touch of purple colouring to neutralise the yellow 

Then add a drop of Sky Blue gel colour, followed by a drop or two of Super Black (depending on how dark a grey you want).
The addition of the blue adds interest to the colour, so that it is more alive than just a flat grey tone.

I use the same combination to colour fondant grey, too.

 (Credit for the design of these cute guys goes to Bake-a-boo Cakes)

So, that's it: behind every grey cupcake there's a blue icing…
; )

 xxM

Autumn Cupcakes

A project never really comes together for me until I've settled on the colours.  That was just the case for the Autumn themed cupcakes I was working on this week.
 I was sitting at my work table trying to come up with ideas, cursing myself for scheduling a theme for which I didn't have any pre-existing inspiration!
The Autumn colours were obvious - rusty reds, orange/yellow, brown. But how to pull it all together? Well, it's clear now  - but I was having a reptilian day: my brain was taking a while to warm up!

Which is your favourite season? For me, without a doubt it is Autumn - there is something about the quality of the sunlight, the thinning trees, and the stillness that comes at this time of year that I just love.
And the clear blue skies.
Duh! Teal blue - there it was: the perfect complementary colour!

So, here are the colour blends that I used (all with Cake Flora gel colours added to plastic icing / fondant for covering the cupcakes, and tylose paste for the decorations)

Red-Red + Chocolate Brown
Red-Red + Electric Orange
Egg Yellow + a drop of Red-Red
Avocado Green + a drop of Super Black
... and ... Teal!

(The brown is chocolate marshmallow fondant)

When you add colour to fondant, do so slowly - too much and you'll be dealing with a sticky mess, and your hands will be more coloured then the icing!
And bear in mind that left overnight, many colours mature and might even become a shade darker.

And finally, one that is just coloured with cocoa (the tastiest colourant, by far!) -
a hedgehog cupcake made with chocolate buttercream using a grass nozzle (Ateco 133) and some chocolate MMF.

Happy Autumn!

xxM