Panda Baby Cupcake + Planet Cake Cupcakes Book Review

You hear me right. I have not ever played with fondant icing. I have not ever made a single cake nor cupcake decorated with fondant icing.

Everyone has a baker's fear. For me, it's fondant icing.

From the time when I was young, I have never been a crafty person. I can knit, but I never will be the best knitter. I can paint, but I never will be the best painter. When I was a little kid, I could play with Lego all day and build some extraordinary constructions, but I have never been able to create something credible with Play-Doh.

You can give me a three-page long recipe and I will probably have no problem in tackling it. But I have never dared to wander close to fondant. I guess all I needed was a push.

The push came when Murdoch Books asked me if I would be interested in reviewing this "Planet Cake Cupcakes" title and after pondering on it for a day, I said: "Yes!". I needed a push to finally get my hands dirty with fondant.

Rainbow Dragon

This Planet Cake Cupcake book is really not for the faint hearted. It's a cupcake book appealing to aspiring sugarcrafters and cake decorators as well home cooks who are past the simple iced cupcake and want to tackle more quirky and challenging designs. However, it does provide all the basics you need to succeed, even for a first timer like me.

Save The Planet

When the book arrived. I stared at it for a good 30 minutes. My immediate thought was to take the easier route and make these 'knitted' character cupcakes inspired by Amigurumi that use royal icing, instead of fondant icing.

Amigurumi Family

I could also have opted for these mosaic patterns with relatively simple roll-out and cut-out techniques.

Pulsating Heart

Go Dog, Go!

But I have always wanted to make Planet Cake's signature design - "Baby Face Cupcakes" and this book includes 3 sets of new designs that encore the success - Baby suits, Bad-Mannered Monsters and Santa's Crew.

Baby Suits

Santa's Crew

After calming my nerves for a moment, I recomposed myself and told myself: "Yes, I am going to face the challenge."

Since this was my first time decorating cupcakes using fondant icing, I decided to pick this Panda baby from the baby suit series because it requires only three different colours of fondant icing and requires the least equipment and materials.

Once the decision was made, I started to have a closer look at the book. This book features 20 inspiring projects set out in technique-based chapters that progress from beginner level to the more advanced level. It provides all the basic information and instructions you need to make the famous Planet Cake Cupcakes. The author Paris Cutlet with her "sharing everything and hide nothing" business philosophy has made this book a good asset to all cupcakes enthusiasts.

Three different flavour cupcakes recipes are included. Chocolate, vanilla and orange & poppy seeds. Gluten-free options for these three flavours are also provided. I made the vanilla version, as it's Miss C favourite.

Detailed instructions are given on how to prepare the cupcake so they look perfect and on how to ice the cupcakes. Two layers of syrup and a layer of chocolate ganache are needed to provide a perfect foundation for icing the cupcakes. Syrup and two different type of ganache recipes (white and dark) are included in the book, together with 8 bullet points of ganache tips. I chose to use white ganache, the decision was again based on Miss C's taste.

Many, many pages in this book are dedicated to techniques ranging from basic to advanced. Among them are ganaching cupcakes, covering cupcakes, colouring fondant icing, marbling, gluing icing, edible painting and colour wash, gelling, painting silver and gold, edible glitter, airbrushing, piping with royal icing, figuring modelling, making simple moulds, making and transferring a template. All techniques are explained in detail and most are accompanied by illustrations.

Airbrushing

Figurine Modelling

Another reason that I picked this baby suits design is because this project is a great introduction to cut outs and cake decorating. I learned the technique to create different skins tones, painting, simple modeling (ears) and creating the faces:

I started with white chocolate ganached cupcakes. Before spreading the ganache, I brushed the top of the cupcakes liberally with syrup to prevent them from drying out. Allow the ganache to become firm to the touch, I then brushed them all over with syrup again. this will help the fondant stick.

Then I proceeded to colour the fondant icing. I needed three colours: skin, black & white and a little help from Miss C.

I then moved on to cover the ganached cupcake with skin-coloured icing. Gently manipulate the icing so it sits perfectly on the surface of the cupcake.

The fun part has arrived: Decorating the cupcake! I started with the animal suit, fringe, basic baby face and then panda ears.

The last step was to add the finishing touch with making eyes and mouth indents and paint them.

Some of the materials required are a little tricky to source. I couldn't create the rosy cheeks on the baby face because I wasn't able to find the pink and red petal dust at my local cake decorating store. However, with online resources and a little time researching and traveling, you should not have any problem in getting what you need.

I can't stress this enough: that this book has offered all the help I needed to make my first fondant cupcake. Although the projects sound challenging , the book has all the resources to help you succeed. All the equipment and materials needed for all the cupcake patterns in this book are pictured and explained.

Stencils for some of the patterns are included. The page I like the most is "Troubleshooting". It gives you valuable information on some common problems such as paper cases peeling, wet & dry icing, how to deal with the high humidity and what to do with stains.

What next? I am hoping to try the more advanced figurine modelling and airbrushing techniques to make these stunning projects:

Playful Puppies

Zodiac

Thank you to Murdoch Books for sending me the review copy.

Planet Cake Cupcakes by Paris Cutler

"Paris Cutler sets a new standard in the cupcake-loving marketplace, appealing to both aspiring sugarcrafters and professional cake decorators, as well as home cake makers who are ready for a challenge. Planet Cake Cupcakes features all the icing and decorating techniques that have made Paris an internationally recognised name in cake decorating. She brings her funky approach to stencilling, cut-outs, 3D character modelling and all aspects of cake decoration. Like Planet Cake (Paris’s first bestseller), Planet Cake Cupcakes includes comprehensive step-by-step illustrations to ensure the cupcake enthusiast produces winning results.

Paris Cutler has always been passionate about cake making and loves the joy and amazement that cakes evoke in her friends and customers. Paris bought Planet cake, a small cake-decorating studio in Sydney, in 2003, and has steered it to international renown. As well as producing great works of cake art for celebrities such as Nicole Kidman, Rihanna and Celine Dion, Paris runs popular cake-decorating classes across Australia through her schools, which attract students from around the world."

Published: November 2010
Page: 240 Pages
ISBN: 9781741967791
Size: 255 x 210mm
Price: AUD $45 (Available on Bookdepository and Fishpond)
Format: Paperback with flaps