Spring time means tulips, and it’s definitely spring, so I thought tulip cupcakes would be in order. Lucky for me, I have a wonderful friend Gloria who is also the talent behind The Art of Cake.

I won’t give you a tutorial on how to make and ice the perfect cupcake. This is about the decorative touches only –> The Tulip!

Tools:

Rolling pin
Shaping tool with a round ball on the end
Oval cutter (about 1″ wide and 1.25″ long approx.)
non-stick vegetable spray
cupcake pan

Ingredients:

1/2 cup total of modeling chocolate in the colours of your tulips, plus green for the leaves*
Chocolate melts (about 1/4 cup)

*If you prefer you could use gum-paste or fondant. Modeling chocolate is easy to work with and tastes great. Here are a couple of easy recipes:

recipe 1
recipe 2

12 frosted cupcakes in the flavour of your choice. I had a mix of vanilla/vanilla and strawberry/strawberry. Mmm…

Roll out the modeling chocolate on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar. You may need to work it in your hands for a minute until it is soft and easy to work with. About the consistency of play-dough.

Using the oval cutter, cut out 5 ovals for each tulip. That means you will need 60 for your dozen cup cakes. I’d cut out a few extra just in case you damage one or two. (trust me… )

The roll out your green modeling chocolate and using a sharp knife cut out long thin leaf-shapes by hand. You could buy a cutter for this, but why waste the money. You can do it, it’s easy. You’ll need 24 leaves.

Now for the only tricky part. Shaping the tulip petals… Using the round ball tool (if you don’t have one use the edge of a spoon or even your hands), you need to flatten out just one edge of each tulip petal. Just to it thins out and starts to slightly curl. Don’t be intimidated, just take your time. You can always roll out a few more ovals, if you need some extra practice. Remember, that the odd minute tear won’t be noticed. Go easy on yourself.

Now thin out the edges of the leaves as well.

Next you’ll want to spray the cupcake pan with non-stick vegetable spray.

Now melt your chocolate melts and put a small circle of chocolate in the bottom three or four cups of the cupcake tray (about 1″ round). Don’t do the whole tray or the chocolate will melt before you get a chance to get your petals into the chocolate. Slightly bend one end of the oval and set it into the chocolate, do that four more times for each tulip, each time keeping the ‘thinned-edge’ to the same side. slightly overlap each petal. There you have a tulip! Easy right?

Repeat this process 11 more times. Put the cupcake tray with your tulips in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Once hardened, gently remove from the cupcake tray. They should pop-out easily. Be gentle!

Now press one tulip into each frosted cupcake. Set leaves on either side of tulip, just push into the frosting and gently bend the tips outward.

Tulip cupcakes! WOW, right?

These cupcakes would make a lovely Mother’s Day treat or how about for a bridal shower?

I’d love to know what you think?

Kim

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