By Michelle Anderson
Cake Decorating Expert
After 30 years children still absolutely love to attend a birthday
party with an Elmo theme and adults find Elmo enchanting at a shower or
event. Creating the cake for any type of event is very simple due to the
various character pans available at most baking supply stores. However,
keep in mind during the party planning process that there are few
designs cuter than a platter of smiling Elmo cupcakes. This design is so simple it can actually be part of the festivities along with pin the tail on the donkey.
Decorating Elmo Cupcakes
There
are many ways to create Elmo cupcakes depending on your cake decorating
skill level and the amount of time you have to devote to the process.
Elmo cupcakes need very few components to make an impact such as the
cupcake itself, the fur, the eyes, the nose and the mouth. Different
decorating techniques can be utilized to create exactly the effect you
wish to achieve from realistic to slightly abstract.
The Base
The cupcake itself will be completely covered by red icing so its
flavor or color is not truly important to the decorating. Simply bake a
family favorite or perhaps embrace the "red" Elmo theme and whip up a
batch of red velvet cupcakes. You can also use carrot cake, vanilla, or chocolate.
The Fur
The
decorating technique used to create Elmo's fur is a personal choice;
however, all the chosen methods should produce a fur that appears
vibrant red. It is important to note that red is one of the hardest
icing colors to create well because it usually ends up tasting quite
unpleasant. Pre blended red icing or no taste Wilton red paste coloring
are the best choices if you are piping your Elmo fur. The following
methods create wonderful fur:
- Use a Wilton grass tip to pipe thick red fur all over the top of the cupcakes. If you have never used a grass tip before than practice on a board and then decorate the cupcakes
- Heavily frost the cupcake surface with red buttercream and sprinkle red decorating sugar all over the top
- Frost the cupcake tops and then sprinkle with red colored shredded coconut
Elmo's Eyes
The
eyes on the cupcakes can help create exactly the expression you wish to
achieve so try several variations before picking the best. The eyes
should take up approximately one third of the cupcake.
- Cut large marshmallows in half and stick the halves onto the cupcakes and then pipe the black irises onto the marshmallows
- Fill a piping bag halfway with white icing and using a round tip to create two smooth protruding circles for the bulk of the eye. Pipe the irises with a premade black gel
- Create the white part of the eye with Mentos and then pipe small black dots in the centres of the candies
Elmo's Nose
The
nose on these cupcakes is important because it shouldn't overpower the
slightly protruding eyes but still needs to be very visible. Tan easy
method to create the nose is a tan colored candy or peanut if there are
no allergies at the party. You can also pipe a nose with a round
decorating tip taking into account the size and width you require for
the best effect.
The Mouth
Elmo's mouth
should convey an open joyful smile with a simple black semi-circle. One
of the easiest methods of creating this smile is rolling out black
fondant, cutting an appropriate sized circle for the cupcake and then
cutting the circle in half. You can also use an Oreo cookie cut in half.
Piping a black icing smile is also simple but this can take a little
practice with the pastry bag so stick with cookie halves if you are
making these cupcakes during the party.
The cake decorating techniques used to create Elmo cupcakes can also be utilized for many other Sesame Street
characters or other children's favorites. Try different methods until
you find the one that suits your skills and vision best. You will
certainly find volunteers to eat the errors!
