Let's celebrate this Chinese New Year with cupcakes. In this tutorial, we will learn the fun of making a basket of Mandarin oranges on a cupcake. Feel free to expand your creativity.

What you need :

• A stick of uncooked spaghetti
• A small brush
• A small craft knife
• Edible gourmet food writer
• Fondant tools – veined & comb tools
• Scalloped cutter
• Dusting sugar pouch
• Small rolling pin
• Colour palette
• Edible gold sheen colour (for painting)
• Copper stone impression mat
• Coloured fondant
• Coloured gumpaste
• Edible glue (mix ½ tsp. Of CMC powder with ½ cup of drinking water & shake well)

Step 1 :

Dust your counter with dusting sugar pouch. Start by covering the cupcake with rolled fondant using a scallop round cutter. Spread a thin layer of apricot jam on cupcake before covering.

Step 2 :

Roll out fondant thinly (approx 0.2cm) and imprint with basket weave impression mat.

Step 3 :

Cut out basket weave imprinted fondant with a smaller size scallop cutter and cut into half.

Step 4 :

Paste cut-out basket weave rolled fondant onto the cupcake by applying a thin layer of edible glue.

Step 5 :

Roll out a thin line of brown colour fondant and paste on to complete basket handle.

Step 6 :

Make Mandarin oranges by rolling out small balls of orange colour gumpaste. Roll balls around grater to create orange texture.

Step 7 :

Affix oranges onto basket with edible glue.

Step 8 :

Dot stems with black edible food marker.

Step 9 :

Cut out blossom flowers with ejector cutter and glue onto edges of basket, to create a full basket.

Step 10 :

Make little 'Ang Pows' & write with Chinese characters. Add onto basket.

Step 11 :

Cut out little leaves with ejector cutter to complete the basket.

Tutorial courtesy of Cake Connection Sdn Bhd.

Cake Connection Sdn Bhd
D11-1 Block D Jaya One
72A Jalan Universiti
46200 Petaling Jaya
Tel : 03-7956 4450
www.cakeconnection.com.my