Perfect cupcake for the cold January blues!

January is an odd month, the holidays are over, friends and family have gone home, the weather (most places in the U.S) is cold, snowy, and we have the shortest days of sunshine. I find myself feeling melancholy. I am not one for giving into sad emotions for long; this year I decided to use the month for a cupcake inspiration and bake champagne cupcakes. I used a wrap method to fondant cover the cupcakes in cool blue and decorated them with snowflakes, a shell border and delicate string work.

For the recipe to the champagne cupcake , substitute  with champagne. I used the left over champagne from New Year’s Eve.

Shell Border and String Work:

We (Colorado) are in the middle of cold snow storm..There are a plethora of snowflakes falling!

• 1-String work royal icing recipe
• 1-recipe champagne cupcakes
• Paper cornets or piping bags, 3
• PME #6 open star nozzle, or Ateco #22
• PME # 1 writer nozzle, or Ateco #1
• Styrene ball, to drone fondant
• Lace mat
• PME snowflake plunger
• Kit box snowflake cutter
• Pearl petal dust, CK or Blossom
• Soft #1 artistic brush
• Square dusting brush
• Cooled boiled water
• Scriber
• CelCups

Visit Shop 5th Avenue Cakes for supplies

Cut out your snowflakes prior to covering the cooled baked cupcakes. I cupped the large snowflake by placing the snowflakes in a CelCup. Dust your snowflakes while still wet.

Attach the snowflakes with royal icing off peak consistency.

The consistency for the decorative piping is medium.

If you are uncomfortable with a # 1 nozzle move up to a 1.5 PME or a #2. With that being said the large the nozzle the less delicate the string work will look.

The little snowflakes are very fragile, to prevent breaking I attached the snowflakes while the paste was still pliable yet held the cupped shape.

I would enjoy seeing your drop string or decorated cupcakes.

As always if you have any questions please leave me a message.

The blue color was achieved with baby blue food paste, SF!

Enjoy!

Voila!