I need to make teacup-cakes and saucers. I thought of baking the cups in some sturdy glass teacups I have and then covering them in fondant. Can I form the saucers in the real saucers, with gumpaste, and let them dry there? I'm just afraid they will stick to the glass saucer - how can I make sure the come loose easily?
I need to do this tonight, so your urgent help will be appreciated!

Hi
Do you mean bake your cake mix in the cups? I'm not sure whether they would withstand the heat of the oven. I would just carve my sponge into the shape. As for the saucer you could use what we call cling film ( I'm not sure what your equivalent is - clear stretchy food wrap!) and put that on the saucer then your fondant on top to dry out in the shape. As this has to be done tonight I recon you would need to add something to your fondant (for the saucer and cup handle - not the teacups themselves) to give it strength and dry quickly- I think they call it modelling paste on here. Personally I would use gelatine paste which dries rock hard (assuming it's the cup rather than the saucer that is going to be eaten).
Good luck - hopefully some others will chip in with advice before your deadline.

Thanks! That's a great idea! We call it "clingwrap". You mean I should use that RI + Tylose-mixture for the saucers? Wouldn't gumpaste work? I only deliver them Saturday morning, and thought if I make the saucers tonight they will have enough time to dry?
I'm going to try one teacup in the oven first - I mean you pour piping hot water in a teacup and I doesn't crack...so maybe it will work - I'll let you know if it works.

Hi
Sorry I get kinda lost in translation as we call somethings different to what you call it The gelatin paste i'm talking about dries hard enough to make upright pillars, aeroplane wings etc - i think your 'gumpaste ' is not as rigid as this but will be ok for this project. Basically normal fondant won't be strong enough for your teacup handle or to hold the shape of the saucer (IMO) so if gumpaste dries quickly and has strength enough to hold the shape for these two pieces then yes use that.

As for your cup - boiling water isn't nearly as hot as your oven is going to be and the oven is an oppressive dry heat, only dishes marked ovenproof should be used in an oven, are they made of pyrex? that should be ok i think - if it is normal glass i'd avoid it. What about a pudding bowl (again not sure if terminology is the same) for making steamed puddings that would give you a basic shape to start carving into.

Oh and i would make several teacup handles - fiddly stuff like this is often brittle and the very thing you drop or break when trying to attach it so have a few spares just in case - it will save a lot of swearing later or...maybe that's just me

i would just rub a little shortening onto the saucers. gumpaste should be fine.
how about the big muffin tins for your cup shape? you would only have to trim them a little

Hmmm...your name sounds a bit South African???

Any case - how do you make gelatin paste?

I think I'm going to try using that teacup of mine (I'm not particulary sorry for it....and I avoid carving as far as possible...don't feel very confident with it! )

I've used a normal thick glass mixing bowl (not pyrex) before for baking a dress, and it was fine...so maybe I'll be lucky. The teacup's glass is rather sturdy and thick.....
Can you see I'm trying to convince myself - so that I don't need to carve!!! Ha-ha-ha-ha!!

I usually make spares....since my DH broke 3 tiara's with one blow....but that's a long story!!

My name...or was that directed at someone else?

Gelatin paste - i'll pm you coz its out of a book and I'm not sure if posting will break copyright.

Jess85 - I was gonna suggest shortening (going on what I've read about it from other posts )but we don't have it over here and i've never used it so i thought I'd better not just in case - muffin tins are a great idea too

[quote="marksmum"]My name...or was that directed at someone else?


Your message says "Annemarie" at the bottom...

Is shortening the same as Holsum fat???

I can be SA for the day then

I have pm'd the gelatin recipe.

Shortening - don't know if it is the same as the stuff you suggest but from what I have read about it ( well quizzing folks on here actually ) it is 100% solid vegetable oil - apologies if that is wrong but i know someone will correct me, just thought you would be able to work out if your stuff is the same or not.

LOL I'm having fun reading this one. I'm an Australian who has lived in the UK, I think you are doing a great job communicating what you mean, well done! I think we all speak the same language, the language of CAKE

Also, check out "Cupcake Envy" - Coolest teacups I've seen in a while.

Yes, thank you for trying to explain everything so nicely...you know, I'm also actually Afrikaans speaking - so I struggle with some english terms in any case - doesn't matter from which country!!
It seems that Holsum and shortening is the same thing...being on the topic...what the heck is "parchment"??? Is that what we call "wax paper" - a whitish paper with thin wax on the one side...??

By the way, thanx I got your pm - I'll give it a try sometime.

Your glass mixing bowl was almost certainly Pyrex, so it should be oven safe.

Parchment paper isn't coated like wax paper. If you run a fingernail across parchment, nothing comes off.

Oh boy...I wish there was universal baking equipment available in all places all with the same name

MaisieBake i gather where you are there is something known as wax paper and another called parchment? My apologies for causing any confusion. Over here our parchment paper is like what i would describe as having a waxy feel - but i agree that if you scraped your nail down nothing would come off. Our alternative is greaseproof paper which doesn't have the waxy feel - eg. if you made meringues they would stick to our greaseproof paper but not to our parchment paper.

I think we need to start a thread for worldwide alternatives/substitutes - it's really difficult trying to work out what you are doing when almost everything seems to have a different name or meaning. The only thing that seems universal is eggs

Wilton has a how to make cups and saucers out of cookies and cupcakes. Have to search for garden tea party I believe. I did this and everyone loved them.

Welcome tabicat21
That sounds cool I'll check it out.
Has anyone ever made the ones with a marshmellow on a cookie? They look really sweet. I made them for my daughters kindergarten party once and another mum came up and said to me 'wow, look at those georgous teacups, I wonder who made them!' They are easy...
1. Use a small round pretty cookie for the base, we can buy pink ones here with a frilly edge and sprinkles on them.
2. Royal ice a marshmellow on top
3. Royal ice on a handle made from half a round sweet (I use pink lifesavers here, they are shaped like a tiny donut)
4. Royal ice on a "freckle" chocolate on top, ( they are a small flat round chocolate drop with sprinkles on top).
Dead easy, you don't even have to bake and the kids (and mums) love them

Could you make the teacups from RKT or Rice Krispie Treat?

Here is a link to a recipe any cereal that will crumble will do... just a thought.

http://www.ricekrispies.com/Display.aspx?kic=true&recipe_id=1577

http://www.ricekrispies.com/Cookbook.aspx

Good Luck.

Morning!!! Just want to say - I baked my teacups in my glass teacups, and it was a huge success!!! (And my teacups are still intact !!! )
I just made sure, when I took them out of the oven, to NOT put the hot cup on a cold surface.
I also made the saucers, but the clingwrap didn't work - It lifted up from the bottom of the glass saucer, so I wouldn't have gotten the right form. So I sprayed my saucers with Spray-and-Cook , moulded them on the inside of the saucer. Left them for a few minutes to dry a bit and them I peeled them off(because they were sticking a bit), turned the glass saucer over and draped them over the back. So they are drying out nicely now, without sticking!
Suppose I should stick the ears with RI?

[/quote] think we need to start a thread for worldwide alternatives/substitutes - it's really difficult trying to work out what you are doing when almost everything seems to have a different name or meaning. The only thing that seems universal is eggs

So, I also wants to know what is "Saran wrap"...is that still another name for clingwrap??

PatrysV - i'm glad your cups worked - well done!

sorry the sacucer advice was a disaster - but really you should know better than to listen to some mental woman from Scotland who doesn't know her Saran from her shortening

What you did instead sounds good tho


cupsncakes do you have a photo of the finished article?

- to me 'lifesavers' work at the pool and 'freckles' are what you get on your face when you've been out in the sun so can you imagine what i'm imagining?

seriously I would love to see a wee pic if possible and from you PatrysV.

this has been fun...thanks for letting me spread my confusion

I'll post the pictures on Monday!

Decided I'm going to start a thread on "translations" now - as seemingly I'm not the only confused one!!

Hi!1

Here is a picture of one of my teacups!! Thanks for all the help!!I think they came out well!

Well Done !!!!!!!!
These are fab