Fondant On A Cupcake - Or Dip It?

Baking By miriamshapiro Updated 21 Jul 2010 , 9:36am by Sharonvdberg

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miriamshapiro Posted 19 Jul 2010 , 4:26am
post #1 of 15

I have seen two ways to get a smooth top on a cupcake. 1) melt your frosting a bit and dip it, or 2) with fondant. here are my questions: how do you cut the fondant if it's on top of the cupcake and not on the bottom of the plate like with a cake? and, can you do the dipping technique with any frosting (notably that wilton buttercream stuff)? Thanks!

14 replies
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Creative_Cookies_Cakes Posted 19 Jul 2010 , 4:44am
post #2 of 15

I would like to hear the answer to this also.

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princesscupcake000 Posted 19 Jul 2010 , 5:17am
post #3 of 15

I have a few circle cutters that I use to cut out my fondant. I just find the size closest to my cupcakes - usually a bit smaller than bigger as I will kind of pull/stretch (gently but with some pressure) the fondant when on the cupcake to fully cover it. If it is too big it doesn't quite have the neat cover that I would like.

I am not sure about Wilton buttercream, however I have been dying to try this poured fondant coating on CakeJournal. I think it looks absolutely divine. Let me know if you have tried or try this technique! http://www.cakejournal.com/archives/how-to-cover-cupcakes-with-poured-fondant/

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miriamshapiro Posted 20 Jul 2010 , 3:37am
post #4 of 15

princesscupcake000, that is a very smart idea! Btw - the wilton buttercream does not work for warming and dipping! it separates! Also, i tried dipping some today and was very dissatisfied with the product. Chocolate cupcakes and white frosting - it was a very thin coat and did not hide the chocolate color underneath. Probably freeze or wait for crust and re-dip is a good idea. Or did I do something wrong? Also, it was not as smooth as i've seen people get. Any suggestions, anyone?

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princesscupcake000 Posted 20 Jul 2010 , 8:44am
post #5 of 15

I would suggest the re-dipping of the BC after putting it into the fridge. I don't know what the texture and taste would be like if you put the icing in the freezer. Fridge would be a safer bet I think!

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princesscupcake000 Posted 20 Jul 2010 , 8:47am
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Just had an idea- not sure if it will work. How about putting the BC on the cupcake, covering it with some gladwrap/clingwrap and try and smoothen it from there. When you take off the gladwrap/clingwrap you may want to slide it off to the side then pull it off from the top to avoid the BC clinging to it.

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JaeRodriguez Posted 20 Jul 2010 , 3:32pm
post #7 of 15

If the BC isn't crusting that wouldn't work the clingwrap would just pull off the icing, you could use the roller method on top if you wanted a flat top with regular BC.

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miriamshapiro Posted 20 Jul 2010 , 5:10pm
post #8 of 15

roller method? i know what that is on fondant but is there something else?

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DetailsByDawn Posted 20 Jul 2010 , 5:33pm
post #9 of 15

For dipping, you can use a pourable fondant recipe or pretty much any buttercream or cream cheese frosting that has been warmed and re-whipped/mixed to bring it back together. Even canned icing from the grocery store works for practicing. If using a crusting recipe, just add a bit more liquid to thin it out slightly and dip away - it will still softly crust over. Ganache always works beautifully.
For fondant covered, just use a circle cutter and lay it over your cupcake while still soft.
I like to do both - I dip first, then lay my fondant circle over top (i use the cutter with the rippled edges), then there is no exposed cupcake. HTH!

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miriamshapiro Posted 20 Jul 2010 , 6:49pm
post #10 of 15

do you have a good pourable fondant recipe? Thanks for your help, everyone!

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JaeRodriguez Posted 21 Jul 2010 , 4:00am
post #11 of 15

google melvira roller method with CC in the site box (advanced search) and you will find it! HTH!

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bmoser24 Posted 21 Jul 2010 , 4:41am
post #12 of 15

I have dipped my cupcakes in canned icing, melted in about 10 sec intervals, and colored first. If you over heat you can add more icing. It comes out real smooth and shiney. I ve done this and then decorated with BC or fondant cut outs and it is real cute. I also did lady bugs. Red icing with black fondant. It dosnt work with homemade icing though. I'll try and find a pic~
LL

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miriamshapiro Posted 21 Jul 2010 , 6:38am
post #13 of 15

bmoser24, that's what i ended up doing.... for the most part it looked great! (for the most part because some of them had air bubbles... icon_sad.gif ) can you refrigerate and reheat the extra?

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HarrietBakes Posted 21 Jul 2010 , 9:22am
post #14 of 15

Poured fondant:

Add a tiny amount of water at a time to however much fondant icing sugar you think you need (I am in the UK, I don't know what findant icing sugar is called in the US, I guess the same?).
Combine the water and icing sugar, keep adding water a tiny bit at a time (a teaspoon's amount) and combinging until you have a dough-like consistency. You need much less water than you probably think!
Heat this dough in a bain marie or in the microwave (bain marie is best as you need to stir constantly).
Stir constantly while heating.
Heat until the fondant icing turns into a thick, smooth liquid with a nice shiny sheen.
Remove from bain marie.

TIP! Bang you bowl of pouring fondant on the table. This will make the air bubbles rise to the surface. Smooth a spatula over the top of the icing to burst the bubbles. Don't stir as this will just add more air (somewhat counter-productive! icon_smile.gif )Repeat a couple of times to make sure all air bubbles are gone.

Pour icing onto cupcakes using a spoon. Shake cupcake to spread icing and create a smooth finish.

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Sharonvdberg Posted 21 Jul 2010 , 9:36am
post #15 of 15

I do the same as Princesscupcake000

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