Amusing Sheep Face Muffins
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Difficulty:
advanced
Difficulty
Preparation:
1 hr 30 min.
Preparation
Ingredients
for
12
- For the cupcakes
- 1 ½ cups self-rising flour (sifted)
- ¾ cup superfine caster sugar
- 1 unwaxed Orange (finely grated zest)
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup plain Yogurt
- ¾ cup butter (melted)
- To decorate
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- water
- Food coloring (pink and red)
- 1 cup light orange Sugar paste
- powdered sugar
- ¾ cup pink Sugar paste
- For the sheep and bows
- ½ cup light orange Sugar paste
- 2 cups white Sugar paste
- powdered sugar
- Currants
Preparation steps
1.
For the cupcakes: heat the oven to 180°C (160° fan) 350°F gas 4. Place 12 paper cases in a muffin tin.
2.
Mix the flour, sugar and orange zest together in a mixing bowl.
3.
Beat the eggs with the yoghurt, then pour into the dry ingredients with the melted butter. Mix together until just combined. The mixture will be slightly lumpy.
4.
Spoon into the paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.
5.
Mix the royal icing sugar with a little water, adding a little at a time, until it is thick and smooth. Divide the icing into 2 bowls, then stir in a few drops of colouring into each bowl.
6.
Spread the icing on the cakes. Reserve a little pink icing and cover the bowl with a damp cloth.
7.
Roll out the orange sugarpaste on a surface dusted with icing sugar. Cut out small rounds with a crimped- edged cutter, slightly smaller than the diameter of the cakes. Prick the edges with a skewer or cocktail stick and place on the cakes.
8.
Roll out the pink sugarpaste as before. Cut out small rounds with a crimped- edged cutter, smaller than the diameter of the orange sugarpaste. Attach to the orange sugarpaste rounds with a little water.
9.
For the sheep and bows: roll small balls of orange sugarpaste. Mark the noses and mouths with a cocktail stick.
10.
Using 1/2 the white sugarpaste, roll small balls for the 'wool' and attach to the pink sugarpaste rounds with a little water. Place the sheep heads on top. Roll tiny balls for the eyes and attach with a little water. Press a currant into each eye.
11.
Mould pieces of white sugarpaste into the ears and attach to the heads with a little water. Leave to dry.
12.
Roll out the remaining white sugarpaste thinly on a surface dusted with icing sugar. Cut out even strips to make bows. Take 1 strip and pinch it together in the middle and at both ends. Brush the centre with little water, fold both ends towards the centre and pinch together. Repeat this process for the remaining bows.
13.
Make a smaller strip and brush lightly with water. Wrap around the centre of the bow. Repeat with the remaining bows.
14.
Cut 2 strips in half at an angle for each bow- to form the bow tails.
15.
Attach the bows and tails to the cakes with a little water.
16.
Use the remaining pink icing to add details to the bows and leave to set.
