The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery

by Elisa Strauss, Christie Matheson

Overview

When a world-famous shoe designer walked into his surprise birthday party and saw the cake that was waiting for him — a Manolo stiletto perched alluringly next to a tissue-filled shoebox — it was his turn to ogle someone else's talent. The cake, created by Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes in New York City, was a sensation. Not only did everyone at the party want to know how it was made, they wanted to know how to create something as dazzling themselves.

This unique book contains projects for every skill level: from gorgeous, sugar-dusted heart cookies to delightful billiard-ball cupcakes, to sculpted cakes in the shape of wine bottles and Chinese takeout boxes, to the extravagantly beautiful, threetiered embroidery cake showcased on Sex and the City. With delicious recipes, stunning creations for every occasion, suggestions for time-saving shortcuts, and hot tips for fabulous results, all illustrated with gorgeous photographs and easy-to follow diagrams, The Confetti Cakes Cookbook is a must-have for the outrageously chic baker in all of us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316113076
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	05/02/2007
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	8.38(w) x 10.25(h) x 1.25(d)

About the Author

Elisa Strauss is the founder and head designer of Confetti Cakes in New York City. A former designer for Ralph Lauren, Strauss is famous for her imaginative and elaborate cakes. Her work has been featured in dozens of magazines, as well as on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Martha: The Martha Stewart Show, The View, and the Food Network.

Read an Excerpt

The Confetti Cakes Cookbook

Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery

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By Elisa Strauss

Little, Brown and Company

Copyright © 2007 Elisa Strauss
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-316-11307-6

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Chapter One

One of my favorite things to do is replicate a toy in sugar. It is fun to trick people and see if they can tell what is real or not ... or in this case edible! These little duckies are a favorite toy and are the perfect topping on cupcakes for baby showers or a child's birthday.

What You Need

CUPCAKES

1 cake recipe, any flavor (see Basic Recipes pages 49-52) 1 frosting recipe (see Basic Recipes pages 55-57)

MATERIALS

4 pounds of gum paste (2 1/2 ounces per duckie) 1 pound, 10 ounces fondant (store-bought or page 60) Food-coloring gels: sky blue, lemon yellow, sunset orange, coal black Shortening (for rolling out fondant and gum paste)

EQUIPMENT

Toothpicks Plastic mat Small rolling pin Paring knife or X-acto knife Small paintbrush Dish of water Pastry tips: #4, #7, #10 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter Cupcake tins White brioche molds or cupcake wrappers Small offset spatula

TECHNIQUES

Dyeing fondant and gum paste (page 40) Creating a dome of filling (page 28) Covering cupcakes in fondant (page 29) Measuring gum paste and fondant (page 61)

Method

ONE DAY IN ADVANCE: MAKE THE DUCKIES

1. Dye approximately 2 ounces of gumpaste yellow (I recommend gum paste but if you only have fondant that is fine). Coat your hands with shortening and mold the head by rolling a ball approximately 1 inch in diameter. Form the body with double the amount of gum paste that you used for the head. The body should be pointy on the tail side and rounded to form the chest of the duckie. You may need to cut one side to make the point for the tail. Attach the head to the body with a dab of water.

2. To make the wings, roll out the remaining yellow gum paste to 1/8 inch on a smooth surface greased with shortening. Cut out all of the wings with a paring knife or X-acto knife and attach them to the sides of the duckies' bodies with a dab of water.

3. Dye approximately 3/4 ounce of gum paste orange for each beak. Form small cones and use the knife to create an indent to divide the cones in half from the pointy end, but do not cut all the way through. Use a toothpick or a pastry tip to create a small opening for the beaks. Attach the beaks with a dab of water to the duckies' faces.

4. For each set of eyes, dye a pea-size amount of gum paste black and roll it out to 1/16 inch thick on a smooth surface greased with shortening. Roll out a pea-size piece of white gum paste. Use piping tips #10 and #4 to cut out white circles, you will need two of each size. Mold the larger of the two circles into a slightly oval shape. Use a #7 tip to cut out two black circles. Attach the black circles to the oval white circles with a tiny dab of water. Place the black circle against the top edge of one of the ovals. Attach the smallest white circle on top of the black. Attach them with tiny dabs of water. You should place the eyes so you can see them from both the front and sides of the duckie.

MAKE AND ASSEMBLE THE CUPCAKES

1. Prepare the cake batter as directed. Line the cupcake tins with the brioche molds or cupcake wrappers. Fill each halfway full and bake the cupcakes as directed in the recipe. Let them cool completely.

2. While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting.

3. Tint the fondant sky blue, reserving 2 ounces white fondant to make the polka dots.

4. Frost the cupcakes with a dome of cupcake frosting. On a surface greased with shortening, roll out the blue fondant to approximately 1/8 inch thick. If you are using brioche molds, first cut out a circle then use the top edge of an empty mold as a cutter to cut out the fluted design. If you are using standard cupcake wrappers, use a round cutter and cut out a circle of fondant. Smooth the piece of fondant onto the dome of frosting.

5. Place the duckies into the centers of the cupcakes using a toothpick or water. (If they do not stick with water and you do not want to use toothpicks you can use Royal Icing.)

6. Roll out the remaining 2 ounces of white fondant to approximately 1/16 inch thick on the greased surface. Use the #10 tip and cut out 8 to 10 polka dots for each cupcake. Attach them to the blue fondant, around the duckie, with tiny dabs of water.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Confetti Cakes Cookbook by Elisa Strauss Copyright © 2007 by Elisa Strauss . Excerpted by permission.
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