MetaChat - About Alice: Making Mushrooms (Cupcakes that is)

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23 June 2009

About Alice: Making Mushrooms (Cupcakes that is) Concerning this thread, I know want to make a patch of mushroom cupcakes. Or at least something edible. White on the bottom, red caps, little white dots. I need to be able to do this by Saturday. How long to they keep and what's the fastest way? I have only a popover tin (22 holes)

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Also, how to make a HUGE cupcake the way pay (I've got a big round Pyrex thing) and how to transport them on the subway without squishing em.)

post by: The Whelk at: 14:01 | 11 comments

Do they have to be cupcakes? Meringue mushrooms are really neat. Someone more well versed in dessert-making than I may be able to tell you if you could add red food coloring to the tops.

posted by occhiblu 23 June | 14:06

If you use a vanilla sponge recipe you'll get "white" and if you overfill the tin then the cakes should pop over to form a cap. Red food colouring in the frosting and some kind of candy for the white dots?

posted by gomichild 23 June | 14:11

The easiest way to transport cupcakes is in a cupcake carrier or a cupcake pan that has a lid.

For the white dots, if you can find candy melts at a craft/baking store just slap them on some red-frosted cupcakes and BAM.

Also, these Super Mario cupcakes I did not make are totally adorable. EMULATE.

≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by Juliet Banana 23 June | 14:44

I was thinking super low-effort, could I cook the vanilla sponge and then just food-dye the capps then cadd some kind of sticky candy dots?

the meringue mushrooms look cool, do they keep/travel well?

posted by The Whelk 23 June | 15:11

Yeah, you can throw the meringues in some tupperware and be fine. They might break apart if you're too rough with the container, but they don't need to be refrigerated, which is nice.

posted by occhiblu 23 June | 15:18

The easiest way to transport cupcakes is in the tin you baked them. you can decorate and frost them in the tin, and then just try hard not to smudge everything when you take them out. For the white dots you could use necco wafers or mold some disks from the inside of an oreo if you want it to me more palatable.

posted by rmless2 23 June | 16:04

Oh the Super Mario ones are cool. Definitely less effort to get some white cupcake papers and make them in those - no turning out or pan greasing!

Also much more effort to dye than frost - frosting is mix mix mix slap a bit across with a spatula - done.

posted by gomichild 23 June | 18:00

You know, you can do really cool mushrooms with tomatoes and eggs? Boil eggs and peel. Cut tomatoes in half and partially hollow out. Insert egg into base of tomato. Decorate with dots of mayo. If they don't stay together, use a piece of uncooked pasta noodle as a skewer (it's edible and unlikely to kill an unwary eater).

Or, you can do super-cute radish mushrooms!!

Why yes, I have been on a bento kick. How did you know? :)

posted by ninazer0 23 June | 19:08

Do regular cupcakes, ice them with white icing that you've colored with way more Red #40 food color than you think you need, then put white dots on them with white Necco wafers. Eat the leftover wafers and enjoy your diabetic coma.

posted by plinth 24 June | 05:15

The dye, no no no. It wouldn't look at all good. You'll need a separate frosting, but to avoid the "frosting" look and get something smooth I'd recommend fondant. Dye the fondant red with red food dye, and use white Necco wafers or similar for the dots...or just leave out a portion of white fondant and cut circles from it with bottle caps.

posted by Miko 24 June | 11:06

Or use gel or dry food coloring. You get a much more intense color saturation than with liquid food coloring.

Or frost normally and dust with colored sugar. Mmmm, colored sugar. It tastes red.

Fondant will certainly give that smooth artistic look, and be easy to transport. I don't like fondant much myself, but it's a way to get exactly the look you want without fear of smearing.

posted by Elsa 24 June | 12:20

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