Ocean Cupcakes (with slime!)

Hello everyone, welcome back to the newest addition of my slimy series. This post is inspired by the ocean and beach. It features two easy designs that I will show you how to create step by step.

I should mention that the slime used in this series comes from the brand Over The Top. It is an edible slime that comes in three beautiful colours. I will be using these to create many creations, not because I am sponsored (I wish) but because the slime looks so amazing.

You will need:

Fondant
Edible gold dust (You can always use brightly coloured fondant instead)
Shells Silicone Mould (https://amzn.to/2KYZROb)
Cupcakes
Icing (I use ‘Over The Top Buttercream Icing’ because it is dairy free )
Blue food colouring ( I used Americolor Turquoise & Electric blue)
Piping bag (at least 2)
Over The Top Edible Slime (Tropical Blue)
Desiccated coconut
Plain cookies
Cling wrap
Aetco open star piping tip (#32)

The recipe you see is entirely lactose free, providing you use the right products of course. Check the fondant you will be using to make sure it contains no lactose.

You can use whichever icing you want. I always use Over The Top because it is dairy free and top quality. Unfortunately, when you make a dairy free icing it can be time consuming and difficult. That is why I always use that icing.

Vanilla Cupcake

The first thing we need to do is to prepare the cupcakes. As always, I am going to use my favourite vanilla cupcake recipe.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Caster Sugar
2 cups self-raising flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup lactose free milk
125g lactose free margarine (melted)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Steps

Preheat your oven to 180c (356°F). Grease a 12 capacity cupcake pan and line with cases.

In a bowl combine the flour and sugar.

Then add the eggs, margarine, milk and vanilla and mix. Keep mixing until the mixture is free from lumps.

Spoon the mix into the cases. To achieve more even cupcakes, I like to use a ¼ measuring cup.

Bake the cupcakes for 10 minutes. Test the cupcakes by inserting a skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, then the cupcake has finished cooking.

Let the cupcakes sit in the hot pan for a few minutes then transfer onto a wire rack to cool. The longer the cupcakes are sitting in the hot pan the more they will cook. So it is better not to leave them in for too long.

The cupcakes need to be cooled completely before we can move onto icing them. You can prepare the cupcakes ahead of time and store them in the fridge.

Decorating

The first step is to make the shells. Get your fondant and kneed until soft. You may notice that your fondant is dry, a great way to combat dry fondant is to use a small amount of baking glycerine. It is clear and colourless that will make the fondant lovely and soft for easier application.

Get your silicone mold and apply a small amount of icing sugar to the holes. Turn it upside down and tap the back to get rid of the excess powder.

Start making your shells by pushing a small amount of fondant into the holes. Press down so it doesn’t miss any spots. Clean around the edges. Turn the mold around and gently pull away the edges to release the fondant. Continue until you have your desired amount of shells.

The next step is to paint your shells with the gold dust. Leave them aside to let them dry. Alternatively just use coloured fondant to make the shells.

Ocean Cupcake Design

Grab your cupcakes. Use a knife to level the top and cut a hole into the center of the cupcake.

Cut the end of the piping bag it and fit with a round piping tip. Fill it with slime. Use a glass to hold the piping bag when you need to fill it.

Fill the center of the cupcake with the blue slime.

Get three small bowls and place an even amount of icing in each.

Apply a very small amount (a drop) of blue colouring in the first bowl. Mix well. The goal is for this icing to look like a very light blue.

Apply a small amount of the turquoise into the second bowl. Mix well.

Apply a medium amount of the blue colouring into the second bowl. Mix well. This colour is supposed to be a very vibrant blue.

Cut off a piece of clingwrap and lay it on your work surface. Put something on each side to weigh it down. Use a flat knife to transfer the light blue onto the clingwrap in a straight line. Do the same thing with the turquoise next to it. Finally finish by putting the bright blue next to that one.

Roll the icing up into a log leaving one side open. Make sure all colours can be easily squeezed out and are not obstructed by the cling wrap.

Place the log into a piping bag fitted with the 32 piping tip. Squeeze from the bottom of where the log is to evenly push the colours into the opening of the bag. Test to see if all the colours are coming through by doing a few test stars.

Get your cupcakes with the slime and start piping a few dots over the top of the cupcake. Fill in any open spaces with smaller stars.

Get your cookies and crush them up. They should by lovely and fine so they resemble sand.

Sprinkle some of the cookies into the center of the cupcakes.

Now you can grab the shells and place one of two into the center of the cupcake.

Beach Design

To start this design you need to level out the cupcakes.

Slice down the center of the cupcake. Make the next cut by following the curve of the cupcake leaving a small ring around the side. It should look like a capital D. Spoon out the center of the D.