Aug 13

Aug 13 Freaking Awesome DIY Blink 182 Cupcakes

Hey, hi, hello! It’s been so long and I am so very sorry. But in apology I’ve reached back to my teen years and pulled these freaking cute af Blink 182 cupcakes out the hat for your pleasure. Ain’t they adorable?

I totally owe an explanation for my wee break, not an excuse just a little insight. So, a couple of months ago I started a new job in my beloved Edinburgh but because I don’t live there anymore it comes with the worlds longest commute. And, well, it’s kinda scunnered me. I thought it’d be fine I’d work on my blog on the train, in the evenings and weekends, I had it sorted. Except not sorted cos I’m just completely and utterly knackered all the time. With all the sleepiness when I did get around to my cakes I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. This beautiful skill I was learning, this wonderful craft that had kept me calm and sane all year was becoming a chore and I thought you know what? I’d rather take a break than make it into something I start to resent. So, I did. A 2-week hiatus. And you know what? It worked a treat! By the time I got back in the kitchen this weekend I was super excited to put my apron back. I pulled out the scales and there it was, that wash of calm that I’d come to love so much when I baked.

Which is right when these cuties popped into my head and I couldn’t resist. Blink 182 are the band that make me feel joyously 14 again with baggy jeans and skater Vans (even though I couldn’t skate!) and a feeling that I was actually really cool even if no-one else could see it yet. Ha! Don’t worry I’ve made peace now with my innate lack of coolness which is fine by me cos that gig seems exhausting.

And best of all, they were insanely easy, super beginner friendly and pretty quick to boot. So shall we get going?

Ingredients

Makes 6

Cupcakes

4oz brown sugar

4oz butter

3 ½ oz self-raising flour

½ cocoa

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

Topping

200g butter

400g icing sugar

1 capful of natural orange flavouring

200g white fondant

Gel food colouring – blue, pink and black

Liquid food colouring – black (optional)

Method

1. Roll out 200g of white fondant to 1-2mm thick and cut out 6 small circles using a cookie cutter. Before you cut, check the size of your cookie cutter against the cupcake cases you will be using, you want to pick a cookie cutter that’s just smaller than the top of the cupcakes.

2. Mix a small drop of blue food colouring with a drop of water and paint a blue strip down the left side of each circle.

3. Now mix together water and pink food colouring and paint a pink square bottom right. Leave these to dry.

4. While the pink and blue are drying, on a plate mix together a little black gel food colouring with black liquid food colouring until the consistency is halfway between both.

5. Take a champagne flute (the rim should be a little smaller than your toppers) and dip the top of the glass into the black colouring. Now gently stamp the fondant circles with the coloured champagne flute, the colour should transfer straight over. Repeat for all the toppers.

6. Repeat this stamping technique but this time using a smaller tool, I found a spice jar lid was the perfect size.

7. Finally using a paintbrush add the finishing touches; cross eyes, a smile and arrowheads along the outer circle from the top left. Leave these all to dry overnight.

8. The following day line a muffin tin with 6 cupcake liners and preheat the oven to 180°C/160 Fan.

9. Cream together 4oz of brown sugar and 4oz of softened butter. Beat until it gets a little pale and pretty fluffy.

10. Add in 2 lightly beaten eggs, 3½ oz of self-raising flour, ½ oz of cocoa and 3 tbsp of boiling water and mix together until smooth but be careful not to over whisk.

11. Split the mix evenly between the cupcake cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

12. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

13. In a large bowl, mix together 200g of room temperature butter, 400g of icing sugar and 1 capful of orange flavouring until fluffy. A good trick to get the air bubbles out is leaving the mixer on with the paddle attachment set to low for 10 minutes.

14. When you’re happy with the frosting, transfer it to a piping bag and cut a hole in the tip roughly the size of a £1 coin.

15. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, add a simple swirl of frosting to the top, staying pretty flat.

16. When the toppers have thoroughly dried, place on top before the icing crusts.