PEACOCK CUPCAKE CAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Bake cakes and allow them to cool to room temperature completely.
• While the cakes are cooling, prepare icing.
• Trim the domes (if any) so that tops are flat.
• Then, place one cake on a serving dish and spread icing on top.
• Then, place the other cake on top.
• Ice the entire cake until smooth.
• Roll out purple fondant and spread it over the iced cake. Smooth it out and cut off excess around the base with a pizza cutter. Keep aside.
• Roll out purple fondant and cut out hearts using a heart shaped cookie cutter.
• Use a knife to cut this heart in half.
• Cut out the jagged ends with a knife and use the sides of the knife to smooth out the ends. These will be the feathers of your peacock.
• Press the knife gently onto these feathers to create a pattern.
• Use a knife to cut off the pointy ends of these feathers.
• Now, mix some golden lustre dust with a few drops of vodka or clear vanilla extract.
• Use a paintbrush to paint only the centers of these feathers.
• Start painting in the center and then paint outwards.
• Let these feathers dry.
• Use a small oval cutter to cut out blue fondant ovals and stick them in the center of the feathers with a little water. You can use corn syrup or royal icing to stick them too.
• Brush some water on top of the blue ovals and sprinkle some blue sanding sugar.
• Once the sanding sugar sticks to the blue ovals, brush away all the excess sugar.
• Use 50/50 (half gum paste- half fondant combination) to make the face and body of the peacock. There is no easy way to do this. You would have to mold it with your hands as if you are playing with play-doh. Next time, I am going to make the shape out of rice krispie treats and then cover it in fondant, which will be easier.
• Stick two feathers on either sides to create wings.
• Stick a cluster of golden stamens on top of the head.
• Mold some white fondant into a beak and stick it in position.
• Paint the beak golden.
• Allow this body to dry completely. It took 2-3 days for me.
• Now, stick the feathers on top of the fondant-covered cake with buttercream icing.
• Place the cake on a large cake board.
• Stick the body on the side of the cake with royal icing or melted chocolate.
• Roll out a long purple “snake” and wrap it around the base of the cake to give it a nice, refined look.
• Stick some golden edible pearls on the feathers and around the base of the cake.
• Prepare some more golden paint and paint lightly along the sides of the cake as well as the body. This gives the entire cake a nice shine.
• Stick some fondant daisies randomly on the cake board with royal icing or melted chocolate.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter three 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the paper and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. In a small pitcher, combine the milk and vanilla. In a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Slowly add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. On low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk in 3 batches. Beat the batter until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
• In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Stir one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain.
• Pour the batter into the cake pans and smooth the tops. Tap the pans lightly on a work surface to release any air bubbles. Bake the cakes on the middle and lower racks of the oven for about 30 minutes, shifting the pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then invert the cakes onto a wire rack to cool completely. Peel off the paper.
• In a large saucepan, combine the egg yolks and sugar and stir until smooth. Add the melted butter and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes; do not let it boil. Stir in the pecans, raisins and coconut and cook for about 1 minute. Add the bourbon, vanilla and salt and let cool to lukewarm.
• Place a cake layer on a serving plate, right side up, and spread with 1 1/4 cups of the filling. Repeat with a second cake layer and another 1 1/4 cups of filling. Top with the last cake layer and frost the cake with the remaining filling. Let the cake cool completely before serving.