Girl Monkey Cupcakes Tutorial

I mentioned in my last cupcake tutorial that my kids' birthdays are 3 days apart.  I like to make nice cakes for their birthdays even if it causes me great stress.  It gives me a chance to practice my skills.  This year, I opted for cupcakes, which may or may not have been easier.  Haha.  Either way, they sure turned out cute & were great practice for me.  These ones are made with Marshmallow Fondant.

Girl Monkey Cupcakes Tutorial

• 24 cupcakes
• 1/2 cup buttercream
• 1 recipe marshmallow fondant
• Purple, brown, & black food coloring
• Set of small circle cutters (This is my set of 3) I also used the wilton piping tips for cut-outs (the brown ears & black eyes) or this is a really nice set.

Make fondant, divide, & knead in the food coloring until no streaks appear.  

Roll out each color using powdered sugar to keep fondant from sticking to the surface.

Frost a light layer of buttercream on top of the cupcake.

Cut out a large purple circle the size of the top of the cupcake.

Immediately after frosting, apply circle to the top of the cupcake.

Smooth over any bumps using your finger.

Cut a medium brown circle.  

Use a dab of water on the back to adhere it to the purple layer.

Smooth with your finger.

Cut out two small brown circles for ears.  

Dab water on the back & set in place.  (I used one of my larger Wilton tips for this one & had to push it out, which is why it has dots on it.)

Smooth with finger.

Cut out two small white circles & one medium white circle.  

Using the small circle cutter, create a curvy "v" at the top of the medium white circle to shape the face.

Dab each piece on the back with water to adhere to the brown layer.

Smooth with finger.

Cut out a purple flower.  

Cut out 3 tiny black circles.  

Use two black circles for the eyes & the third, shape into a triangle for the nose.  

Adhere each piece with a dab of water.

Smooth with finger.

Use a sharp paring knife to draw the mouth.  Voila!  Done!  Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

*Helpful Tips:

1. Work on a few cupcakes at a time.  
2. Keep a piece of plastic wrap on each of the colored fondants as you are working, so it doesn't dry out too quickly.  (If your fondant does dry out significantly, re-knead it, heating it up with your hands & re-roll it out.  If it's too dry to knead, pop it on a plate in the microwave for 5-10 seconds MAX.  It should soften the marshmallow just a bit to make it pliable.  Be careful if it does melt, to not grab it, or you will burn yourself.  Knead in more powdered sugar as necessary to get it ready to roll again.)
3. Dip cutters in powdered sugar to help keep the fondant from sticking when cutting out shapes.
4. I also like to keep a tiny bowl of water & a paint brush (used only for food) to dab the back of my pieces with water when I adhere each layer.

Have fun with it!

I mentioned in my last cupcake tutorial that my kids' birthdays are 3 days apart.  I like to make nice cakes for their birthdays even if it causes me great stress.  It gives me a chance to practice my skills.  This year, I opted for cupcakes, which may or may not have been easier.  Haha.  Either way, they sure turned out cute & were great practice for me.  These ones are made with Marshmallow Fondant.

Girl Monkey Cupcakes Tutorial

• 24 cupcakes
• 1/2 cup buttercream
• 1 recipe marshmallow fondant
• Purple, brown, & black food coloring
• Set of small circle cutters (This is my set of 3) I also used the wilton piping tips for cut-outs (the brown ears & black eyes) or this is a really nice set.

Make fondant, divide, & knead in the food coloring until no streaks appear.  

Roll out each color using powdered sugar to keep fondant from sticking to the surface.

Frost a light layer of buttercream on top of the cupcake.

Cut out a large purple circle the size of the top of the cupcake.

Immediately after frosting, apply circle to the top of the cupcake.

Smooth over any bumps using your finger.

Cut a medium brown circle.  

Use a dab of water on the back to adhere it to the purple layer.

Smooth with your finger.

Cut out two small brown circles for ears.  

Dab water on the back & set in place.  (I used one of my larger Wilton tips for this one & had to push it out, which is why it has dots on it.)

Smooth with finger.

Cut out two small white circles & one medium white circle.  

Using the small circle cutter, create a curvy "v" at the top of the medium white circle to shape the face.

Dab each piece on the back with water to adhere to the brown layer.

Smooth with finger.

Cut out a purple flower.  

Cut out 3 tiny black circles.  

Use two black circles for the eyes & the third, shape into a triangle for the nose.  

Adhere each piece with a dab of water.

Smooth with finger.

Use a sharp paring knife to draw the mouth.  Voila!  Done!  Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

*Helpful Tips:

1. Work on a few cupcakes at a time.  
2. Keep a piece of plastic wrap on each of the colored fondants as you are working, so it doesn't dry out too quickly.  (If your fondant does dry out significantly, re-knead it, heating it up with your hands & re-roll it out.  If it's too dry to knead, pop it on a plate in the microwave for 5-10 seconds MAX.  It should soften the marshmallow just a bit to make it pliable.  Be careful if it does melt, to not grab it, or you will burn yourself.  Knead in more powdered sugar as necessary to get it ready to roll again.)
3. Dip cutters in powdered sugar to help keep the fondant from sticking when cutting out shapes.
4. I also like to keep a tiny bowl of water & a paint brush (used only for food) to dab the back of my pieces with water when I adhere each layer.

Have fun with it!