Matryoshka cupcakes

I was really surprised the other day when I googled "Matryoshka cupcakes" (and then, when I found nothing, "Russian Doll Cupcakes") and came up with nothing except this amazing Hello Matryoshka cookie from bakegreek.com, and a few cupcake decorations.

Having decided (and then pretty much promised) my friend Anna that I would make her Matryoshka cupcakes as a surprise for her sister, and have them ready for Friday morning, I had some serious brainstorming to do.

A few sketches later and in a fit of determination I'd come up with 4 designs and had a vague idea of the stencils I would need for them. I think it's safe to say that everything sounds easier in my head, because I forgot how hard fondant is to work with in humidity. Life.

In the end I coloured and rolled the fondant and then chilled it before trying to cut it, and again between cutting them and decorating the cupcakes. I had a few problems with it going a little hard, but the sugar syrup I used when applying them to the cupcakes seemed to fix it well enough.

I decided on a plain vanilla recipe for the cupcakes themselves, and used a vanilla frosting under the fondant to help it stick. I think overall I am pretty happy with how they turned out, and can't wait to see what Anna thinks tomorrow!

x CB