What's Up Cupcake?

I have been admiring the mini cupcakes on several sites lately. As you well know, if I can figure out how to make something myself I will do it. I kept trying to remember where I had seen the shape of the cupcake bottom in "real life". I kept thinking pen cap. I remembered when the kid's cheapo colored pen sets had something like that. It took me a few weeks of looking, but I finally found a passable cupcake shape.

The answer was the connector caps for electrical wiring. I got this package at Home Depot. They had some at Wal Mart, but they were larger.

I used Sculpey Moldmaker to make the mold. It's pretty cool. I made several molds while I was at it. You have to chill the clay before you make the mold. It is very soft and won't take an image properly unless you do. I shaped the clay into slabs and put it in the fridge for a couple of hours.

I marked one of the connectors at the height that I wanted to make the cupcake flutes. Then I used cornstarch on the end before pushing them into the cool clay. That keeps them from sticking.

Here are the finished molds. Just for fun, I pushed some of the larger ones in each mold. I think that you could make a plum pudding or jello mold from them.

Interestingly enough, I really didn't need to make more than one hole. I did them one at a time. You have to smoosh(mad scientist term) down into the hole quite firmly and then push the tops of the clay towards the center to form the domed top. You pop them out of the mold before baking. I was advised by Debbie that if I couldn't get them out, I could pop them out with the end of a pin. I didn't seem to have that problem at all. In fact, the first few kept falling out because I didn't push hard enough.

I used straight burnt sienna Primo clay. About a quarter inch diameter ball was needed for each. The cupcakes were baked on a tile at 275° for about 10 minutes.

Then I mixed some white fimo and some liquid Sculpey to make the frosting. The hardest part was getting those tiny tops frosted. It was hard to hold on to them and to get them back on the tile after I frosted. I tried tweezers and needle nosed pliers. Neither would hold onto the cupcakes. Then I put them back in the oven to bake for about 8 minutes.

Anyway, I finished 9 cupcakes in all. Tessie immediately wanted to celebrate. Yes, she found the Reutters. No. She is not keeping the Reutters. Since it was a celebration, I let her use them.

The cupcakes almost look good enough to eat.....Almost.....I am not going into the mini cupcake business any time soon. You can now make your own. You have all of the directions above. Good luck. I am on to muffins. I won't have to frost them. Somebody pass the raisins.

See you tomorrow.