Dressed-up desserts made easy: punch, cut, decorate
Date: 5/14/2012
May 14, 2012(Family Features) — Desserts can seem even sweeter when dressed especially for the occasion. It's easy and fun, too.
Use punches with various inserts to cut or punch shapes from Sugar Sheets. These thin, sweet sheets are actually edible decorating paper. When shapes cut from the sheets are placed directly on a surface covered in icing or fondant, they blend right in. They can also be used to create multi-layered and three dimensional toppers. Simple, sophisticated or sensational — whatever your style or the occasion, you can do it.
The decorating experts from Wilton share some tips to get you started.
Quilled Flower Cake and Cookies Cake makes 15 servings
Cookies each serve 1
- 4-cavity Round Cookie Treat Pan
- Sugar Cookie Dough for Cookie Pop Pans (available on www.wilton.com)
- Cookie Sticks
- Leaf Green Icing Color
- Royal icing (recipe available on www.wilton.com)
- Two cans (16 ounces ea.) White Decorator Icing
- White, Bright Yellow, Yellow, Bright Pink, Light Pink, Bright Blue, Blue,
- Bright Green Sugar Sheets! Edible
- Decorating Paper
- 4-inch Round Cutter
- Black FoodWriter Edible Markers
- Piping Gel
- 9-inch Round Baking Pan
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 4-cavity round cookie pan with vegetable pan spray. Press cookie dough into pan cavities, filling 2/3 full; press cookie sticks into dough. Bake cookies 10 to 13 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool cookies in pan on cooling grid 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely.
Place cooled cookies on cooling grid over a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Cover with thinned leaf green tinted royal icing; let set until firm.
Remove white Sugar Sheet from plastic backing. Using round cutter as a guide and black FoodWriter marker, trace four circles on the back of the sheet. Cut out circles and attach to iced cookie pops with piping gel. Let dry.
Bake your favorite two-layer cake recipe or mix in 9-inch-round baking pans. Cool cake in pan on cooling grid 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely. Stack cooled cake layers on cake board or serving plate; spatula ice with white icing.
Cut 5/8-inch-wide strips from bright green Sugar Sheet. Attach as bottom border to cake, using piping gel if needed.
For flower center, cut 1/4 inch wide by 5 inches long bright yellow Sugar Sheets strips with rotary cutter or scissors; position end of quilling tool over end of strip. Twist quilling tool to wind strip around. Continue twisting to create a spiral, guiding end of strip around tool with your other hand. (Can also be made without quilling tool; simply roll Sugar Sheet strip tightly in a circle). Secure end with piping gel; set aside.
For flower petals, cut strips of desired colors of Sugar Sheets 1/4 inch wide by 3-1/2 inches long, 2-1/2 inches long and 1-1/2 inches long (10 each required for full flower; 7 each for half flowers).
Start with shortest strip. Brush one end with damp brush and bend strip to form a loop; pinch ends together to secure. Repeat for next largest strip, forming a loop around first loop. Brush end with damp brush and pinch ends together to secure. Repeat with largest loop. Continue building groups of loops to form flower petals. Arrange flower petals as full flowers and half flowers on cookies and cake, securing with piping gel.
Cut 1/4 inch wide by 3 to 5 inches long bright green Sugar Sheet strips. Twist into swirls and "s" shapes and attach to sides of cake with piping gel. Insert Cookie Pops into cake top.
Courtesy of Family Features.
