My sister-in-law made some cute bugs and flowers
for a cake. I used her idea for my son's 4th birthday. It
was very fun!
Problems
Chocolate temperature hot
chocolate- the chocolate will spread too much while forming the bugs if
it is too hot. Wait until it cools down or run the piping bag under
cool water. burnt chocolate- I have burnt the chocolate
while microwaving it and it had clumps in it. I didn't want to waste
the chocolate, so I used a hand blender to smooth it out. It worked
great! cool chocolate- if the chocolate is too cool it will be
very hard to pipe. Run the piping bag under hot water to soften it.
Removing from parchment It is best to remove the
chocolate from the parchment paper right after taking it out of the
refrigerator. It can soften quickly especially in a warm kitchen.
The legs can break or the bugs can bend or stick if they get too warm.
clogged tip- use a toothpick to unclog any clumps that may form
in the tip.
The chocolate is best used within an hour. It will
start to solidify at room temperature and be difficult to use.
piping bags & tips
M&Ms- mini, regular, and large (peanut butter or pretzel)
Reeese's Peanut Butter Cups
Bugs & Spiders
1. Melt 1 c chocolate chips in the microwave 2 minutes. Transfer to a
piping bag or tool. Stir until smooth.
2. Line a baking sheet with
parchment paper. Pipe chocolate onto the paper to shape the bugs.
You can place a template to follow underneath the parchment. Place an
M&M on the chocolate.
3. Refrigerate until solid about 10 minutes.
Carefully remove from parchment paper and place on cupcakes. They
freeze and refrigerate very well. Be sure to package them carefully.
Flowers 1. Make frosting and color with food
coloring. Transfer to a piping bag.
2. Use a
Reeses Peanut Butter Cup as the base. Pipe petals around the top edge
of the candy. Place on cupcakes. Carefully push the middle down
to make it stick. These freeze and refrigerate very well. Be
sure to package them carefully.