How to Make Santa Cupcake Toppers

These cute Santa cupcake toppers are great fun to make with the kids, make ideal gifts or for gracing your Christmas desert table, and yet are so effective and simple to make.

You will need:

1. Cupcakes
2. Buttercream
3. Red, white and black sugar paste (fondant)
4. Spatula
5. Rolling pin
6. Knife
7. Assorted round cutters (preferably double sided straight and fluted edged). I purchased mine for £1 from Asda (Walmart).
8. Icing sugar for rolling out on.
9. Small paintbrush
10. Water (for gluing sugar paste) or as I like to use 1tsp vodka to 1tsp of light corn oil, as not only does it act as glue, but also makes a fantastic gloss too).

Method:

Step 1.  

Taking your spatula cover the tops of your cupcakes with a thin layer of buttercream.

Step 2.

Roll out some white sugarpaste (not too thin) and taking a cutter who’s circumference is the same as the top of your cupcake, punch out a circle and place it on top of your cake.

Step 3.

Roll out more white sugarpaste and using the same sized cutter as step.2 (except this time using the fluted edge), punch out another circle to make the beard.  Using the straight side of the circle make a cut in the icing as pictured so that the part cut out is a rounded beard shape, and then attach it to the cake with a paintbrush dipped in water.

Step 4.

Using the remaining paste, roll out again and punch out a smaller circle cutter and use the circle cutter to trim the sides as pictured to make the moustache.  Stick in place on the beard, ensuring that both halves of the ‘moustache’ meet in the middle.

Step 5.

Roll out some red sugarpaste and using the large cutter again punch out another circle and make a cut across just above halfway for the hat and using a little water or vodka/oil mix on a paintbrush, stick the hat on to the cupcake as pictured.  Roll a tiny red ball for his nose and stick in place.

Step 6.

Roll out a thin sausage of white sugar paste to make the fur trim of his hat and stick in place, trimming the sides as appropriate to neaten. Roll two tiny black balls of sugar paste for his eyes and stick in place.

Step 7.

From the remaining red sugar paste cut out a rough triangle shape for the hat and stick it on with a little water and finish with a small ball or white sugar paste for the pom pom on the end of his hat.

Step 8.

Add blush to his cheeks with a little blossom pink petal dust by applying with a paintbrush or cotton bud.

Step 9.

You may also roll a tiny ball of red sugar paste and place just under the centre of his mustache for his mouth. I usually make half with and half without his mouth for variation and to add character to my cakes.

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial.  Merry Christmas!

Happy caking!

Gillian