How to Make Shamrock Cupcake Toppers

Sometimes when I’m brainstorming a design for holiday cupcakes, it feels like it’s all been done before.

But when I came across an image of these “abstract shamrocks,” they felt so fresh and modern. I thought they would make fun, graphic cupcake toppers for St. Patrick’s Day!

This is what you need:
Work surface
Rolling pin
Corn starch
Round cutter
Small triangle cutter
Fine-tip black edible marker
Water pen
Fondant in white, orange and green

Step 1: Dust the work surface with cornstarch. Roll out the white fondant. Use the circle cutter to cut out backgrounds for each topper. I decided to make six white toppers.

Step 2: I also wanted to experiment with a neon orange background, so I cut out three orange circles as well.

Step 3: On a dusted work surface, roll out the green fondant. You will need to cut out three triangles for each topper.

Step 4: Since I was making 9 toppers, I cut out 27 small triangles of green fondant. Smooth the edges of the cut outs with your fingers gently for a nice appearance.

 Step 5: Dampen the back of each triangle with the water pen.

Step 6: Arrange them carefully on each background as shown.

Step 7: Here are the nine toppers with the shamrock leaves applied. Allow them to harden for an hour before proceeding o the next step.

Step 8: To apply the black edging, details, and stem, use an extra fine edible black marker. Angle the marker and run it along the outer edges of the leaves to make the black outline.

 Step 9: Next, draw a thin line down the center of each leaf and draw the stem.

 Step 10: Here you can see the toppers with the black details completed.

Allow the toppers to dry on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for three days. Add them to your St. Patrick’s Day cupcakes and enjoy!

Happy Caking!
Renée