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Vanilla Bean & White Chocolate Birdie Cupcakes {and Video Tutorial}

October 6, 2012 - 66 Comments

Vanilla Bean Birdie Cupcakes via Sweetapolita

Sweet tweet! Another garden-y recipe for you today (and another video tutorial). As I mentioned in my last post, I did a bunch of treats for my father-in-law’s wife, Kathy, last weekend in honour of her surprise birthday party. When I was planning what to make, I knew that somewhere, somehow, there had to be a classic and lovely bird-themed confection. (If you knew Kathy, you’d understand.) I opted for these hand-stamped Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Birdie Cupcakes–they’re simple, delightful and unique. Thin, sweet fondant medallions atop fluffy vanilla cupcakes and rich vanilla bean white chocolate frosting (and yes, let’s eat the topper!).

One thing that I love about making these decorations, is that you can create them way in advance, which comes in super handy when you’re making a lot of treats, or if you simply like doing things ahead of time (like me). Once made, if you keep the fondant circles in a nice cool, dry place in a single layer (a pizza box works well), there’s no limit to how in advance you can whip them up. Then, once ready to use them, simply pop them on a frosted cupcake. Voila!

The thing about this hand-stamping technique is that, depending on which stamp and colour you go with, the possibilities are literally endless. You can tailor the theme and create these for pretty much anything or anyone as long as you have some fondant, soft gel paste, a clean (and never used on regular ink) rubber stamp and a small paint brush. A spooky Halloween theme perhaps? A floral wedding theme? A robot party? Anything goes. You might remember my love for using rubber stamps on fondant from these Love Letter & Scripted Heart Cookies, but you’ll notice that rather than painting the stamp, I simply used the imprint for a different effect. So once you have the stamps, you can play, play, play!

Here is the video tutorial for these stamped fondant medallion toppers:

Simple, right? And honestly, once you get your rhythm you’ll find that it’s truly a therapeutic experience. If you have cakelets at home, as I do, I find that it can be a really fun little project to work on together. If you give them their own little ball of fondant, rolling pin and cutter, they’ll be as happy as larks. Or . . . small navy blue birdies.

See?

So here’s the recipe and instructions for the cupcakes. I hope you have as much fun as I did creating these. ♥

Print
Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Birdie Cupcakes {and Video Tutorial}
Moist, fluffy vanilla cupcakes topped with rich & creamy vanilla bean white chocolate frosting and topped with a hand-stamped fondant medallion.
Ingredients
For the stamped fondant medallions
  • ~5 oz 145 g white fondant
  • AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste Navy Blue
For the cupcakes
  • 2-1/2 cups 275 g(10 oz) cake flour, sifted
  • 1 tablespoon 15 g baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon 5 g salt
  • 1 cup 237 ml whole milk, at room temperature
  • 2 large egg whites 60 g, at room temperature
  • 1 whole egg at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon 5 ml Pure Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon 1.75 ml Pure Almond Extract
  • 1-1/2 cups 300 g granulated sugar
  • 1 stick 115 g(8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the frosting
  • 1 cup 227 g(8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 6 oz quality 175 g white chocolate
  • 1/2 vanilla bean seeded and scraped
  • 1/2 teaspoon 2.5 mL almond extract
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • 3 cups 375 g(13.5 oz) sifted icing sugar
Instructions
For the stamped fondant medallions {can make anytime in advance}:
  1. Roll white fondant on cornstarch-dusted (or icing sugar) surface until 1/8" thin, or even thinner and cut as many 2.25" diameter circles as needed (you will want to make a few extra). Let dry overnight.
  2. Apply a thin layer of soft gel paste (I used AmeriColor Navy Blue) onto a new, clean rubber stamp using a small angled paintbrush (that you designate for food use) and gently press down upon fondant circles. Touch up any unstamped spots with your paintbrush. Let dry. {see video tutorial}
For the cupcakes:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and center the oven rack. Line 2 muffin/cupcake pans with your favourite standard-size cupcake liner, and put the first cupcake pan on a baking sheet. (You will place the second cupcake pan on the same sheet in the oven once the first tray is baked.)
  2. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a medium-sized bowl. Whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract in a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup.
  3. In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk or paddle attachment (I used the whisk), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until very pale and creamy, about 5 minutes.
  4. With the mixer still on medium speed, alternate additions of the flour mixture and milk-egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture (3 dry additions, 2 wet), beating after each addition until incorporated. Continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes.
  5. Divide batter evenly among your cupcake liners–about 2/3 full–and bake until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs only, about 16 minutes.
  6. Carefully remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool on wire racks. Repeat with second tray.
For the frosting:
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 3-4 minutes on medium speed (I use “4″ on my KitchenAid). Butter will become very pale & creamy.
  2. Melt chocolate in microwave in a small heatproof bowl, or over a pot of simmering water on the stovetop, stirring often. Let cool.
  3. Add melted chocolate to butter and beat until incorporated. Add extract, vanilla bean and salt and mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add sifted icing sugar, beating on low speed until just combined, increasing to medium speed until well combined.
Assembly of the Cupcakes
  1. Pipe a generous swirl of frosting atop each cupcake, using pastry tip 1M, or the tip of your choice.
  2. Gently press a fondant medallion upon each cupcake. Best enjoyed same day.

Sweetapolita’s Notes:

  • I used Satin Ice Rolled Fondant and Americolor Soft Gel Paste Navy Blue  for this project.
  • I found the bird rubber stamp at Michael’s Craft Store, but there are so many gorgeous options on Etsy.
  • I use this Ateco Fondant Work Mat for all of my fondant work (and more!).
  • I used the 2.25″ round cutter from this Ateco Plain Round Cutter Set.

See you soon with a slightly spookier recipe. And for my Canadian friends, Happy Thanksgiving!

Good luck & enjoy!

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Filed Under: Baking & Caking Basics, Cupcakes, How-To Videos, Vanilla Cupcakes Tagged With: birdie, birds, cupcake decorations, cupcakes, fondant, fondant medallions, rubber stamp, stamped birds, vanilla bean, white chocolate

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Comments

  1. tammi says

    October 6, 2012 at 10:07 am

    Oh my they are gorgeous! Lady you are so clever and super talented. Thanks for sharing your amazing goodies with us. xx

    Reply
    • Rosie @ Sweetapolita says

      October 7, 2012 at 1:48 pm

      Thanks so much, Tammi!

      Reply
  2. Shelan says

    October 6, 2012 at 10:09 am

    So beautiful! I love them!

    Reply
  3. Alba says

    October 6, 2012 at 10:10 am

    This is so helpful and beautiful! Such a good idea for any occassion. Gorgeous as usual, Rosie! :)
    Happy weekend! xo

    Reply
    • Rosie @ Sweetapolita says

      October 7, 2012 at 1:49 pm

      Thanks so much, Alba! Happy Weekend to you too!

      Reply
  4. Alison says

    October 6, 2012 at 11:09 am

    Great tutorial — can’t wait to give this a try.

    Reply
  5. jamie @ green beans & grapefruit says

    October 6, 2012 at 2:14 pm

    LOVE these!! Also love video tutorials- yay!

    Reply
  6. Roxy @ www.bakemecakes.blogspot.com says

    October 6, 2012 at 4:06 pm

    Great tutorial! I will definitely try it for future cupcake decorating.

    Reply
  7. SW says

    October 6, 2012 at 4:34 pm

    Thank you. I really enjoy reading your posts. Rubber stamping on fondant is such a creative idea. I will give it a try soon.

    Thanks.

    Reply
  8. Jessica @ Portuguese Girl Cooks says

    October 6, 2012 at 4:34 pm

    These are absolutely adorable Rosie! Happy Thanksgiving to you, and your family!

    Reply
    • Rosie @ Sweetapolita says

      October 7, 2012 at 1:49 pm

      Thank you so much, Jessica! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well!

      Reply
  9. Stephanie says

    October 7, 2012 at 2:52 am

    Oh, I love the bird stamped medallions! That’s genius.

    Reply
  10. Lynna says

    October 7, 2012 at 3:04 am

    This is just wonderful! LOVE the idea!

    Reply
  11. ThisBakerGirlBlogs says

    October 7, 2012 at 4:36 am

    Such a wonderful idea! And the video was very helpful :)

    Reply
    • Rosie @ Sweetapolita says

      October 7, 2012 at 1:49 pm

      Thanks so much!

      Reply
  12. Cindy says

    October 7, 2012 at 6:58 am

    Oh wow, I love these! And thank you so much for your videos–they’re so much fun to watch!

    Reply
  13. Kathryn says

    October 7, 2012 at 10:39 am

    This isn’t something that I’d ever think of doing myself but what a fabulous idea; I love how you can customise it to whatever you want! Thanks for another great idea and super cute video xo

    Reply
    • Rosie @ Sweetapolita says

      October 7, 2012 at 1:50 pm

      Thanks for the sweet comment, Kathryn! xo

      Reply
  14. Caramel Cookie says

    October 7, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    Great tutorial!!! Thank you. :)

    Reply
  15. Molly @ Toffee Bits and Chocolate Chips says

    October 7, 2012 at 2:49 pm

    That is such a wonderful idea! So cute and can’t wait to try it out!

    Reply
  16. Cathy @ Noble Pig says

    October 7, 2012 at 2:55 pm

    What an adorable idea…and so many poosibilities!

    Reply
  17. Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says

    October 7, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    oh how cool! Awesome girl!

    Reply
  18. Loretta says

    October 7, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    Your creativity and talent never fail to astound me!

    Reply
  19. Elizabeth @Food Ramblings says

    October 7, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    These are beautiful, and I love that your little one got involved!

    Reply
  20. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says

    October 7, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    These are so pretty!

    Reply
  21. My Inner Chick says

    October 7, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    —-Spectacular. Sweet. Sinsational.

    You. Inspire. Me. xx

    Reply
  22. nikki says

    October 7, 2012 at 9:06 pm

    I love this!

    Reply
  23. Brian @ A Thought For Food says

    October 7, 2012 at 10:24 pm

    So clever! Ok, but I have to admit that seeing your daughter doing this makes me feel a little bad, because I’m terrified to try something like this and here is your little girl fearlessly decorating cupcakes. Maybe it’s time for me to get over these fears.

    Reply
  24. A Forest Frolic says

    October 7, 2012 at 11:45 pm

    Oh now that’s just darling! You are amazing…I wish you were close enough to me, that I could order all my goodies from you. LOVE that you used a stamp on fondant.

    Hugs,
    Jamie :)

    Reply
  25. Leelabean says

    October 8, 2012 at 5:51 am

    I love your birds, they are beautiful. Cupcake medallions are such a great way to decorate cupcakes and take them to the next level.

    I did a similar project last week, but with my kids for a fun spin on cupcake medallions. Check it out at

    http://leelabeancakes.blogspot.com/2012/10/kid-bites-decorating-cupcakes.html

    It’s a great way to get the kids involved in decorating for parties or just for fun!

    I love your website, Rosie. It’s beautiful and inspiring.

    Reply
  26. Tesei says

    October 8, 2012 at 7:08 am

    These are lovely, a simple and easy solution for a great looking decoration! Thank you so much Rosie!!!

    Reply
  27. Megan @ whatmegansmaking says

    October 8, 2012 at 9:45 am

    So cute! And videos are so helpful when trying to learn something. :)

    Reply
  28. Sarah says

    October 8, 2012 at 5:07 pm

    I did stamps on fondant covered cookies for a wedding. I had to make 144 of them. I ended up soaking a felt pad inside a plastic container with black americolor gel and then using it like an inkpad to stamp with. It worked great and was reall fast. You can see what they looked like on my blog, http://citrusspicebakery.blogspot.com/2012/06/wedding-cookies.html

    Reply
  29. Amy C. says

    October 8, 2012 at 5:46 pm

    My 11 year old daughter is in love with France. I can’t wait to try these with the Eiffel Tower :) thanks for all your recipes and creativity

    Reply
  30. Suzie says

    October 9, 2012 at 6:52 am

    Thanks for the great idea. Can’t wait to try these. I purchased a load of rubber stamps a while back with this in mind. Now if I could only find them…

    Reply
  31. Rachel says

    October 9, 2012 at 9:16 am

    These are TOO cute! I love the simplicity of the birds! I will surely be trying out the rubber stamp technique!!

    Reply
  32. Sue @ Cakeballs, cookies and more says

    October 9, 2012 at 12:17 pm

    that is a great idea, I want to try it now.

    Reply
  33. Vanessa {a fanciful twist} says

    October 9, 2012 at 5:40 pm

    That was awesome lovely!!! Oh, it made me want to stamp fondant sooo baaad!! ;)

    Loooove, V

    (they are ready for a magazine!)

    Reply
  34. Kari@Loaves and Dishes says

    October 9, 2012 at 6:04 pm

    These are super cute, I adore the birdie stamps.

    Reply
  35. Christine says

    October 10, 2012 at 9:11 am

    Thanks for the great post! How long can the medallions keep?

    Reply
    • Rosie @ Sweetapolita says

      October 10, 2012 at 11:30 am

      Thanks, Christine! The medallions will keep for at least several months if you keep them in a cool, dry place (not airtight). I like to store my fondant decorations in a clean pizza box. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  36. lyndsay says

    October 12, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    rosie! love the idea, and the effect is truly lovely… ! great video, too. loved putting a “voice” to the picture and your blog writing!

    Reply
  37. Kristen says

    October 16, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    These are absolutely beautiful!

    Reply
  38. Alanna says

    October 17, 2012 at 5:54 pm

    These are just beautiful! thank you for the inspiration, I’ll be trying them soon!

    Reply
  39. Terri says

    October 23, 2012 at 8:25 am

    How do you get your fondant medallions to dry hard and not go soft? I made some fondant cut outs, let them dry for several days and when I put them on the frosting, they kind of melted and went soft. :(

    Reply
    • Rosie @ Sweetapolita says

      October 25, 2012 at 9:39 pm

      That’s too bad, Terri. I wonder why your medallions softened–something tells me it’s the brand/recipe of fondant you used, maybe? I use Satin Ice, which is a bit more $$, but it dries like porcelain, literally. Especially when rolled nice and thin, as with these medallions. I hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Mandy says

        April 12, 2013 at 12:32 pm

        add an even amount of gum paste to the fondant & they will dry nice & hard :)

        Reply
  40. Emma says

    November 6, 2012 at 12:14 am

    These are amazing! So simple but so tasty. Unfortunately when I was piping the icing on my fourth cupcake my bag split and I was covered in icing! I had to spread the rest with a knife but they were still great. I also used satin ice fondant and it does dry out really well.

    Thanks so much for the recipe! I am oficially in love with your blog.

    Emma x

    Reply
  41. Lauren says

    November 6, 2012 at 9:58 pm

    I love this! I am going to try very soon… Loved the tutorial, especially your nail polish color (and the stamping lol)!

    Reply
  42. Rachel says

    November 14, 2012 at 1:33 pm

    Wow! Awesome idea!

    I wonder, though, could you use white chocolate disks instead of fondant? Or would the coloring not absorb as well?

    Reply
  43. Inbal says

    November 15, 2012 at 6:55 am

    These look amazing! I love the decoration, it’s simple but beautiful.
    If I’m using vanilla paste on the frosting, how much should I put?
    Thank you!

    Reply
  44. sze says

    November 22, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    this look fantastic… i will try soon.

    Reply
  45. Katie says

    December 21, 2012 at 2:13 pm

    If I cut the recipe in half, would it alter the outcome? Instead of using a half an egg could I just use the whole egg? The reason I’m asking is because I want to make chocolate and vanilla cupcakes.

    Reply
  46. rubix says

    January 20, 2013 at 7:15 pm

    Lovely recipie! How long in advance can I make the cupcakes and the frosting? Can they keep for a few days? Thanks!

    Reply
  47. Liz says

    January 24, 2013 at 8:53 pm

    I tried these cupcakes last night after trying 2 others right before.
    The first 2 were complete, COMPLETE failures. Then I tried yours
    As a last resort…Boy how I wish I would have tried this one first!
    Tasted great and was moist, light, and fluffy. Nice dome tops too!
    Wow you really know what you’re doing. I will serve these
    at my child’s b-day party. Thank you!

    Reply
  48. Loretta says

    March 25, 2013 at 4:34 pm

    Hi Rosie
    I wanted egg whites does to cake compared to using whole eggs, I noticed this recipe a combination of both? I seen some recipes only calling for egg white and some solely eggs yolks, can you please school me on what it does?

    Reply
  49. Loretta says

    March 25, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    Hi Rosie
    I wanted to know what egg whites does to cake compared to using whole eggs, I noticed this recipe uses a combination of both? I have seen some recipes calling for egg white only and some solely eggs yolks, can you please school me on what it does?

    Reply
  50. Danielle says

    April 12, 2013 at 9:38 pm

    Hey Rosie,
    I just wanted to say a big thank you for posting this vanilla cupcake recipe!

    I have tried so many recipes, and some are very temperamental that I gave up on trying anymore!
    UNTIL… I tried yours! such an easy recipe, no fluff.. brilliant fluffy moist cupcakes!

    thanks again

    Reply
  51. Majo says

    May 12, 2013 at 11:03 pm

    Hi! Does this frosting need to be refrigarated? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Rosie @ Sweetapolita says

      May 13, 2013 at 9:17 pm

      Hi Majo,
      The frosting is just fine at room temperature for up to 2 days. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  52. ana says

    June 5, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    Hi – since we aren’t really “sticking” the fondant to the frosting, would it be ok to use a stabilized whipped cream frosting? Thanks!

    Reply
  53. Nina says

    July 26, 2013 at 9:20 pm

    I’m going to give these a try but with a few modifications, like omitting the almond extract (I can’t stand almond extract!) and adding half of the vanilla bean to the batter and the other half to the frosting and I’ll be using this frosting instead:
    http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/thate28099s-the-best-frosting-ie28099ve-ever-had/

    Reply
  54. Millie says

    March 10, 2014 at 10:00 am

    Hi. Great video. I will try it at my next party. I do have a question, however. I’ve made cut-out circles made from 100% fondant and put them on top of frosted cupcakes and left them over night. The next day, they had melted all over the frosting. Is there a way to prevent this? Will these fondant medallions melt on frosting eventually? Another question I have is, would rubber stamp imprints work on purely modeling chocolate (candy clay)?

    Reply
  55. Khadija says

    May 9, 2015 at 10:53 am

    What would be the best way to clean the stamp to be used again with a different colour?

    Reply
  56. Rozalia says

    April 15, 2016 at 4:20 am

    Dear Rosie, your book is my bible! And your recipes are my inspiration! I absolutely love to bake sweet goodies following your advice and techniques!
    I have just tried to make the fondant medallions as above
    and they turned out gorgeous, couldn’t be thanking you enough for this clever idea, as I am going to make the cupcakes for a baby shower and this recipe is perfect.
    Also the chocolate cakes, oh My! Everyone couldn’t believe they were so yummy!
    PS- thanks to your sprinkles, which I have ordered through a friend travelling to US to bring me some in London, the decoration of my creations look even better.

    Reply
  57. jasmin says

    April 27, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Hi Rosie im making these on friday but live in the uk so dont have cake flour could you possibly tell me how much cornstarch to add and how much flour to take away thankyou x

    Reply

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