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Thursday, August 18, 2011

A Hole In One?


Yesterday's project was a bit more involved than anything I've attempted so far. While browsing the web for ideas, I came across this "golf-scape" idea. Coincidentally, my Husband's partner is celebrating his birthday today and he is an avid golfer. Perfect opportunity to give this a try!

This was my inspiration:

Image used is from Cutest Food found at

As I started, I thought I might like the end result better if I filled in the gaps between cupcakes for a better golf course effect. I baked Vanilla cupcakes, let them cool, placed them in a transportable container, and set to work.

After mixing the buttercream icing, I used green gel dye to begin the grassy area. The day before, I practiced make the rough grass effect with a piping bag. I used leftover canned icing from the Panda cupcakes and was pleased with how it looked. From that practice session, I was not concerned with the process of piping the rough grass other than how long it might take. Ah, but this is where baking becomes a fickle art and can throw an unexpected curve into your plans!

The buttercream icing I favor is not nearly the same thickness as canned icing. Had I more time, I'm sure I could have come up with the necessary consistency required to pipe rough grass. Waiting until the 11th hour made me a victim of overconfidence, my friends! I was simultaneously baking rainbow cupcakes for my Husband's secretary's birthday, as well, and thought I had it all under control. Turns out, maybe not!

As it became late in the day, I had to settle for the rough grass design below (at no point did canned frosting become an option. I would rather sacrifice appearance than taste):

I wasn't thrilled with it, but my Husband loved and it and it's for his friend, so if he's happy I'm happy enough!
For the dark, trimmed grass area, I iced the cupcakes green and then covered them in dark green sugar to provide a contrast from the rough. For the sandbunker, I iced the cupcakes in white and covered them in light brown sugar. Next time, I will use crushed Nilla Wafers, as I think the sweetness factor of sugar on icing might be a bit much! I used a semi-sweet chocolate chip for the hole, and a mini-chip covered in white icing for the ball to create a hole-in-one. The flag is a toothpick with a taped triangular cut of paper. HB is for Happy Birthday!

On my next attempt I will perfect this type of grass icing:

Image shown from Delicious Dishings found at

Okay, so what have I learned?
-Master the grass method with the intended icing for use, not a substitute, which may provide false results!
-Next time a little more rough and a bit less sand bunker.
-It's REALLY not ideal to take photos at night. I don't know enough about using flash to compensate for the low light without bleaching out the objects. Photographing food is NOT easy!!
-This particular cupcake scheme does not look so great in a foil transporter, better to use a pastry box or arrange it on a flat board of some kind.
-This is a fun design you can really be creative with. Look at these clever creations!



Image from Cupcake Crafts at 

So, lessons have been learned and the cupcakes are on their way to celebrate! I don't think this was a hole-in-one finished product, but since it was my first time I'll give myself a 1-2 over par. :) ** I have since made this golf course again with much better results.  Click here to see!!**




1 comment:

  1. Good Job! I like your enthusiasm and positivity! Any great baker has to do lots of practice, just like any great golfer :)

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