Purple Cow Cupcakes

Total Time: 24 hrs 25 mins Preparation Time: 24 hrs Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• cake
• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder (unsweetened, not dutch processed)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons distilled vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
• 3 medium eggs
• purple gel-paste food coloring
• cream cheese frosting
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• fondant icing
• 16 ounces mini marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 lbs confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• violet gum paste food coloring
• pink gum paste food coloring
• black gum paste food coloring
• cornstarch

Recipe

• 1 for the cake, sift dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder & soda, and salt) into a bowl and set aside.
• 2 in separate bowl, combine buttermilk, vinegar, and food colouring. mix thoroughly.
• 3 in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer on medium, beat butter and sugar. once fluffy, add eggs, one at a time.
• 4 add the buttermilk mixture and beat well.
• 5 finally, on low, add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until just blended.
• 6 spoon into muffin cups until they are 2/3 full.
• 7 bake at 350 for 20 minutes, then let cool.
• 8 to make the fondant, put 8 oz marshmallows in microwave safe dish with 1 tsp water and 1 tsp vanilla.
• 9 microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir, and continue until marshmallows are melted.
• 10 sift 1/2 lb confectioners sugar into mixing stand bowl. make a well and pour marshmallow mixture into middle. using paddle attachment, mix until combined. sift additional 1/2 lb (or less if necessary) confectioners sugar into bowl, add 1 tbsp shortening and change to dough hook when mixture is no longer sticky.
• 11 repeat this process for a second batch, adding the purple food colouring to the marshmallow mix *before* adding into the sugar well.
• 12 knead both sets of fondant with hands until the right consistency, cover with a thin layer of shortening, wrap in plastic wrap and put in airtight container. let sit for 30 minutes or more to rest.
• 13 after fondant has rested, shape cow heads from fondant.
• 14 shape 12 noses into a small ball and use a gum paste modeling tool to create the nostrils.
• 15 shape horns and attach to the head using a teaspoon of cornstarch to two teaspoons water. let set for about 30 minutes.
• 16 using a small clump of (about 1/4 cup), add a few drops of the pink food colour and knead with hands until pink is formed.
• 17 roll and cut wide and short obtuse triangles and lay the pink over the purple, then roll to create ears.
• 18 using the cornstarch mixture, attach the ears and let set for 30 - 60 minutes.
• 19 create small eyes using fondant and black gum paste and attach with cornstarch mixture.
• 20 attach the noses to the heads, and let them rest on a pencil or the modeling tool until set (60 - 90 minutes).
• 21 at this point, cupcakes should be cool and need to be iced. mix cream cheese ingredients together with hand mixer. spread over the top of each cupcake, one at a time.
• 22 separate the rest of the fondant into twelve balls and roll thin, using a pizza cutter to make circular. lay on top of cream cheese icing and tuck underneath. repeat for remaining cupcakes.
• 23 roll purple fondant and cut cow-spot shapes. attach with cornstarch mixture.
• 24 with remaining purple fondant, create cow tails. roll up small "snakes" and then using the modeling tool, tassel the tails.
• 25 attach heads to cow bodies using the cornstarch mixture. let each cow's head rest on the others' backs for 2-3 hours or until set.
• 26 serve with pure, creamy milk. :).