A Work of (Edible) Art: Monet's Water Lilies Cupcakes (Plus Cookbook Review and GIVEAWAY)

If you've seen my previous cute owl or creepy critter cupcake posts, both adapted from Hello, Cupcake!, you already know that I'm a huge fan of Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Sure I love to make most treats from scratch, but I also love that their projects allow everyone from first-time bakers to professional decorators to create works of edible art from easy-to-find ingredients. I was delighted at the news that this unbeatable duo was coming out with another book and even more excited to accept a free advance copy of Cupcakes, Cookies, & Pie, Oh My! to review!

Although Cupcakes, Cookies, & Pie, Oh My! is Karen and Alan's 3rd book together, it stands apart from Hello, Cupcake! and What's New, Cupcake? as their first to include cookies, pie, and oh my other treats in addition to cupcakes. If there's one thing I've learned about their books, it's that it is never easy to pick just one project to make. Stiletto Shoe Cupcakes, Chocolate-dipped Tea Bag Cookies, Nacho Cheesecake, and Hen House Mini Pies all beckoned to me as I flipped through CC&P. But the opportunity to literally "make art edible" with Monet's Water Lilies Cupcakes turned out to be the one I couldn't resist. 

I realize I picked one of the more technically challenging recipes to test out, but I hope you'll agree the results are worth it and worth-y of a special occasion. One of my pet peeves is when dessert decorating books are stingy with photos, so I was glad to see that CC&P continues the pair's tradition of including photos of every recipe. Some particularly tricky steps even get their own photos. Even though I have some experience with baking and decorating, I still found the visual guidance extremely helpful when paired with the book's consistently clear and concise written directions.

Photograph © Alan Richardson

In short, I think that Cupcakes, Cookies, & Pie, Oh My! would make a great addition to any imaginative baker's bookshelf. Its projects are accessible for beginners but fun and unique enough to interest more experienced bakers. As with Karen and Alan's previous outings, CC&P contains ideas for specific holidays -- such as Father's Day, Thanksgiving, and Halloween -- as well as more versatile party ideas -- such as cake pops on plastic forks. There's really something for everyone, which is why I'm giving away a copy of Cupcakes, Cookies, & Pie, Oh My! by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson to one lucky reader! This giveaway is open to anyone with a US or Canadian shipping address. To enter, simply do as many of the following as you want and leave a separate comment for each thing you do! Please also make sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win. The giveaway will close on April 12 at midnight, and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter. Good luck! This giveaway has ended -- thanks to all who entered!

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Monet's Water Lilies [Printable Recipe]
Recipe from Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My!
© Karen Tack and Alan Richardson 2012
Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Makes 1 lily pond; 12 mini cupcakes

Make an impression of your own version of Monet's water lilies, created with white chocolate and the back of a plastic spoon. The candy petals are artfully placed on cupcake lily pads floating in a pool of cobalt-blue Jell-O.

XIAOLU'S NOTES: When making the petals, make sure to coat the spoons with melted chocolate of a decent thickness. I cracked a dozen petals before I realized it was because the chocolate wasn't thick enough. You should also run your nail along the edges of the spoon before you try to unmold the petals to make sure none of the sides get stuck and cause the petal to break during unmolding. I had a little difficulty with assembling the petals into actual flowers. The melted chocolate simply wasn't thick enough to hold the petals up right away. You'll have the hold the petals partially upright for at least a few seconds to allow the chocolate to set. In addition to the dime-sized circle of melted chocolate that serves as the base of each flower, I recommend that you also pipe 1/4-inch wide dots of melted chocolate at the base of each petal before layering the next petal on top. This will provide additional support to hold the flower together. Someone has posted this helpful video of the flower-making process; you can check it out HERE.

2 packages (3 ounces each) blue gelatin dessert (Jell-O)
2 cups white candy melting wafers (Wilton)
Plastic spoons
1 1/4 cups canned vanilla frosting
Red and green food coloring
12 mini vanilla cupcakes
2 tsp yellow sprinkles

Follow the package directions for the blue gelatin dessert. Pour the prepared gelatin into a large shallow serving dish that can hold 1 quart. Refrigerate until the gelatin is set, at least 3 hours.

For the petals, line 3 cookie sheets with waxed paper. Place the white candy melts in a glass bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds, stir, and repeat until the candies are melted and smooth, about 1 minute. Dip the back of a plastic spoon (this NEEDS to be plastic) into the melted candy to coat, making sure that the candy does NOT go over the edge of the spoon. Allow the excess candy to drip back into the bowl. Transfer the coated spoon, candy side up, to a cookie sheet. Repeat with more spoons. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

Remove the petals from the refrigerator and let stand for 1 minute. Carefully bend the backs of the spoons to release the candy. Transfer the candies to a cookie sheet. Any broken pieces can be melted again with the remaining candy. If the candy becomes too thick, return to the microwave and heat for 10 seconds, stirring frequently, until smooth. Repeat the dipping, chilling, and releasing steps to make about 80 petals. (The petals can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in an airtight container.)

Tin 1/4 cup of the vanilla frosting pale pink with the red food coloring. Spoon the pink frosting into a ziplock bag. Press out the excess air and seal the bag. Tint the remaining frosting bright green with the food coloring.

Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Spoon any extra melted candy into a ziplock bag (do NOT seal the bag). Microwave for 5 seconds, massage the candy in the bag, return to the microwave and repeat the process until the candy is smooth, about 20 seconds. Press out the excess air and seal the bag.

For the flower, snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the melted candy. Pipe a dot of melted candy the size of a dime onto the waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Arrange 3 to 5 of the candy petals, overlapping slightly, with the larger end of each petal in the melted candy, to make the flower shape (see photo). Repeat to make about 15 flowers. Refrigerate until set, about 5 minutes.

Snip a small (1/8-inch) corner from the bag with the pink frosting and pipe the corners of the flowers using the squeeze-release-pull technique (see page 75 of Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My!). Sprinkle with the yellow sprinkles. Use a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter or a carving knife to cut out eight 1 1/2-inch circles from the chilled gelatin. Spread the green frosting on top of the mini cupcakes. Remove the paper liners from 8 of the cupcakes and place in the openings in the gelatin. Arrange the flowers on top of the mini cupcakes, pressing into the frosting to secure, and add some flowers to the gelatin surface.

Serve the extra mini cupcakes and flowers with the gelatin.