Surprise dad with a homemade cupcake decorated with fondant.
No single cupcake design is appropriate for all dads on Father's Day, but you can't go wrong if you decide to recreate one of his favorite hobbies in sweet, edible fondant. You can purchase fondant from craft stores or the cake decorating aisle of big box stores. You might find fondant already tinted to your desired colors, but if you do need to tint it, add small amounts of paste or gel food coloring to the fondant and knead it until the color is uniform. Working with fondant is similar to playing with play dough, so you might want to enlist children's help to create your Father's Day cupcakes. Does this Spark an idea?
Golf Cupcakes
Decorate cupcakes with fondant golf tees and golf balls to celebrate Father's Day with your favorite golfer. Form the tee by cutting a 3-inch length from a lollipop stick and covering the stick with rolled fondant of any color. Flare the fondant at one end of the stick to create the part of the tee where the ball rests. Meanwhile, roll white fondant out approximately 1/4-inch thick and cut a small circle from the fondant to create a golf ball. Poke the fondant circle gently with the end of another lollipop stick to mimic the dimples found on real golf balls. You can attach the ball to the tee by wetting the fondant with a clean paintbrush dampened in water and gently pressing the pieces together. Decorate your cupcakes with green-tinted shredded coconut or green frosting and then press the tee gently into the center of the cupcake.
Barbecue Grill Cupcakes
If your dad likes to fire up the grill on a warm summer day, consider making him some cupcakes inspired by the barbecue grill. Bake your cupcakes and then remove any paper liners, if you used them, after the cupcakes cool. Roll fondant out approximately 1/4-inch thick. This fondant will form the outside of your grill so choose the appropriate color to suit your personal tastes or to match dad's real grill. Place your cupcake upside down on a clean counter and frost the bottom and sides of the cupcake with icing of any color or flavor. Drape the fondant over the cupcake and smooth it into place with your fingers to cover the bottom and sides. Trim off any excess fondant and flip the cupcake over. Now you can frost the top of the cupcake and cover it with a circle of black icing to form the open pit of the grill. Add hamburgers or hot dogs formed from additional pieces of fondant or use gummy candies on your grill. You can also create a metal grate by tinting white frosting gray with a small amount of black food coloring and piping it onto the black fondant before you add the candy food, if desired. Another tip is to press three lollipop sticks into the bottom of the grill to hold it up and give it a more realistic appearance.
Fishing Cupcakes
Top your cupcakes with fishing poles, fishing bobbers and fondant fish to surprise an avid fisherman on Father's Day. While making a fondant fish might sound difficult, you can simplify the process by sticking to basic shapes. Form the body of the fish with a ball of fondant and cut fins from 1/4-inch thick pieces of fondant. Wet the edges of the fins and press them onto the fish's body to add detail. You can add small sprinkles for eyes and draw other details on with edible markers. Make bobbers by rolling different colors of fondant into two balls and cutting each ball in half. Press halves of alternating colors together to form two bobbers. Create a fishing pole by covering a lollipop stick with fondant and pressing a length of shoestring licorice onto one end. Add a round candy near the other end of the lollipop stick to create the reel of your fondant fishing pole. Once you finish making your cake toppers, you can press them onto cupcakes covered with blue frosting or blue fondant.
Tags: lollipop stick, with fondant, 4-inch thick, cupcakes with, your cupcakes, approximately 4-inch