Gumpaste or fondant bumblebees are a delightful addition to any cake or cupcake. They're especially precious incorporated into springtime and garden designs. These happy little bugs can make anyone smile.
Step One:
Make or purchase gumpaste or fondant. Satin Ice brand pre-made gumpaste works especially well, but other brands or homemade gumpaste and fondant are also perfectly acceptable.
Color gumpaste with gold or yellow food coloring, kneading the coloring in until it is the desired shade for the bumblebee.
Step Two:
Pinch off a small amount of gumpaste, taking care to cover the unused portion with plastic while working so it doesn't dry out. Roll the gumpaste into a ball, then apply pressure in the center, still rolling between the palms, so that the ball lengthens a bit to make the oblong bumblebee body shape. Set aside to dry a bit on waxed paper while making the rest of the bumblebee bodies.
Step Three:
Use a black food coloring marker (available from cake decorating stores and craft stores like Michaels) to draw black stripes on the yellow bee bodies.
Take a pointed toothpick and dip in black gel or paste food coloring (available in cake decorating sections and stores, not the liquid variety available at grocery stores). Poke two eyes in the bumblebee body. The toothpick will make an indentation and the black food coloring will mark the eyes perfectly.
Take a disposable straw and use scissors to cut half off one end, lengthwise. Only a short chunk needs to be removed. The idea is to make a C-shaped piece of plastic to indent the gumpaste to create the bee's smile. Dip the half-straw into the same black food coloring and press into the gumpaste bee, making a friendly, smiling bug.
Step Four:
Use the black food coloring marker to draw bumblebee wings on rice paper. Rice paper is an edible paper available at cake decorating specialty stores and through online retailers. Cut the wings out, and adhere to the bumblebee's back with a dab of clear piping gel or vodka. Piping gel works best, and is available from cake decorating stores.
Additional Notes:
Though gumpaste is an excellent medium for modeling edible cake decorations, this little character is small enough that it also works well when made with fondant and doesn't need the extra strength that gumpaste provides.
Try incorporating these charming little cake decorations into a grander cake design, like a garden themed cake, or let them take center stage and shine as a solitary decoration on a cupcake. The theme can even be carried through to the flavor of the cupcake; try peanut butter cupcakes with honey buttercream icing, topped with one of these darling decorations.
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