Royal Icing Dragonfly

I've gotten a request or two for insects; usually butterflies. There's something rather "a dime a dozen" about butterflies in cake decorating, so I thought I'd try something different: a dragonfly. I started by piping a few wings on a parchment paper square. To make this shape, hold a round #8 tip just above the paper's surface, and squeeze while sliding the tip along for about an inch or so at a 90 degree angle. As you move the tip along, decrease the pressure to taper the wing to a gently rounded point. 

 You'll need four of them for each dragonfly.

 I piped the dragonfly out of stiff consistency royal icing colored Electric Blue; I wish I had more opportunities to use this striking color! First, I piped a #5 ball for the head, which I then pinched into more of a wedge shape after touching my fingertips to a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar.

 Then I held the tip at a 45 degree angle against the side of the head, and piped the top part of the body by moving the tip along and piping steadily for about 1/3". Stop pressure and pull the tip away. If a peak remains, touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap it down.

 Pipe a series of balls to form the tail (er, the abdomen). Tuck the tip just under each ball as you pipe the next ball so they'll be firmly attached to each other.

 Switch to a round #3 tip and pipe those two tiny pointy things at the tip of the tail (I studied an anatomical sketch of a dragonfly and am still not certain what purpose they serve…but I can guess).

Pipe two oval eyes on the head. They're basically two short lines that have been flattened slightly.

Once all the pieces have firmed up (a process that can be sped up a bit by placing them under a desk lamp), attach the four wings with dots of icing…

 …and brush them with Pearl Dust, if you like. As delicate as this creature was, now I'm stoked to pipe more insects!

Molding Chocolate

This project is so simple, I feel like I'm teaching you how to butter bread. To mold chocolate, all you need is a mold and chocolate. Bear in mind, you have to use chocolate that was designed for the task; don't use chocolate chips from the baking aisle at the supermarket; they won't melt properly. There are many brands available…

 …I'm partial to Melt 'n Mold pieces by Guittard (I grew up near the Guittard factory; the smell was unbelievable).

 You can find chocolate pieces and molds at any cake decorating store. For no particular reason, I used jewel-shaped molds for this experiment.

 Pour some of the chocolate pieces into a microwave-safe container (a Pyrex measuring cup with a spout is perfect). Zap them in the microwave for :30 increments…

 …until you're able to stir it like this and it's pourable.

 Pour it into the wells of the mold, and tap the mold gently on the counter to bring up any air bubbles and to smooth out the surface.

 Here's a view from beneath. Place the mold in the refrigerator and check back on it in 15 minutes (the hardening time will depend on the heat of the chocolate and the size of the molds).

 As the chocolate gets cool and hardens, it will contract away from the mold; note how these pieces are almost totally separated from the mold.

 Invert the mold onto a flat surface; a piece of parchment paper, waxed paper, a cutting board, etc. will work fine.

 If the pieces require more than a gentle push to pop them out, return them to the fridge for a few minutes.

 If you want to sparkle them up a bit, a product like Pearl Dust works well; just brush it on.

 These could be used to adorn cupcakes, cake borders…or served straight up, of course!