Ostrich Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1½ cups flour
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 heaping cup sugar
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• ¼ cup oil
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 tsp Amoretti® Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla W.S. 2X

• gum paste
• about 3 tbsp Amoretti® Jet Black W.S. Food Color
• 3 cups Classic American Buttercream

• silicon feather mold
• open star tip

Directions

1. Begin by making a head and neck for each ostrich. Form ostrich heads out of gum paste colored with Jet Black Food Color.
2. Stick two toothpicks into the body of the ostriches and let them sit at room temperature, in a deep bowl of sugar for a day to harden. Keeping the ostriches in the sugar will ensure that the heads and necks do not have a flat side, which would happen if placed down onto a piece of parchment to harden, and the toothpicks will give stability when placing them onto the frosted cupcake.
3. Color gum paste to the desired level of gray and black, then press a bit into a feather mold. Lift it out of the mold and leave to dry overnight.
4. The next day, preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a standard muffin tin with black cupcake liners.
5. Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
6. Whip eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
7. Add oil, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, and butter to egg mixture.
8. Alternate adding dries and milk, beginning and ending with dries.
9. Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
10. Color the buttercream gray using Jet Black Food Color.
11. Frost the cupcakes using an open star tip and set the ostrich head on the top. Push the feathers into the buttercream along the sides of the ostrich body.