Fondant Tortoise Tutorial

It's been really long since I posted a tutorial here, so here goes. This is a tutorial for a super cute tortoise or tortie as I call him. I made this ages ago and clicked pictures to share with you'll but it got buried under a huge pile of pics. Found them today and like I keep saying, it's better late than never right? :) I am no fondant expert, I rarely use it, but I like experimenting here and there. Tortie was one of my experiments and I loved him so much I wanted to share the joy of making him with you'll. Hopefully, you'll will make him with ease and love him too.

This is a very basic and simple tortoise as you can see, it barely requires any instructions. I have skipped a few steps which I thought were very simple and I hope instructions suffice there.

One, Two, Three, make a tortie for me

Tortie tutorial:

• Step 1 - Colour your fondant in the shade you want the tortoise shell to be. I used a light shade of blue. Knead till the colour is fully incorporated, roll out and cut a circle. Keep the rest in a zip lock bag for later use. Colour another batch of fondant green for the tortoise limbs. Also leave a tiny amount uncoloured and another tinier amount coloured black. Store them in a zip lock bag as well. I used a cookie cutter to cut the circle. Choose a circle cutter according to the size you want the tortoise topper to be. Use a quilting tool to imprint lines on the tortoise shell. If you don't have the quilting tool, use a toothpick and dot your design for the tortoise shell on the fondant. I have used a toothpick many times and apart from being time consuming, it's no different when it comes to the outcome of the design. Take a piping tip and use the round end to cut off a semi circle off one side of the tortoise back. You can also use a small circle cutter for the same.
•  Step 2 - Place the cut, imprinted fondant circle on your palm and mould it to form a bit of a dome. After that, on top of anything that has a dome so that it dries out in a mound shape. You need to leave it out for a day to dry out and hold its shape. You get fancy tools for this, like spherical foam balls. If you have one, go ahead and make your life easier. I would suggest an orange if you have one handy. It's a cheaper alternative. I didn't have one around, so I substituted as you can see.
• Step 3 - Use the remaining green coloured fondant to shape 5 balls, one for the head and four smaller ones for the arms and legs. Indent the limbs with the back end of a toothpick to resemble claws or if you are lazy like me,  just basic dots will do. Place them on your work surface and attach the dried shell on top of them, using a dab of water or edible glue. Adjust the placement of the limbs accordingly. Now, take a minuscule amount of white fondant, roll it into two tiny balls for the eyes, attach with a smear of water. Take two tiny dots of black fondant and paste on top of the white balls to make eye balls. You can also use an edible black marker to dot the eye balls, it works out much easier than having to colour such a tiny amount of fondant black for the eye balls. Use a toothpick to form the smile and there you have it, a cute lil fondant tortoise topper.

P.S - Knead a bit of tylose powder into your fondant if you need, it helps the fondant hold it's shape better and dry up into that curved shell shape that you need.

Now go ahead and Get, Set, Bake.. A cute cake maybe to use this adorable topper on....

Flea market adventures

Our table at the flea market

As part of our launch, we participated in our first flea market - The Kitsch Mandi in the first week of February. It was a whirlwind of chaos, confusion, excitement, nervous fits and what not. What to make, how much to make, how to package, how will lil me handle it all? Aaargh.. I must have pulled out my hair umpteen number of times in all the craziness. 

Customers at the flea market

Thankfully, I had a great support team in the form of friends and family - Candice, Ambika, Arjun, Shubham and my ever loving hubby who was my driver, printer, cashier and what not. He was my rock and another solid rock - my mom who came down from my hometown just to help her little girl launch her business officially. Yes, I have the best mom in the world, period....

Our character bookmarks cum visiting cards

 Our menu was simple - red velvet/death by chocolate smash cakes in a jar, Stu the starfish, Bella the naughty nymph, Boo meringues with choice of lemon curd and chocolate ganache to dip and munch, (refer to the previous post for details on them), sticky chewy cocoa melts, Cinnamon lip 'stick' cookies, and hangover on a stick. 

Sticky chewy coco melts

We set up our table and then started the crazy crowds. The atmosphere was electric and we had a ball. People started trickling in in huge numbers and thus began our journey into our first flea market. 

With butterflies in our stomach, we waited to see who would buy what, would they like what we had to offer, and of course crazy fears like will anyone buy anything? What if they hate my stuff and what not :p

 My mind's a whirlwind on most days and this day, there were a dozen whirlwinds rushing through my brain. I kept my crazy fears aside and put on a big smile and waited for the day to unfold. It was truly magical, with the response that took my breath away. Happiness unlimited was my state of mind, whirlwinds clearly pushed away. 

Sticky chewy cocoa melts was the sleeper hit of the day. We saw people walk with it and send their friends to pick up a few as well. No points for guessing they got sold out first. 

The second favourite was the red velvet/ chocolate smash cakes. Proof was that we managed to sneak out one jar and gobbled it in seconds, licking our spoons, wishing we could grab a few more. But we resisted and kept them for our eager customers. Everyone oohed and aahed over our designer cookies and many took our cards for future orders. Happy days :)

The happy troopers sat and laughed with all our cheerful customers. Towards the end of the day, many came for seconds of our Hangover on a Stick (rum and raisin skewers) which were very potent (hic)!. 

Giggly girls loved the cinnamon lip sticks, in their vibrant red hues. 

Cinnamon Lip cookies

We gorged on all the yummy stuff on display on the other stalls and got a bit of shopping done as well. All in all, a great beginning. Our tired happy feet dragged us back home and we slept in contentment on a day well spent. For those wanting to tred on similar paths, here are a few tips on your first flea market, from someone who is only 3 markets old :p but has important flea market lessons to give - 

Me holding up my Boo Meringues

• Pack everything to go as much as possible and have suitable covers for everything. We were all covered in a thick layer of dust owing to the open area. A neighboring stall was selling cheesecakes by the slice and it was open all day. I can't stomach the fact of how much dust buyers got in each bite. Eww.
• Ensure a good display. Your creations might be the best but if they aren't displayed attractively, people won't notice in the manic rush.
• Smile, it makes a difference. You might be fighting world war 3 in your head owing to lack of sleep, aching feet and crankiness, but if you are approachable, people will linger on around your stall, leading to potential customers.
• Keep a lot of business cards handy. A lot of people don't remember your brand name as much as you'd like to think they would. A business card ensures they have a name and number to contact when they remember your yummy creations, days later.
• Stay hydrated, you don't want to faint and miss out on your first flea market.
• Get friends to help. No you aren't superwoman/superman. You need a dedicated cashier along with yourself handing out the goodies. 
• Keep visible price tags for everything along with names of dishes. People like to see information on display instead of playing 20 questions with the stall owners.
• Keep enough stocks handy and plan on how much to bring according to the crowd.
• Always check out previous flea markets of the organizers  This one time, we went to a new group's flea market and came back with boxes as the crowd turnout was pathetic. All the stall owners sat with woeful expressions and were swatting flies in boredom (just kidding about the flies bit :))
• Lastly, have fun, don't stress yourself out. It is tough, it is hard work, but at the end of the day, it's all worth it...

The Dessert Island

The new year whizzed past me and how. My first post for the year and it's 3 months overdue. A big apology to my readers. However, I have some fantastic news to share which I probably hope will make you'll less mad. I launched my home-based dessert outfit in February 2013 and I am officially a home baker who sells her yum bakes to customers. The Dessert Island is alive..  Yayyy :) 

Join us on Facebook by clicking here. Go click it NOW... You can find all sorts of pics and updates and much more..  Now a lil something about my venture for those who don't wanna head over to FB to find out more - 

The Dessert Island is a place where desserts come to life. We don't just make desserts, we create characters that you would love to take home. The population of this island grows ever so often, with new characters coming to life in this magical place. Drop in, take a tour, pick a character to take home with you. If you'd like a new character, give us a holler and we shall create one just for you. Who knows, he/she might be an inhabitant of the island one day. 

We have four characters as of now. First I'd like to introduce Fae:

Fae the fairy princess

Fae the fairy princess:

A magical island needs a magical fairy and that's where Fae comes in. 

She loved desserts so much that when she was asked what she would like to be marooned with on a deserted island, she chose a whole island with desserts. 

If that wasn't enough, she brought them all to life so that they could all live happily ever after. 

Fae can be seen on the winter solstice night, waving her wand and conjuring up new and yummy creations to join her family at The Dessert Island

Next on the list is the ever loving Stu - 

Stu the starfish

Stu the starfish: 

Stu was a humble starfish who lived in the ocean. The eternal bachelor boy that he was, he longed for some excitement. Sure, the corals were good for a few occasional laughs, but young Stu kept looking for a place where he could feel like home. That one day arrived when he heard sounds of laughter from an island as he was swimming along the sea. Always one for adventure, he hopped on to the nearest tortie (tortoise) and off he went to explore. Next thing he knew, he was on an island where the party never stopped. Fairies, owls and other magical creatures sang, danced and lived happily on this magical island. Each one of them were desserts that had come to life and partied all year round in their magical abode. They greeted him with open arms and next thing he knew, he was living in the island, which he now calls home. As is the custom, he got turned into a yummy dessert to be part of the island. He got to become a buttery vanilla bean cookie with his goofy smile making everyone smile around him. If you wanna meet Stu and his friends, head over to The DessertIsland, take a bite or two.. We promise, you wouldn't wanna leave...

Bella the naughty nymph

Next up, Bella - 

Bella the naughty nymph: 

Bella was the average teenage drama queen who got shipwrecked and was washed ashore The Dessert Island. The magical island took her in and the creatures looked after her like she were their own. At first she couldn't believe her eyes. Talking starfish, blue candy owls, a friendly ghost who was perfect for her as she could eat him and still fit into her gorgeous bikinis as he was a diet friendly dessert. Soon, she was up on her feet, matching steps with Stu and Boo, the friendly ghost who soon became her best buddy. As tradition states, she had to be immortalised into a dessert to be part of The Dessert Island and she was done so in her favourite avatar - an itsy bitsy vanilla bean bikini cookie, soaking up the sun. If you come to the island, you can probably spot her surfing, with a Appletini in one hand. She is most sought after at bachelor parties at nearby islands to add her naughty charm to the do.

Last but not the least, the cutie pie Boo

Gossipy Boo

Gossipy Boo:

Boo is a friendly ghost who loves to chat, so much that his nickname is gossipy boo. He floats around the island gathering all the gossip. He is a favourite with the ladies, not just because he is irresistibly charming, but because he is a dieter's delight. He is truly light as a feather and women chomp him up with no guilt thereafter. One can spot him by the shore of the island, taking long gossipy walks with his best friend Bella, the naughty cookie. Want to know what the island folk are up to? Boo’s the guy to meet.

So there you have it, my baby venture. Do like us on Facebook and join us at the island. Your support means the world to me and will help me take my baby steps with more confidence... 

Under the sea

'Sea' you later

Wish on a 'star' fish

Lately, I had the opportunity to cater to the sweet tooths of  bunch of toddlers. A lil princess called Ira was celebrating her first B'day in my hometown, Mangalore and I was in charge of the goodies. This was a fun fun time for me in the kitchen, trying to sculpt all kinds of sea creatures such as an octopus wearing a party hat, miss crab with a bow on her head and a cutie pie of a tortoise standing beside a whale and corals and seaweed... To top that off, there was a driftwood plank with Happy Birthday written on it. 


Apart from the fondant characters, I made cake pops, candies, my signature pencils and starfish and name cookies. After the manic work sessions, I focused on the next challenge - packing them to last an overnight trip.. I bubble wrapped them and crossed my fingers that none would break, packing extras wherever I could. It was for a friend's daughter and I would've been heartbroken if any would break, so I ensured I made extras. 


Thankfully, my good friend Nisha was driving down and she carried them parcels and they arrived in one piece and got assembled ever so gorgeously. Ira, your mommy is one helluva party planner. She painstakingly organised a bash that even I would turn into a kid for, just to be part of the  brilliance. What she did with the venue and the decorations will be the talk of the town for many days to come :)


Anywhoo, here's a lil sneak peak into some of my goodies at the party. A BIG thanks to the amazingly talented photographer Marco Mega for the lovely pics. I have watermarked these pics with the blog's name so that they get redirected here, but I take no credit whatsoever for the pics. If you love these pics, click on the link above to see more of his work.

Kids go ga ga over these pencils

A piece of driftwood to send over B'day wishes

Name banner cookies

Lil miss crab

The oh so cute Octupus

So that's all for now, hope you'll like the lil picture tour. Until next time, 

Get Set Bake :)

Naughty cookies

Bachelor party favours

My friend's getting married and I couldn't resist making him cookies since they are soon becoming my USP. And since he was getting hitched soon, I HAD to make them naughty. These lil cuties are PG 13, but naughty anyways.. 

Packaged and ready to be gifted

I had seen similar ones on one of my Internet trawls and had wanted to make them for some time and I'm so glad I got to finally make them for a friend. I don't remember the website i got inspired from for these, would've shared a link otherwise.. The design is self-explanatory for those wanting to try their hand at it. It's a vanilla bean cookie, decorated with royal icing. I used heart cookie cutters since I didn't have all the fancy body shape cutters. For those who want them and don't wanna try making them, give me a holler and I'd be glad to supply you with a bunch of these, customised to match your design. For now, gaze at these polka dotted naughty cookies :)

Try your hand at experimenting with different patterns and designs and, like I always say, Get, Set, Bake...