elephant party

All of my jungle birthday party posts do really well here at The Kid’s Fun Review, so I thought I’d put together some more fun ideas to go along with that theme.

Today I have a super simple, and super cute elephant cupcake topper made from fondant. Now don’t run away because fondant scares you, it’s really super simple to work with. It’s just like playing with play dough! In fact some of my favorite fondant characters and ideas were actually taken from play dough books! So head to your kid’s bookshelf, grab a playdough idea book and start creating!

This elephant cupcake topper is really quite small. It just takes about a golf ball size piece of white fondant (maybe just a smidgen larger).

Elephant Fondant Cupcake Topper

Materials (for each cupcake)

• Golf ball size piece of White Fondant mixed with a little Gum Paste Mix
• Light pink food color
• Black or gray food color
• 2 Black Non-Pareils (sprinkles) for the centers of the eyes
• A small paring knife
• A small bit of vegetable shortening to keep the fondant pliable
• A small plastic bag or container to keep the fondant in you’re not working with.
• Cupcakes with green icing
• Clean paint brush (used only for food)
• A few drops of water in a bowl

Directions:

1. Divide two 3 pea sized pieces of fondant from the white fondant. Cut one pea sized piece of fondant in half, and use the back end of your paint brush to put an indent in the rounded side of the fondant, then insert one black nonpareil into each indent for the eyes, then set them aside.

2. Combine the other two pea size pieces of fondant together and color them with a tiny bit of pink food color. Use your hands to work in the food color then set the piece aside, inside the plastic bag or bowl with a lid so it doesn’t dry out.

3. Color the remaining larger piece of fondant with black or gray food color. If you’re using black food color, add the food color slowly and work it in until you get the fondant the desired shade of gray. If the fondant is hard to work with, dry or stiff add a little vegetable shortening to make it more pliable.

4. Divide the gray fondant in half. Then cut one of the halves into 3 pieces. Set the 3 smaller pieces aside (in an air tight container)

4. Shape the larger piece into a ball, then flatten it so it’s still rounded but flat on both sides, to create the elephant’s body.

5.Take one of the smaller pieces of gray fondant and divide it in half. Shape the two pieces into balls, then flatten them on one side, and make them a little narrower on the other side to make the elephants legs. (see photo below) Use a little water on the paint brush to “glue” the legs to the elephant.

6. Grab another smaller piece of gray fondant and divide it in half. Flatten each piece, and work them into a peanut shape to form the ears. Make a little indent with your thumb in the center of the ear. Use a little water on the paint brush, and brush lightly on the ears where you want to attach them to the elephant.

7. Use the final smaller piece of gray fondant to make the elephant’s trunk. Twist it between your hands to make a tube, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, wider at one end for the base. Flatten the other end, and use the hard tip of your paint brush to make nose holes. Bend the trunk a little, and attach the base to the elephant’s face using a little water to glue it in place. Use the pairing knife to cut small wrinkles crosswise in the elephant’s nose (see photo below).

8. Grab the pink fondant and divide it in half. Flatten each piece, and shape it into a half moon, or peanut shape. Lay the pink fondant inside the ears, shaping it to fit inside, with a gray border showing around on all sides.

9. Repeat the process to make several more elephant toppers, set up an assembly line if you’re making several, and enlist the kids to help. Set the fondant elephant toppers aside to dry for several minutes while you bake and ice your cupcakes. I used a Wilton #233 Decorating Tip to make the grass pattern in the icing on the cupcake shown above.

This little elephant would also be adorable on top of a first birthday cake.