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Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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How-to: Brain Cupcakes!

October 24, 2011 Leave a Comment

Pastries aren’t my strongest suit, but when I had an idea to decorate cupcakes to look like bloody brains, I couldn’t help but try it. It took me a few tries to get the right look. Scroll all the way to the bottom of this post to read about what didn’t work for me.

Supplies

at least 2 unfrosted cupcakes (I used an organic cocoa cayenne cake mix that is perfect for surprising Halloween treats)

white frosting

serrated knife

red gel icing

ziploc bag (or a pastry bag if you have one on hand)

scissors

Directions

Cut one cupcake in half and carve it in to a dome shape.

Stick the dome to the uncarved cupcake using a dollop of frosting.

Draw a line down the center of the dome using the gel icing. Fill a ziploc bag with frosting. Trim a small piece from one of the corners.

Squeezing from the far side of the bag toward the tip, ice a brain-looking pattern on to each half of the cupcake dome.

Fill in gaps in the frosting with the red gel icing. If you notice, I used sparkly gel. I decided these must be Twilight vampire brains – y’know, the sparkly kind of vampire? Anyway, these aren’t perfect, but they make me happy.

What didn’t work

I cut too big of a hole in my frosting bag to begin with. The brain pattern was too thick and the frosting too high. The result didn’t look realistic.

The smaller the dome the better. Since the dome and brain frosting are held on to the cupcake with more frosting, the top gets heavy when there’s a lot of weight on it. If they’re too heavy, the’ll slide off. Believe me. :)

Filed Under: Halloween, How-to Tagged With: brains, cake decorating, cupcake, frosting, halloween, icing, twilight, zombie

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is an artist, author and crafts designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame. In addition to running the Hands Occupied Blog and Pattern Shop, you can find her making videos & co-hosting the Very Serious Crafts podcast.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

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knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s ab There’s an update on the blog today, & it’s about how I’m going to take the next 2 weeks off to rest & recharge. ☺️🧶 No new content for y’all means I can also take a moment to zoom out & plan what’s next. Link is in bio. 
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A note on Very Serious Crafts: In the post I discuss stepping away from the @seriouscrafts podcast to give myself more time to devote to some minor medical issues. Don’t you worry - my health will be fine, & @molliejohanson @redhandledscissors and I are still pals, and after a short break of their own, the podcast will be back! Just sans moi. 💁🏼‍♀️😆 
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See you in a couple weeks! ✌🏻#handsoccupied #knitdesign #craftdesign #sofadedsweater
Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it shoul Been a little quiet this holiday week, as it should be. ☺️🎄The past few days have been filled with a lot of catching up on festive zoom calls & raising toasts to the camera. 🥂 Connecting with people has been a welcome change of pace! Now I’m feeling ready to meet my inevitable end-of-year deadlines. 😆
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Warmest wishes for the season, my friends! ❤️💛💙
Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker beh Hi, I’m Heidi, the craft book author & maker behind Hands Occupied! 👋🏻 I’ve been enjoying making Reels a lot lately, but I wanted to bop in to share a regular photo & say hello. 🤓 
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rather than giving you my bio right now, I have a question. I just got this new sweater & I can’t stop imaging how funny it would be to wear this to a knitting class ... is that bad? 🤣🤣🤣
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Pictured: a blond woman with glasses wearing a sweater that reads “all your sweaters are ugly” standing in front of a Christmas tree.
Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is o Wet blocking, also called immersive blocking, is one of the most common methods for finishing a knitting project and helping ensure its final size and shape. Learn basic blocking for absolute beginners in an easy-to-follow (non-Reel!) video tutorial! Catch the tutorial on YouTube or the Hands Occupied Blog, link is in bio. 🧶 #handsoccupied #stopswatchandblockit #KPAmbassadorsDec20 #sponsored
Had to share this perfect capture of one of my fav Had to share this perfect capture of one of my favorite weird homemade Christmas ornaments: a simple macramé Santa face with beads for the eyes and nose! My Great-Grandma made it too. 🎄
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Might have to try making a quickie Reel tutorial for this guy - I think it’s the perfect project for it, don’t you? 🎅🏼 #handsoccupied #macrame
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