Miniature baking

I have recently been teasing my Facebook friends by posting alternatively pictures of real and miniature cakes and biscuits.

When I posted this picture of Swedish cinnamon buns most friends thought they were real which I viewed as a compliment for my crafting skills.

I had to disappoint them:

Then I posted a picture of traditional Swedish "princess cake", and most people figured out it was a miniature, probably because I displayed it clearly on a miniature table.

I went on and posted this:

Of course you can see that these hazelnut buttons are real. But I thought it would be a challenge to make them in 1:12 scale.

I attended a course some time ago, when it was still possible, and learned some basic techniques. Not all miniature cakes can be made exactly the same way you bake for real; sometimes you have to cheat a bit.

First, obviously, I took two pieces of fimo clay. I happened to have a suitable shade of brown, otherwise you have to mix, as I did with layers of princess cake.

 

I baked them and then grated on a citrus grater. There must be better ways of doing it, but that's what I did.

 

The next step was when I had to cheat. I tried mixing the gratings with liquid fimo to make batter, just as you would with real biscuits, but it didn't work. So I decided to make a solid base and cover with grated hazelnuts.

This picture shows four steps: roll, cut into small bits, roll into balls and flatten.

Then I made a big mistake. I started covering the base with a mix of gratings and liquid fimo, but fortunately realised quickly that I needed to paint them first. Lesson learned. I painted with chalk pastels, starting with warm yellow, then light and dark brown. It is important to paint all over, on the edges.

Then I covered each biscuits with gratings. It takes time and patience, but if you are in a hurry you probably should not be making miniature food. 

To make hazelnuts for topping, I simply rolled out the same brown fimo and made tiny balls.

The biscuits are ready for baking.

However, I thought it was a shame to through away the failed biscuits so I made them into chocolate chip cookies.

35 minutes later:

As a first attempt and without any instructions, I think I did well.

To conclude, I want to point out that proper tools and materials are essential. They not just make the process easier, but ensure a much better result. Twelve years ago when I made my first food I thought I could do with what I had at home. Now I know better. So if you are considering making miniature food more than once, invest in quality tools.