Every daring knight needs a fantastic helmet and demon sword to do fearless battle with dragons, and these sugar versions are sure to win the day.
Use one of the cupcake recipes to bake nine standard cupcakes for the knight cakes and about six mini cupcakes for the mini sword cakes.
1 For the faces, roll out the flesh-coloured paste to 3mm (1⁄8in) thick using spacers. Use a no. 6 circle cutter to cut nine discs. Set aside for them to firm.
2 For the helmet, roll out the grey paste and use the no. 6 circle cutter to cut a circle. Using the same cutter, cut away the lower portion in two sections either side, as shown in the photo, to create two curves that meet in a ‘V’ at the centre. Use a palette knife to score a line down the centre and use the piping tube to indent a row of rivets either side.
3 For the feather holder, roll a small ball of grey paste, place it on your board and then use your fingers either side of it to roll and elongate it slightly. Use the end of a paintbrush to make a hole for the feather. Attach to the top of the helmet with sugar glue.
4 For the feather, roll a little red paste and elongate the end to create a teardrop shape, then flatten. Use your palette knife to make cuts down the shape to feather it. Pinch the base into a stalk and push into the feather holder. Glue in place. Curl the feather plumes for a realistic effect.
5 For the visor, cut a ‘V’-shape strip of grey paste to sit high up on the knight’s face so that only his eyes will be showing. Use the piping tube to indent rivets around all the edges. For the slits, cut seven short narrow strips of black paste and attach vertically at even intervals to the visor.
6 For the eyes, use the mini circle plunger cutter to cut white paste circles and attach to the face. For the pupils, roll tiny balls of black paste, flatten slightly and use a moist paintbrush to pick up and attach in place.
Why not make just half of your knights’ feathers red and the other half a different colour for an opposing army?
1 For the bases, roll out the black paste to 3mm (1⁄8in) thick using spacers and use a circle cutter to cut six discs to fit the mini cakes. Set aside to firm.
2 For the sword blade, use your palette knife to cut a wide strip of grey paste, then trim the end to a point. Indent a line down the centre.
3 For the hilt, use the square cutter to cut a square of red paste, then cut away the bottom two corners with the cutter to create a ‘T’ shape. Use the piping tube to indent a row of rivets across the hilt. Glue the blades and hilts to the black discs.
