A simple yet tasteful addition to your holiday/winter cupcakes, that is a crowd-pleasing treat for all ages! Grab some balloons and a package of gelatin sheets for this straightforward, edible cupcake topper recipe. Print the recipe below, watch the quick tutorial, and read on to see a new revolutionary way to use the Instant Pot for baking!
PREFACE: About The Recipe
This was created years ago for my family’s Christmas party. Not surprisingly, it was also the highlight of that New Year’s Eve party as well- same crowd. I had been baking for the holidays since I was 12 years old, and finally hit a rut. While grateful for the ability to have a generous dessert table, the treats were becoming monotonous…furthermore, the family was growing to the point where the kids greatly outnumbered the adults. My dessert menu took a turn around 2015, when 9” apple pies were replaced with sheet pan slab pies and 9” chocolate cream pies were replaced with a massive trifle – lunch lady style. In addition, cookies and cupcakes started making the scene, albeit juvenile and basic. That’s when I began the quest to transform bake sale-style desserts into a tasteful holiday course. The creation of the edible snow globe.
For this blog post, I am utilizing my Instant Pot from start to finish. Why?! … I have owned my Instant Pot for almost 5 years now, and the convenience it offers encourages me to keep exploring its possibilities. After significant experimenting, I have found that pressure cooker “baking” is not only feasible but yields the most incredible tasting cakes & cupcakes. In theory, pressure cooking adds a lot of moisture and dampness to food, which is why some would question this method… but follow my steps below and you will never bake cupcakes in the oven again.
Make it more refined for a work party by replacing the characters and Christmas trees with a sprig of sugared rosemary and cranberries inside the globe.
LETS MAKE IT!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
- GELATIN SHEETS IN PLATINUM (REGULAR GELATIN POWDER WILL NOT WORK AS WELL)
- mini or WATER BALLOONS
- CLOTHESPINS
- STRING
- FROSTED CUPCAKES
- SPRINKLES AND EDIBLE ICING CANDIES TO PLACE ON THE CUPCAKES
THE CUPCAKES
(skip this section if using your own recipe or pre-made cupcakes)
I use cupcakes because they are easy for little hands to hold and they visually resemble a snow globe base. Cupcakes are not necessary though, as you can easily place these toppers on decorated sugar cookies, or even cinnamon rolls!
Cupcakes can be homemade, from a box, or even pre-made from your local grocery store bakery! It is also important to note, that mini cupcake toppers can be made using small water balloons, just barely blow up. This picture is a mini-batch.
Instant Pot Cupcakes
Tried, tested, and true bake times below for silicone or stainless-steel cupcake liners utilizing the “pot-in-pot” method. If you follow this no-fail guide, I am confident that you won’t go back to the oven.
Using pre-made box mix or homemade cupcake mix, fill silicone or stainless steel cupcake liners to about 3/4 full. Stack pans and be sure to place the lid on the top pan(both pans should be covered). The specific pans that I have been using for years are cost-effective and well made. These pans are easy to stack, come with steamer lids and a sturdy locking handle. Use these not only for this recipe, but to cook different dishes at the same time in your Instant Pot.
COOK TIMES@ HIGH PRESSURE. ALLOW A FULL NATURAL PRESSURE RELEASE!
MINI (EGG BITE SIZE)
18 MINUTES
REGULAR
24 MINUTES
LARGE
27 MINUTES
THE COOK TIMES WERE CALCULATED USING SILICONE OR STAINLESS STEEL CUPS AND INSIDE DOUBLE-STACKED PANS WITH LIDS. ADD 1 & 1/2 CUPS WATER IN THE POT OF YOUR PRESSURE COOKER. PLACE TRIVET IN WATER AND TOP WITH STACKED PANS. IF PANS DON’T FIT, TURN THE TRIVET UPSIDE DOWN.
SHOP THE CUPCAKE RECIPE ACCESSORIES
STACKING PANS W/LIDS AND LOCKING HANDLE FOR 6 & 8 QT INSTANT POTS: https://amzn.to/3r98wyq
Snow Globe Notes:
This recipe is super simple, but time-consuming in that you do have to wait 24 hours for the gelatin to be completely dry and strong. For the video tutorial, I used gelatin that was only dried for 6-8 hours and you can see the fragility.
I recommend not deviating from the platinum shade of gelatin sheets – these were the most transparent of all the options. The powdered gelatin that you get in a box at the grocery store reveals a cloudy, dark-tinted globe. I have only found these through Amazon, but they are cost-effective and provide you with enough to make this batch twice! You can check them out here: https://amzn.to/3yEW8dC
Hang the gelatin-dipped balloons from a string using a clothespin!
Gelatin Notes
DONT COAT BALLOONS WITH HOT GELATIN: ALLOW THE MELTED SUGAR/GELATIN SHEETS TO COME BACK DOWN TO A LUKEWARM TEMPERATURE BEFORE DIPPING.
I LOVE using my little 3qt Instant Pot for double boiling. It has come in handy when making large batches of my cookie dough ice cream bars and hot chocolate bombs. For both of these recipes, I can melt chocolate beside my chest freezer in the garage and complete large batches effortlessly. The portability that it offers has made a huge difference when baking. Stovetop or IP, the concept is the same: boil water underneath your pot of chocolate, cheese, or gelatin (in this case). The method uses hot steam to gently melt and not burn the ingredients in the pan above.
I like to use the IP as a double boiler and keep it out during parties as a large fondue station! You should try it.
For the IP, I use the pans from my 6/8qt pot – they fit perfectly, just hugging the edges at the top of the pot completely. Remember, you want the steam to stay encapsulated between the water and top pan. Here’s the link to my “pot-in-pot” pans: https://amzn.to/34y2TAb (when you’re not double boiling, use these to cook multiple dishes at the same time in your larger IP)
HOW TO MAKE THE SNOWGLOBE TOPPERS
This was for done for the blog post and it shows how fragile the globes will be if you only let them dry for 8 hours. They will still work in a pinch, but they will be more durable (almost like a thin plastic) if you can wait the full 18-24 hours to dry on the balloons.
STEP BY STEP VIDEO ( 3 MINUTES )
Snow Globe Cupcakes
Description
A simple yet tasteful addition to your holiday/winter cupcakes, that is a crowd-pleasing treat for all ages! Grab some balloons and a package of gelatin sheets for this straightforward, edible cupcake topper recipe
Ingredients
10 Platinum gelatin sheets (This package comes with 20+: https://amzn.to/3yEW8dC)
8 clothespins
8 Mini or Water balloons (I have used regular balloons, in a pinch)
You will also need someplace to hang dry the gelatin-covered balloons. I tie a string from the cabinet and use clothespins to hold the balloons.
8 Cupcakes w/ frosting
Candies, sprinkles, and edible characters for inside the globe. (ie. trees, deer, snowmen)
Ice water
Instructions
1. PREP THE GELATIN
Submerge the gelatin sheets in ice water for 5 minutes. You can cut them in half, to fit better.
2. MAKE THE BALLOON MOLDS
Blow-up water balloons to fit your cupcake tops and set them aside
3. MELT THE GELATIN IN A DOUBLE BOILER
Transfer the gelatin pieces + 2 tbsp water from the ice bath to a pot.
Pour in 1/4 cup sugar (optional, but it makes the snowglobes more edible and sweet)
In a saucepan or Instant Pot place 1.5 cups of water.
Place the second pot, with gelatin, around the top edge and set to med-high heat or SAUTE mode on Instant Pot.
Double boil until the gelatin has melted and the sugar has liquified.
There is no need to stir the mixture. Only give a gentle stir when everything is melted to ensure that everything is liquified. This takes about 10 minutes
Set it aside to bring the temperature back down to warm.
4. MAKE SNOW GLOBES
I have found that spraying a light spritz of nonstick cooking spray in your hand, and lightly rubbing it on the balloons before dipping makes the globe more smooth and has few creases (if any).
Dip each of the balloons into gelatin about 2/3rds of the way toward the knot.
Hang to dry for about 8 minutes (or until the balloon is no longer sticky to the touch) then recoat each a second time. (re-heat gelatin if it has congealed)
*Allow 24 hours to hang dry*
Cut balloon above the knot. The balloon will shrivel up and separate from the gelatin globe. Remove the balloon and trim the edges of the globe (see video)
- If the balloon does not separate from the gelatin globe, just set it aside it will separate completely on its own. ***
- It’s easy to manipulate and stretch out the shriveled-up gelatin. Reshape it and remove wrinkles before topping on the cupcake.
Place globe on top of decorated cupcakes.
INSTANT POT CUPCAKES
Fill 2 stackable IP pans with cupcake liner molds (link in blog notes)
Place prepared box cake mix or homemade mix in silicone or stainless steel cupcake molds (link in blog post); filling approx 3/4 of the way.
Pour 1.5 cups of water into the inner pot of IP
Place trivet and stacked pans into the pot.
Cook at Manual High Pressure for 24 minutes (see blog for mini and large cook times)
Allow a *full* Natural Pressure Release
Frost and decorate once the cupcakes have cooled. You can remove them from the silicone liners and place them in paper liners.
Notes
DONT COAT BALLOONS WITH BOILING HOT GELATIN, allow it to cool sightly until it is warm but still completed liquidified
I PRE WASH MY BALLOONS IN SOAP AND WATER TO REMOVE LATEX RESIDUE. THIS IS NOT NECESSARY.
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Steam Diverters found on Amazon – I have this dragon one and a plain (non-character) diverter that prevents steam from damaging the underneath of my cabinets. I highly recommend a steam diverter.
