There’s no such thing as too many parties, so we went to an expert in themed parties for advice. We asked her to organise us a pet-themed party for children, cool enough to please grown-ups as well.
Hello, Fabrizia! How long have you been making themed parties for children, and what are the most popular requests?
The idea first came up in March, and in October I opened my online shop www.fabulouspartydesign.com. There are several themes available, from princesses to pirates, from baby showers to “boy or girl?” parties, plus all the usual holidays – Halloween, Christmas etc. The most popular ones are those inspired on characters of cartoons and movies, but we have several neutral themes as well. Parents often email me asking for personalised themes. When that happens, the sky is the limit! The more difficult the theme, the more I make an effort to surprise and astonish.
– What’s the reference target of your services?
In general, if there are tables to decorate, whether for a birthday or for a corporate event, or shop windows, I get all wound up and come up with the wildest ideas.
– Pets and animals, now that’s true love. We’re challenging you to organise a pet-themed party for us. From the pictures we can see, you passed with flying colours! What was your inspiration?
Sweetness and tenderness. When I see a child with a furry white bunny or holding a kitten, I get all emotional; all that innocence and pureness in a relationship that will last forever are very moving. What’s better than a decoration involving pets to cheer up the birthday kid and her guests on a special day?
– What recipe did you come up with together with Letizia, the food blogger that works with you?
Letizia is a fantastic baker, and she’s in charge of the recipes. I send her my decorations and she creates these edible wonders. Based on the theme and on the material I send her, she always surprises me with recipes that are easy to make and delicious to eat and to look at. We’re a great pair! Our goal is to help readers reproduce surprising sweets for their parties, with the final touch of decorations by Fabulous Party Design.
For this theme, the suggested recipe is for tiramisù cupcakes.
Ingredients
for 12 tiramisù cupcakes:
150 g FLOUR
170 g BUTTER
5 g BAKING POWDER
3 WHOLE EGGS
VANILLA EXTRACT
8 teaspoons of COFFEE
For the mascarpone frosting:
120 g MASCARPONE CHEESE
60 g CONFECTIONER’S SUGAR
2 EGG YOLKS
120 g FRESH CREAM
For the decoration: Cocoa powder
Directions
Cupcakes:
Whisk the room-temperature butter with the sugar and the vanilla extract until the resulting mixture is creamy and smooth.
Add one egg at a time, making sure it is well mixed into the cream before adding the next one.
Add the lukewarm coffee (or coffee substitute) and then the sieved flour and the baking powder.
Pour the dough into 12 cupcake moulds. Bake for 30 minutes at 180°.
Mascarpone frosting:
Remove the cream from the fridge and whip it with 30 g of confectioner’s sugar.
In another bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the egg yolks and the remaining sugar.
Delicately mix the two doughs and store the resulting mixture in the fridge until use.
Sprinkle cocoa powder on the cupcakes before serving. Buon appetito!
