How to make your own glow in the dark Cupcakes
Katy Briant
How does it work?
Tonic water has a chemical called quinine dissolved in it. Quinine not only gives tonic water a characteristic bitter taste, but can also be very fluorescent under the right conditions.
Under a UV light, the quinine in tonic water makes it fluoresce a brilliant bright blue. Something fluoresces because it has absorbed light energy, which makes it excited, and then re-emits the light as it returns to its normal, unexcited state
Glow in the dark cupcakesEquipment
Tonic water has a chemical called quinine dissolved in it. Quinine not only gives tonic water a characteristic bitter taste, but can also be very fluorescent under the right conditions.
Under a UV light, the quinine in tonic water makes it fluoresce a brilliant bright blue. Something fluoresces because it has absorbed light energy, which makes it excited, and then re-emits the light as it returns to its normal, unexcited state
Glow in the dark cupcakesEquipment
- A source of UV light
- Cupcakes to ice
- White butter icing
- Tonic water
- Lime jelly
- Measuring jug
- Ice water
- Large bowl
- A smaller bowl that will fit inside the large bowl
- Ice the cupcakes and then put them in the freezer while you make the jelly.
- Mix the lime jelly with 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water in the small bowl and stir until it is dissolved.
- Add 1 cup (250 ml) of tonic water to the jelly.
- Fill the large bowl with ice water and place the bowl of jelly in. Continue to stir. When the jelly is cool to the touch, remove it from the ice water.
- Dip the cupcakes into the jelly, only submerging the icing, and then place back in the freezer for 5 minutes. Repeat this process 6 times. Make sure to stir the jelly each time and watch so it doesn’t start setting.
- Keep the cakes in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to serve them.
- To get the cakes to glow, simply illuminate with a UV light.