Baby Animal Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Decorate cupcakes to make 6 lions, 6 tigers, 6 monkeys and 6 zebras.
• In small bowl, mix 1/2 cup chocolate frosting with black food color to make black frosting. Place in resealable plastic freezer bag; cut small tip off 1 corner of bag. Use black frosting to decorate lions, tigers, monkeys and zebras (steps 3 through 7).
• Lions and Tigers: In medium bowl, mix 1 cup vanilla frosting with enough yellow and red food colors to make orange. In small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon orange frosting with 3 tablespoons white vanilla frosting to make lighter orange for muzzles. Frost 12 cupcakes with darker orange frosting. For muzzle, spread or pipe small circle of lighter orange frosting on each cupcake.
• For lions, place caramel corn around edges of cupcakes for mane. For eyes, add brown baking bits. For whiskers, break about 1/2-inch pieces off each end of pretzel sticks and insert in cupcakes. For ears, add cereal pieces. Using black frosting, pipe on mouth and nose.
• For tigers, use black frosting to pipe on stripes, nose and mouth. For eyes, add brown baking bits. For ears, add gumdrop halves.
• Monkeys: Frost 6 cupcakes with chocolate frosting. In small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon chocolate frosting and 2 tablespoons vanilla frosting to make light brown. For muzzle, spread or pipe circle of light brown on each cupcake that starts in middle and extends to edge; pipe small tuft of hair on opposite edge. For each eye, attach brown baking bit to marshmallow half with frosting; place on cupcakes. With black frosting, pipe on nose and mouth. For ears, add mints.
• Zebras: Cut small horizontal slit in top of 6 cupcakes near edge of paper cup. Insert edge of vanilla wafer cookie into each slit to create elongated face, adding small amount of vanilla frosting to cookie before inserting to help stick. Frost cupcakes with vanilla frosting. For muzzles, frost cookies with black frosting. With black frosting, pipe on stripes and mane. Add brown baking bits for nostrils and eyes. For ears, add black gumdrop halves, cut sides down.

Steps:

• For the eyes: Arrange the white sprinkles on the work surface. Attach a mini chocolate chip as a pupil to each sprinkle by gluing with a little buttercream. Set aside.
• For the wings and tails: Cut each yellow gumdrop fruit slice in half horizontally to make 2 thinner slices. Take 4 of these slices and cut each into 3 triangles to make the tails. Set aside.
• For the feet: Cut each orange gumdrop fruit slice in half horizontally to make 2 thinner slices, and then cut each slice in half crosswise. Using scissors, snip and remove 2 triangles from each foot to form the toes.
• For the beaks: Place the small orange gumdrops on the work surface standing upright. Snip each gumdrop with scissors straight down three-quarters of the way through the candy to make the open mouth. Snip either side of the gumdrop to narrow the overall size and shape into a tapered beak.
• To assemble: Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons buttercream. Place the yellow sanding sugar in a small bowl. Invert each cupcake and press gently into the sugar to adhere.
• Attach the eyes by pressing gently into position. Insert the beak just below eye level. Push the wings and feet into the sides of the cupcake and the tail into the back. Repeat steps for all cupcakes.

Steps:

• For the Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small mixing bowl add the baking soda, salt, baking powder and flour. Mix thoroughly with a fork and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the eggs, honey, both sugars and butter. Mix until smooth using a hand mixer. Add the cinnamon and baby food. Mix until smooth. Using a rubber spatula fold in the pecans. Slowly add the flour mixture using a sifter and fold in until ingredients are evenly mixed.
• Place 24 mini baking cups (2-inch, nonfoil) into each hole of the mini muffin pan. Place a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag into a bowl (for support) and pour the cupcake batter into the bag. Seal the bag and cut the tip off 1 of the bottom corners of the bag. Squeeze the batter into each baking cup, filling them only 3/4 of the way full. Place the mini muffin pan in the oven on the center rack. Bake for 12 minutes.
• For the Frosting: In a small mixing bowl add the extracts, milk, cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy using a hand mixer. When the cupcakes are done baking remove each cupcake from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Place the cooling rack in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Once the cupcakes are cooled remove them from the refrigerator. Frost each cupcake by putting a generous dollop of frosting on the top with a spoon. Garnish top with ground pecans and they are ready to serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour 2 1/4 cups batter into square pan; divide remaining batter among muffin cups. Bake yellow cupcakes 15 to 20 minutes and yellow square pan 20 to 26 minutes) OR devil's food cupcakes 18 to 23 minutes and devil's food square pan 21 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze square cake 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.
• In small bowl, tint 1 cup of the frosting with red liquid food color to make pink frosting. In medium bowl, tint 1 1/2 cups of the frosting with red gel or paste food color to make desired color of red frosting for barn; set aside. Reserve remaining white frosting. Decorate square cake to make barn (step 3); decorate cupcakes to make 4 chicks, 4 sheep and 4 pigs (steps 4, 5, 6).
• Barn: Trim 1 side of square cake to form roof of barn; place cake near top of tray with roof at top of tray. Spread thin layer of red frosting over entire cake to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining red frosting. Make vertical lines on top of cake to look like boards (use spatula or toothpick).For window, break 2 pretzel sticks in half; place near top of cake in square shape.For shutters, place 1-inch-square piece of graham cracker on each side of window.For sides and top of doorway, place 3 pretzel sticks near bottom of cake. For doors, place 2 1/2x1-inch graham cracker rectangle on each side of doorway.For roof, arrange eight 2 1/2 x1-inch graham cracker rectangles on top edge of cake, overlapping to form barn roof shape. For hay, place 1/2 cup of the coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add 2 drops yellow liquid food color; seal bag and shake to mix. Place small amount of yellow coconut at bottom of window and doorway (reserve remaining yellow coconut to decorate chick cupcakes). For grass, place remaining 1 cup coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add 2 drops green liquid food color; seal bag and shake to mix. Scatter green coconut on bottom half of tray. Decorate cupcakes and arrange on coconut grass.
• Chicks: Frost 4 cupcakes with white frosting. Top with reserved yellow coconut. For eyes, add M&M's™ minis brown chocolate candies. Cut orange gumdrops to look like beaks; place on cupcakes.
• Sheep: Frost 4 cupcakes with white frosting. For muzzle, spread 1/2 teaspoon pink frosting in small circle on each cupcake; add M&M's™ minis red chocolate candy for nose. For eyes, add M&M's™ minis brown chocolate candies. For ears, add white gumdrop halves, cut sides down. Place marshmallow halves on face for wool.
• Pigs: Frost 4 cupcakes with pink frosting. For snout, spread additional 1 teaspoon pink frosting in small circle on each cupcake; add M&M's™ minis red chocolate candy for nostrils. For eyes, add M&M's™ minis brown chocolate candies. For ears, cut 8 small triangles from fruit snack; place on cupcakes. Store loosely covered.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating pan once. Set aside to cool.
• Lightly frost cupcakes with 1 cup chocolate buttercream; set aside. Tint 2 tablespoons reserved buttercream pale yellow; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #349 Ateco leaf tip; set aside. Tint remaining buttercream light blue; place in a pastry bag fitted with a #11 Ateco plain round tip, and pipe three bluebird heads, 3/4 inch in diameter, onto each cupcake. Using leaf tip, pipe yellow beaks. With a toothpick, add melted-chocolate eyes. Form each nest with 2 tablespoons toasted coconut.