Cupcake Caterpillar Birthday Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 28 cups of standard muffin tins and 1 cup of a jumbo muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add brown sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in sour cream. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and mixing until just combined after each.
• Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until tops are firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
• Decorate cupcakes: Tint fondant with green gel-paste food color, and roll out to 1/8 inch thick on a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Using cookie cutters, cut out one 4 1/2-inch round and twelve 3 3/4-inch rounds. Divide 2 cups buttercream into two bowls; tint half yellow and half pale blue with gel-paste food colors. Transfer to pastry bags fitted with small plain tips (No. 3). Tint 1/4 cup buttercream red; transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a fine plain tip (No. 1). Spread cupcakes with a thin layer of plain buttercream, and transfer remaining untinted buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with another small plain tip (No. 2). Place a fondant round on top of each cupcake, pressing gently to adhere, and mold to fit smoothly.
• To make the head, pipe two yellow dots for the eyes on top of jumbo cupcake, then pipe tiny white dots for pupils. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke two holes above eyes, and insert mini candy canes into holes for antennae. Use red buttercream to pipe the mouth. Pipe dots all over other half of cupcake, alternating between yellow and pale-blue buttercreams. Continue to pipe yellow and blue dots all over remaining cupcakes, then pipe tiny white dots on top of each. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature in airtight containers.
• Arrange 12 standard cupcakes side by side in a curving line, with the jumbo cupcake at the front. Serve remaining cupcakes as desired.

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Fill a greased 8-oz. custard cup three-fourths full. Pour remaining batter into a greased 10-in. fluted tube pan. , Bake the custard cup at 350° for 20-25 minutes and the tube cake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing cakes to wire racks to cool completely., Cut large cake in half widthwise. To form caterpillar, place one half on a 15x10-in. covered board. Place the remaining portion next to the first to form an "S." With a serrated knife, level top and bottom of small cake; place on one end of caterpillar for head., Frost the small cake with vanilla frosting; gently press 1/4 cup coconut into frosting. Add purple gumdrops for eyes. For mouth, flatten red gumdrop between waxed paper with a rolling pin; place below eyes. For antennae, press orange gumdrops onto pretzels; insert into head., Place 3/4 cup coconut in each of three small resealable plastic bags. Tint one orange with yellow and red food coloring; tint one green and one yellow. Frost the caterpillar with remaining vanilla frosting. Press alternate colors of coconut into frosting.

Steps:

• For the antennae: Unroll the licorice and cut into twelve 1 1/4-inch-long pieces. Separate the two strands of each licorice piece, leaving them attached at one end. Roll 2 small (1/4-inch) balls of green fondant for each pair of antennae and attach the balls to one end of the licorice. Enclose the remaining fondant in plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Repeat with the remaining pairs of antennae. Set aside to dry.
• For the head and body: Roll seven 1/2-inch balls of green fondant. Take one ball and attach a pair of antennae by sticking the licorice into it. With a small brush, dab a little water to moisten the top and attach 2 yellow sprinkles for eyes. Add pupils to the eyes by dipping a skewer into the melted chocolate and make small dots on the yellow sprinkles. Gently press the 6 remaining balls together to form the body of the caterpillar, and curve them to make it look wiggly. Moisten the top of an end ball and affix the caterpillar's head. Repeat to make 11 more caterpillars. Allow them to dry 20 minutes.
• To assemble: Frost each cupcake with about 2 tablespoons buttercream. Place the cookie crumbs in a small bowl; invert the cupcakes into the crumbs and press gently to adhere. Top each cupcake with a caterpillar and press them gently into the "cookie dirt" to adhere. Garnish with fondant grass if desired.

Steps:

• Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 28 cups of standard muffin tins and 1 cup of a jumbo muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add brown sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in sour cream. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and mixing until just combined after each.
• Divide batter evenly among prepared cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until tops are firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
• Decorate cupcakes: Tint fondant with green gel-paste food color (see page 299 for instructions), and roll out to 1/8 inch thick on a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Using cookie cutters, cut out one 4 1/2-inch round and twelve 3 3/4-inch rounds. Divide 2 cups buttercream into two bowls; tint half yellow and half pale blue with gel-paste food colors. Transfer to pastry bags fitted with small plain tips (#3). Tint 1/4 cup buttercream red; transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a fine plain tip (#1). Spread cupcakes with a thin layer of plain buttercream, and transfer remaining untinted buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with another small plain tip (#2). Place a fondant round on top of each cupcake, pressing gently to adhere, and mold to fit smoothly.
• To make the head, pipe two yellow dots for the eyes on top of jumbo cupcake, then pipe tiny white dots for pupils. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke two holes above eyes, and insert mini candy canes into holes for antennae. Use red buttercream to pipe the mouth. Pipe dots all over other half of cupcake, alternating between yellow and pale blue uttercreams. Continue to pipe yellow and blue dots all over remaining cupcakes, then pipe tiny white dots on top of each. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes can be stored up to 1 day at room temperature in airtight containers.
• Arrange 12 standard cupcakes side by side in a curving line, with the jumbo cupcake at the front. Serve remaining cupcakes as desired.

Steps:

• Prepare cake according to package instructions and bake in a Bundt pan. Cool and invert onto cutting board.
• Cut a piece of cardboard large enough to accommodate two Bundt pans. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Carefully cut the cake in half and place on cardboard in an "S" shape.
• Decorate with colored icing, candies, etc.