Creeping Caterpillar Cupcakes Recipes

CATERPILLAR CUPCAKES

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.

CAPTIVATING CATERPILLAR CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin pans or line with paper baking cups.
• Combine cupcake mix, egg whites, water and oil in large bowl. Beat at low speed with electric mixer until moistened. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Fold in 1/3 cup star decors. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full.
• Bake at 350 degrees F 18 to 23 minutes or until toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove to cooling racks. Cool completely.
• Tint vanilla frosting with green food colouring. Frost one cupcake. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon chocolate cookie crumbs on frosting. Arrange 4 candy-coated chocolate pieces to form caterpillar body. Place jelly bean at one end to form head. Attach remaining star and nonpareil decors with dots of frosting to form eyes. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.

CREEPY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare cake mix according to package directions. , Fill greased jumbo muffin cups with 1/2 cup batter. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Cut a thin slice off the top of each cupcake. , In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla; mix well. Remove 1 cup; tint orange and frost cupcakes. To the remaining frosting, add baking cocoa and remaining milk. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; insert round tip. Fill with chocolate frosting. Pipe a web on each cupcake; set remaining frosting aside. , For spider, insert chocolate kiss, point side down, next to edge of cupcake. Insert chocolate chip, point side down, next to kiss. Place 4 licorice pieces on each side of kiss. For eyes, pipe 2 small circles of chocolate frosting on chocolate chip; insert nonpareils.

CATERPILLAR CUPCAKE

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.

CREEPY CRAWLY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake batter according to package directions for cupcakes. Cool completely., Set aside 1 tablespoon frosting. Frost cupcakes with remaining frosting; dip each into crushed cookies. Place a dab of the reserved frosting on the cut end of each worm half; place two on each cupcake.

CATERPILLAR CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Tint coconut with food coloring. Remove paper from cupcakes; frost tops and sides of cupcakes with whipped topping. Sprinkle coconut evenly over whipped topping; press gently into whipped topping to secure.
• Spread cookie crumbs evenly onto 2 large serving platters to resemble dirt. Arrange 12 cupcakes on each platter to resemble caterpillar.
• Decorate cupcakes with remaining ingredients as desired.

CREEPY HALLOWEEN SKULL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners, preferable dark-colored or Halloween-themed ones.
• Combine cake mix, water, eggs, and oil in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer on low speed until moistened, about 30 seconds. Beat at medium speed until batter is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 18 to 21 minutes. Remove from oven and cool tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before decorating, about 1 hour.
• Frost each cupcake with a thin layer of white vanilla frosting and refrigerate for 30 minutes to make decorating easier.
• Remove cupcakes from fridge and apply a second layer of white frosting. Fill a piping bag outfitted with a small round tip with chocolate frosting and draw a skull face on the cupcakes: pipe large ovals for the eyes, two dots for the nostrils, and a large "stitched" smile for the mouth.