Lion Cupcakes Recipes

LION CUPCAKES - ROARRRR!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Toast coconut on a cookie sheet in a single layer for 6-10 minutes until lightly brown (stir coconut every 2-3 minutes while toasting).
• Frost cupcakes with frosting.
• Roll edges of cupcake in toasted coconut to make the lion's "mane".
• Place 2 gum drops side by side in the lower/middle of the cupcake.
• Place 2 licorice "whiskers" on each side tucked partially under the gum drops to adhere.
• Place 2 m&m "eyes" above the gumdrops.
• Place a dab of pink icing below eyes and above the gumdrops to make the "nose".

LION CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit and line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat together the cake mix, milk, eggs and melted butter until a smooth, fluffy batter forms, about 2 minutes.
• Scoop about ¼ cup of batter into each prepared cupcake liner. They should be filled about ¾ way full. Depending on how full the cupcakes are you should be able to fill 20-24 liners.
• Bake the cupcakes for 19-23 minutes or until they spring back when tapped and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with just a couple of crumbs.
• Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely before frosting, about 30-40 minutes.
• When you are ready to decorate the cupcakes, place half of the coconut in a small bowl and add a few drops of yellow food coloring.
• Stir the food coloring into the coconut until the coconut is all covered. It will be colored in a gradient of orange with some pieces darker and some lighter. This will work well so don't worry about them all being the same shade.
• Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to the frosting and stir until the frosting is an even, light yellow color.
• Frost each cupcake with a layer of yellow frosting and then dip the edge of the cupcake in the coconut and twist the edge in a circular motion to make a coconut "mane". The center of the cupcake should be just yellow frosting, with no coconut on it.
• If the coconut gets low or starts to have only small pieces, add the rest of the bag and a few more drops of coloring and mix it up and then continue decorating.
• Add two candy eyes to the coconut free center of the cupcakes with a mini chocolate chip below them for a nose. Place the chocolate chip so that the point is pointing down away from the eyes.
• Use the black decorating icing to draw on a mouth, a line running down from the nose that splits into two "U" shapes.
• Add two brown M&Ms on either side of the face, in the mane, to be the ears of the lions.
• Serve your lions with pride!

LION AND LAMB CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes; cool completely. Tint desired amounts of frosting orange, blue and pink., For lambs, frost cupcakes white and attach a Mounds candy bar for face. Pipe additional frosting over top of candy bar for tuft of hair between the ears. Attach jelly beans for ears, sprinkle body with coconut and pipe frosting for eyes and nose., For lions, frost cupcakes with orange frosting. Sprinkle edges with jimmies and attach pieces of licorice for mane. Attach jelly beans for ears. Pipe faces with frosting.

LION AND LAMB CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Measure 1/2 cup buttercream, and tint with pink food coloring to desired shade; transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip; set aside. Divide remaining buttercream equally between two bowls. Into one bowl, stir melted chocolate; set aside.
• Frost half of the cupcakes with the plain buttercream for the lambs, and half with the chocolate buttercream for the lions: set aside.
• For the lamb cupcakes: Arrange the halved mini marshmallows around the perimeter of each plain-buttercream cupcake, in two concentric circles. Leave room for ears on the edges, and an empty circle in the center for the face. Place halved full-sized marshmallows in reserved spots for the ears. Place two mini chocolate candies in upper half of each empty circle to make the eyes, and a bubble gum triangle for the nose.
• For the lion cupcakes: Press coconut into the edge of the chocolate-buttercream on the cupcake to create a mane. On each cupcake, pipe a small dot of pink buttercream in the center to form a nose, then arrange two gumdrop halves on either side of the nose for cheeks. Stick three licorice pieces into buttercream on either side of cheeks for whiskers. Place two mini chocolate candies over gumdrops for eyes.

LION CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Tint 1/2 cup buttercream pale pink with gel-paste food color. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip (#4). Add melted and cooled chocolate to remaining buttercream, and stir until combined with a flexible spatula.
• Using an offset spatula, spread cupcakes with chocolate buttercream in a smooth, even layer. Attach two candy-coated chocolates for the eyes and two gumdrop halves, cut sides down, for the cheeks. Arrange three licorice pieces in the buttercream on each side of gumdrop cheeks for whiskers. To make the nose, pipe a dot in the center with pink buttercream. Gently press toasted coconut around the edge of cupcake to resemble a mane. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes are best served the same day they are decorated; keep at room temperature.

LEMON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 30 cupcake pan cups with paper liners.
• Sift the self-rising flour and salt together in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the unsalted butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating each egg until incorporated before adding the next. Mix in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Gently beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture, one third at a time, alternating with half the milk and half the lemon juice after each of the first 2 additions of flour. Beat until just combined; do not over mix.
• Fill the prepared cupcake liners with batter 3/4 full, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing them to finish cooling on a rack.
• To make the icing, beat the cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer set on Low until the cream begins to thicken. Add the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice, a little at a time, beating after each addition, until fully incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to High, and beat until the icing forms soft peaks, about 5 minutes. Spread on the cooled cupcakes. Refrigerate leftovers.

JUNGLE ANIMAL CUPCAKES

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.