Love Monsters

Instead of cutting the lid from the cupcake, just leave the dome tops on and decorate in the same way. Or change the color of the buttercream to orange or green, add some teeth, and you have a cute Halloween idea. Maybe your own little monster would love them for their birthday! 

Makes: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Baking Time: 20 minutes
Decorating Time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Equipment:

• 12-cup cupcake pan
• 12 cupcake liners
• 3 piping bags 
• 1 small round piping tip (size 12)
• 1 large open star piping tip (size 1M)
• 1 grass piping tip (size 233)
• Serrated knife

Ingredients:

• 12 Rainbow Cupcakes (colored red) (page 30)
• 1 batch Basic Buttercream (p. 33)
• Red food coloring
• 6 Oreo cookies
• 12 large candy eyes
• 12 small candy eyes
• 12 strawberry Pocky Sticks
• 24 love heart sprinkles

METHOD

Prep and Baking

1. Make the cupcake batter per the recipe instructions. Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full with batter. Bake the cupcakes as instructed and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, place the cupcakes in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. (It's easier to slice the cupcakes when they are chilled.)

2. Once the cupcakes are chilled, use a serrated knife to slice the domes off the tops. Set them aside until you're ready to decorate.

3. Make a batch of Basic Buttercream per the recipe instructions. Color the buttercream red and add a small amount to a piping bag fitted with piping tip 12. Divide the remaining buttercream into two piping bags: one fitted with piping tip 2A and the other fitted with piping tip 233. Secure the bags with clips.

Decorating

1. Use the red buttercream and piping tip lM to pipe a swirl of buttercream onto the bottom half of each cupcake. Hold the piping bag upright above the center of the cupcake and pipe a swirl, leaving a ¼-inch (0.5cm) gap around the edge.
   (see Photo 1)

2. Separate the Oreos into two halves and remove the cream filling. Use a serrated knife to carefully saw each half into two equal-size pieces.
   (see Photo 2)

3. Use the red buttercream and piping tip 12 to add a tongue. Pipe a small dot of red buttercream in the center ofthe Oreo half, then use the large end of a small piping tip to spread the dot toward the cut edge of the Oreo.
   (see Photo 3)

4. Position the Oreo on the front of the cupcake, leaning it against the buttercream swirl to secure it in place.
   (see Photo 4)

   

    

5. Set the cupcake lid on top of the cupcake. (The front part of the lid should be resting on top of the Oreo, with the rest of the lid leaning back onto the buttercream swirl.)
   (see Photo 5)

6. Use the red buttercream and piping tip 233 to add the fur to the lid. Starting at the edge of the cupcake, hold the piping bag so that the tip is just above the cupcake. Squeeze some buttercream onto the surface, lift, release the pressure, then pull away in different directions. Work your way around the edge, finishing in the center of the cupcake.
   (see Photo 6)

7. Add one large eye and one small eye to each cupcake.
   (see Photo 7)

8. Cut the Pocky Sticks to size and then add one behind each eye by gently pushing them into the cupcake lid to secure them in place. Add a small amount of buttercream to the back of each sprinkle heart, then stick them to the end of each Pocky Stick.
   (see Photo 8)