Anyone who’s tried planning a children’s party knows how hard it is to come up with new ideas. Cartoon character themes are used way too often, and toys and games don’t always fit into the picture. How do you make your child’s party original while maintaining the fun, festive mood? One thing that’s sure to work is an animal-themed party, complete with a tray of animal cupcakes.
Cupcakes are slowly displacing cakes as the dessert of choice for any occasion. They’re a lot cheaper, easier to decorate, and much more fun to give out. Most cupcake recipes are simply derived from cakes, so you can make any kind you like, from chocolate and vanilla to more unusual ones like carrot and fruitcake. With just a few decorating tricks, you can make animal cupcakes that are sure to be a hit, and may even become the star of the party! Here are some tips and ideas you can try out.
Decorating with frosting
One thing that sets cupcakes apart is the way they’re decorated. While they’re always fun on their own, cupcakes are much more fun when they’re frosted in different colors and personalized with toppers. Making frosting for cupcakes is a lot easier than it looks. Most of them are a mix of egg whites, butter, and sugar, with a bit of food color added for visual appeal. If you’re really strapped for time, you can also just buy ready-made frosting from your bakeshop.
When applying frosting, make sure to smooth out the top of the cake first. Brush off any crumbs from the top so that they don’t form bumps. For animal cupcakes, you may need more than one color—try have to use a different icing bag for each one so they don’t mix up. You may also need to use a fine icing tip for some of the smaller details (like eyes).
Butterfly cupcakes
Butterflies are probably the most popular animal cupcake decorations, especially for girls’ parties. The intricate details, bright colors, and variety of toppings make it the perfect centerpiece for your table. And since you can do your own designs, you’re free to use colors that match your party theme. You can do simple figure designs or make really intricate details—it all depends on how much time you’re willing to put into it.
If you’re feeling really creative, you can also make a four-cake butterfly to use as a table centerpiece. Each cake serves as a butterfly wing. Simply arrange them in rows of two and spread evenly with frosting. Then decorate each wing with your choice of topping, from colored frosting to jelly beans, candy sprinkles, and little chocolate buttons. The more colorful it is, the more it will stand out!
Pig cupcakes
If a barnyard party is more your thing, pig cupcakes are definitely the way to go. Even your kids can help you make a pig cupcake decoration—you don’t need a lot of colors and the details are really easy to add. After spreading the frosting, cut a big marshmallow in half and put it in the center to make the pig’s distinctive nose. Cut the other half into half-circles and pinch the tops to make the ears, and pipe out some chocolate frosting for the details.
Pastel colors work best with pig cupcakes, especially for children’s parties. Pink is usually traditional, but you can also use yellow or white for a more realistic look. Or feel free to experiment with colors, even if they’re a bit surreal—you can use blue for a boy’s birthday party or green for Halloween. You can even make multicolored pigs—the kids will have a blast choosing between all the different colors!
Cute, green, and adorably googly-eyed, frog cupcakes are great for kids who are drawn to eccentric characters. Most people associate them with Halloween parties, but there’s no reason you can’t use them for birthdays and other special occasions. They’re also great when you want a fresh change from the usual party themes. It’s still cute and appealing to kids, but adults will also appreciate the humor.
Green is the ideal color for frog cupcakes—it’s pretty realistic and the color really pops out. Like pig cupcakes, you can use marshmallow halves to make the characteristic googly eyes. Use chocolate frosting or candies to complete the eyes, and play around with the positions to make interesting facial expressions. Have your kids help you out—they just might have a few cool ideas of their own!
Using animal toppers
Birthday cake toppers are the perfect solution if you’re not feeling too creative. Usually made from icing sugar, they give your guests an additional treat while providing a nice finishing touch for your cupcakes. There are animal-themed toppers available all year round, so you won’t run out of choices. Just use a dab of frosting to stick them into the cake, and your party’s good to go.
Tags: animal cupcake decorations | animal cupcake decorations | pig cupcake decoration | pig cupcake decoration | birthday cake toppers | birthday cake toppers | cupcake recipes | cupcake recipes | frog cupcakes
June 25th, 2010 at 5:59 am
Thanks for your sharing.