You guys!! How CUTE are these? Owl Cupcakes are soft and fluffy chocolate cupcake decorated with a vanilla buttercream to look like gorgeous, googly eyed owls! Perfect for a birthday cake, party, get together or just for fun.
This is the first recipe post that is more about the decorating than the actual recipe! I don't fancy myself a decorator and I don't make enough cakes to practice much but I want to learn and I'm sure there are many of you who would like to learn elegant yet simple cake and cupcake decorating. So I decided to give the decorating side a bit of a go and and what better way to start than with cute owls? (Trust me, if I can do it, you can too!)
I LOVE owls! When I was in high school I heard what sounded like an owl outside my house. I asked my mum what it could be and she said a Mawpawk (New Zealand native owl). I knew a Mawpawk was a bird but then she said it was a type of owl and my jaw hit the floor. I didn't know New Zealand even had owls! Like what?! (Don't judge me on my ignorance.)
Since that moment I see owls everywhere. That Mawpawk stayed on our property, I would see owl things in shops, I even did a personality test at school that same week and I got - you guessed it - the OWL!
So I now love owls and wish I had one as a pet. The way they turn their head right round.... Kinda creepy but kinda awesome.
For this recipe you will need:
- A batch of my chocolate cupcakes
- vanilla buttercream icing
- red food colouring gel (or any colour you like I just like pink owls)
- 24 white chocolate buttons
- 24 chocolate chips
- 12 M&Ms (for realistic looking owl I would stick to brown or orange M&Ms)
(The full recipe and instructions for the cupcakes and buttercream will be below).
Steps to making the Owl Cupcakes:
(Make sure you watch the video below for a more comprehensive instructions).
- You're going to take the vanilla buttercream and dye it pink by adding a touch of red food gel and mixing until you have a light shade of pink. If you want a different coloured owl, you go right ahead! The important take away is to use food gel NOT liquid. (Food gel like these.)
- Take around about two teaspoons full of buttercream and place onto the cupcake and ice the cupcakes so you have a thin layer of icing.
- You're going to scrap the buttercream into a piping bag with a closed star piping tip (this piping tip).
- Take your piping bag and starting from the midway point on the left side of the cupcake and going around the top to the opposite side, dot buttercream into an M shape around the edges of the cupcake. (You may need to do two lines of this depending on your cupcakes size.
- Once you have the owl feathers done take the white chocolate buttons and place one on each side in the hollow bits of the M you have made.
- Dot a smidgen of buttercream on the bottom of the chocolate chips and place off centre on top of the white chocolate buttons for the pupil of the eyes.
- Take the M&Ms and press one in vertical at the tip of your M for the nose.
- Take the piping bag and starting on the left, swipe buttercream up from the left eye to the outer edge of the cupcake for the 'eyebrow'. Repeat on the right side
There you have your cute owls and owlet cupcakes!
If you enjoy these posts, let my know in the comments and I'll keep them coming. I have heaps of ideas for more fun cupcakes! I would also love to see your creations and if you make these owl cupcakes, show them to me on Instagram! #lightscamerabake so I can see them and if you haven't already be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more fun videos.
Owl Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes;
- ½ Cup Butter, Softened (110g)
- 1 Cup Caster Sugar (200g)
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- ½ Cup Cocoa Powder (50g)
- 1 Cup Cup Boiling Water
- 1 and ⅓ Cups All-Purpose Flour (190g)
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
Vanilla Buttercream;
- ⅓ Cup Butter, Softened (75g)
- 3 Cups Icing Sugar (360g)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoon - ¼ Cup Milk
- 1 Drop Red Food Colouring Gel
Decorating;
- 24 White Chocolate Buttons
- 24 Chocolate Chips
- 12 M&Ms
Instructions
First make the Chocolate Cupcakes;
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 12 piece muffin tray.
- Mix the cocoa and boiling water together until the cocoa has dissolved. Place in the fridge to cool.
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder together.
- With the mixer on, add a ⅓ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Then add a ⅓ of the cocoa mixture. Continue alternating between the two, always beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in the vanilla essence.
- Spoon the mixture evenly between the muffin cases and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean and the cupcakes are soft to the touch.
- Place them on a tray to cool completely while you make the vanilla buttercream.
Vanilla Buttercream;
- Beat the softened butter until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract and one cup of icing sugar and beat.
- Beat in the remaining icing sugar and two tablespoons of milk.
- Add extra milk if the icing is too stiff. You want it to hold its shape but be soft enough to pipe.
- Add a drop of red food colouring gel and beat through. Add more as needed until you have a nice pink shade. (You can use whatever colour you like).
Decorating;
- Once your cupcakes are cooled and your icing is ready to go, it's time to assemble and decorate.
- Take around about two teaspoons full of buttercream onto a cupcake and ice it so you have a thin layer of icing.
- Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
- Scrap the remaining buttercream into a piping bag with a closed star piping tip.
- Take your piping bag and starting from the midway point on the left side of the cupcake and going around the top to the opposite side, dot buttercream into an M shape around the edges of the cupcake. (You may need to do two lines of this depending on your cupcakes size.
- Once you have the owl feathers done take the white chocolate buttons and place one on each side in the hollow bits of the M you have made.
- Dot a smidgen of buttercream on the bottom of the chocolate chips and place off centre on top of the white chocolate buttons for the pupil of the eyes.
- Take the M&Ms and press one in vertical at the tip of your M for the nose.
- Take the piping bag and starting on the left, swipe buttercream up from the left eye to the outer edge of the cupcake for the 'eyebrow'. Repeat on the right side
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Deanna
Hi! Looking to make these for a little girls bday party. Where do you buy white chocolate circles?
Emma Burton
Hi Deanna, I just used baking white chocolate buttons from the supermarket. Thanks!