Best Big Fish Cake And Little Fish Cupcakes Recipes

GO FISH CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil and eggs. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake and cool as directed for cupcakes.
• Reserve 1/2 cup frosting in small bowl. Stir food color into remaining frosting. Place cupcakes on serving plate, fitting snugly together and forming fishbowl shape. Frost top row of cupcakes with reserved white frosting. Frost remaining cupcakes with blue frosting. Place gummy candies on frosting. Sprinkle candies at bottom of "fishbowl" for "gravel." Cut and shape fruit snacks to look like seaweed or water plants; place on cupcakes.

SCHOOL-OF-FISH CUPCAKE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with blue paper liners. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Beat the butter in a separate bowl with a electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, then beat in the vanilla.
• Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches on low speed, alternating with the milk in 2 additions, then beat on medium-high speed until just combined.
• Spread half of the batter in the cake pan and divide the remaining half among the paper liners. Bake until the tops spring back and a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes for the cupcakes and 30 to 35 minutes for the cake layer. Let cool 5 minutes in the pans, then remove to a baking rack to cool completely.
• For the buttercream: Beat the butter in a bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until light, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt and beat on low to combine, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the milk, a tablespoon at a time, to make a spreadable frosting. Add the food coloring, a drop at a time, to make a medium blue color.
• Frost the cupcakes with about half of the buttercream. Halve the cake layer crosswise. Cut a small "V" from the middle of the flat side of one piece to make a fish tail. Frost both layers with the remaining buttercream.
• For the decoration: Shingle the M&Ms on one half of each cupcake to make the fish scales (you will have enough for 2 cupcakes per color, with some of each leftover for the tail). Add a candy eyeball to each. Insert 2 red cinnamon candies on the opposite side from the scales to make fish lips. Halve 6 of the white gumdrops crosswise, then halve those pieces lengthwise to make half-moons. Stick 2 pieces of white gumdrop at the top and bottom of each cupcake for the fins.
• Stick a white gumdrop near the top of the cake fish head. Top with a black M&M, using a little frosting to make it adhere.
• Halve the red gumdrop crosswise. Halve one piece lengthwise to make half-moons and stick to the rounded side of the cake fish head for lips. Set the head at the left side of your serving tray. Follow the head with the cupcakes to make the fish body. Fit the tail on the tray at the end. Shingle the remaining M&Ms on the tail in stripes to make fish scales.

BIG FISH CAKE AND LITTLE FISH CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease bottom and side of one 8-inch round cake pan with shortening or cooking spray. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups.
• Make cake batter as directed on box. Fill 12 muffin cups about two-thirds full of batter. Pour remaining batter in cake pan. Bake as directed on box for 8-inch round and cupcakes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
• In medium bowl, mix 1 container of frosting and enough purple food color to get desired color. In another medium bowl, mix remaining container of frosting and enough pink food color to get desired color.
• On large rectangular serving plate, place cake layer, rounded side down. Remove liners from 2 cupcakes, and cut them in half. Spread a small amount of frosting on cut side of each cupcake half to keep them in place. Arrange cupcakes cut sides down as shown in diagram to create back and side fins, discarding extra cupcake half. Place 2 marshmallows on front of cake to create mouth and 3 marshmallows on top of fish to create top fin. Cut remaining marshmallow in half crosswise to create eye. Use small amount of frosting to "glue" a blue candy on for pupil; set aside.
• Frost body for fish purple and fins and marshmallows pink. Use enough frosting on fins to shape cupcakes into desired fin shape. Place marshmallow eye on cake. Use remaining frosting and candies and cereal to decorate remaining cupcakes as desired.