Best Bug Cupcakes Recipes

LADY BUG CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and coffee, beating well after each addition. , Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely., For lady bug wings, microwave chocolate wafers for a few seconds to slightly soften. Use a serrated knife to cut each in half. Cut off the tips to allow room for the lady bug face; save remaining wafer pieces to prop up wings. Frost both wings, and dip in red jimmies. Cut black jelly beans in half; add as spots to the wings. Set aside., For antennae, cut licorice into 1-in. pieces. Dip one end into frosting and roll in black nonpareils; set aside to dry., To assemble cupcake, frost with chocolate icing. Position decorated wings on cupcakes; if desired, add reserved wafer piece under wing tip to prop up. Add antennae and white hard candy eyes. Pipe a small frosting dot for eyeballs. Add a large curved red jimmie and two small ones for the mouth.

BUG CUPCAKES

Steps:

• One-Bowl Chocolate Cake:Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
• Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low, stir in eggs, 1 1/2 cups warm water, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Put scant 1/3 cup batter in each cupcake liner. Bake, rotating once, until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Cool cupcakes in pans on rack 20 minutes. Cupcakes can be made in advance and stored up to 1 day in refrigerator. They can be stored 1 week in the freezer.
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream:Beat butter with electric mixer until fluffy and pale. Transfer to small bowl.
• In double boiler over simmering water, whisk sugar and egg whites until warm and sugar is dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to clean bowl of electric mixer; beat on high with whisk attachment until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce mixer to medium-low; add butter a scant 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
• Switch to paddle attachment; beat on lowest speed 3 to 5 minutes. Leave at room temperature if using same day. Or store airtight in refrigerator up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature; beat until smooth.
• Simple Sugar Icing:Beat butter with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth. Add milk, vanilla, salt, and lemon juice; beat until smooth. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Divide frosting in to 5 small bowls, and tint each bowlful a different color with food coloring. Use serrated knife to evenly cut the domed tops off of each cooled cupcake. Cut each top in half.
• Use a small offset spatula to evenly spread 1 1/2 tablespoons colored frosting over each flat cupcake top. Then position halved cupcake tops on top of frosted cupcakes, pressing gently to adhere wings to soft frosting. To make bugs, attach tops with the domed side up and points meeting just inside the edge of cupcake and extending off the opposite side. To create butterflies, attach pieces, cut side up, with rounded edges in center of cupcake (domed shape will create angled wings). Refrigerate until frosting is firm and wings are secure, about 30 minutes.
• Prepare gumdrop and licorice heads: Snip licorice strings on a diagonal into 1 1/2-inch lengths. Use a toothpick to make 2 holes in the top of each gumdrop on opposite sides. Insert the pointed end of one licorice strip into each hole to create antennae. Using extra frosting as glue, attach gumdrop head to cupcake.
• Decorate wings as desired with assorted colored frostings: Place frosting in pastry bags filled with couplers and round tips, and pipe over surface of wings. Alternatively, gently spread frosting with a small offset spatula over the surface of the wings as desired. For lots of frosting, spread each wing with a base coat of frosting first and pipe out decorations in a different color. For just a touch of frosting, pipe simple decorations onto the bare black wings.

BUG CUPCAKES

Steps:

• 1. 1. 1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Make and cool cake as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. 2. 2 Frost cupcakes. Decorate with whole or cut-up gumdrops, cut-up or thinly rolled fruit snacks and gel to look like ladybugs, bumblebees, butterflies, caterpillars and beetles.
• 2. If you have only one 12-cup muffin pan, cover and refrigerate the rest of the batter while baking the first batch. Then bake the rest of the batter in the cooled muffin pan, adding 1 or 2 minutes to the bake time. When cutting gumdrops, dip knife or kitchen scissors into water to keep from sticking. Look for paper baking cups in festive colors and special designs at your supermarket, party store or paper warehouse.

BUG 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.
• Frost cupcakes with frosting. Decorate with whole or cut-up gumdrops, candies, cut-up or thinly rolled fruit snacks and gel to look like ladybugs, bumblebees, butterflies, caterpillars and beetles.