Cute and Easy Animal Cupcakes

When my girls were little, we spent a lot of time in the kitchen.

Sometimes the girls would sit on the counter and help me make dinner (mostly handing me things and pouring in stuff), and other times we would make "fun food," like peanut butter on a rice cake with raisins for a smiley face.

I even remember we hosted a playdate in our backyard where we all made three "food art" projects."

If you ever try that, take my advice and stop after two projects. Not only was it more than we needed, but in our case, it suddenly started raining just as we were starting the "cake towers." I still remember gathering up bowls of different colored frosting and running toward the house!

Now that my kids are older, my younger daughter, Rebecca, has made some birthday cakes and cupcakes completely by herself that are far better and more creative than anything I've ever made, and in fact has even completed a Wilton cake decorating class.

These animal cupcakes are both cute and delicious, whether you're making them with kids or if you're someone like my Rebecca who loves to get artistic when you bake.

Some are super-easy, while others are a little more involved and involve fancy-sounding things like fondant or modeling chocolate.

Have fun!

 

 

The Betty Crocker The Big Book of CupcakesHello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can MakeWhat's New, Cupcake?: Ingeniously Simple Designs for Every Occasion

 

Jungle-Themed Animal Cupcakes

A jungle theme is always fun for a kid's birthday party or baby shower. There are a lot of directions you can go with it, and several different animals you can work with.

 

Easy Lion Cupcakes for a Jungle-Themed Party

These lion cupcakes are bright and colorful and very easy to make. Mini vanilla wafers are used for the ears, and a caramel candy (yum!) is used to make the nose.

 

Video -- How to Make Lion Face Cupcakes

 

Lion Cake with a Cupcake Mane

This idea is simple, but effective.

Simply ice a round cake with yellow frosting, draw a face with black gel icing, attach two dessert cups for ears, and then put a dozen chocolate cupcakes around the outside edge.

 

Jungle Themed Cupcake Designs

Here's a nice assortment of jungle animal designs from Betty Crocker. You can easily make the cupcakes themselves just by using a cake mix, vanilla and chocolate frosting, and various food coloring.

After that, the animal faces themselves are pretty easy:

• Lions -- Put caramel popcorn around the edge of the cupcake to create a "mane." Use 2 M&Ms for the eyes and two Cheerios for the ears, pretzel sticks for the whiskers, and black gel frosting for the mouth.
• Tigers -- Again, use black gel frosting to create the stripes, and use 2 M&Ms for the eyes. Cut a gumdrop in half for the ears.
• Zebras -- Cut a small horizontal slit in the top of the cupcake near the edge and insert a vanilla wafer to create a "longer" face.
• Monkeys -- Cover the entire cupcake with chocolate frosting, then mix chocolate frosting with vanilla frosting to create a lighter brown color. For the eyes, attach an M&M to a marshmallow half with frosting.

 

Jungle Themed Cupcakes for a Baby Shower

 

If you don't have the time (or inclination) to create fancy animal faces, then you can just make "regular" cupcake and add a cute topper:

 

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How to Make a Giraffe Cupcake Cake

Well, this looks fairly easy!

Get 20-24 cupcakes, decorate them with yellow and orange icing, arrange them like so, and use some black gel for the feet and eyes. Ta-da!

And here are two giraffe templates you can use so you don't would I would do -- which is thinking that I was arranging the cupcakes to look like a giraffe, but ending up with a huge, amorphous blob.

And here's a template if you just want to make a giraffe head:

 

Easy Giraffe Cupcakes

These little giraffes are easy enough to kids to make (perhaps with a little help.

Roll out a ball of colored fondant with something like this, then cut out a giraffe using a cookie cutter.

Color the giraffe's eyes and spots using food markers, then pipe an orange frosting tail and horns.

Giraffe Cookie Cutter Set for KidsGiraffe Cookie Cutter- Stainless SteelZoo Animals Cookie Cutter Set - 5 piece -Extra Large- Elephant, Giraffe, Hippo, Polar Bear, Monkey

 

 

These giraffe faces are made almost entirely from rolling, squeezing, and cutting different colors of fondant and arranging them on top of each other.

Then just them on top of your cupcakes!

 

How to Make Elephant Cupcakes

Elephant Cupcakes Made with Candy

First, frosting a cupcake with grey frosting and use white and black frosting to create eyes.

Then melt some gray frosting in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Dip a gummy worn trunk.)

Dip miniature pretzels in the melted gray frosting, let the excess drip, and place it on waxed paper.

Then microwave a pink Starburst candy, flatten it, and press it against the pretzels to make the elephant's ears.
(This will be the elephant's ears.)

Finally, stick white candy-coated licorice into frosting for the tusks.

 

Elephant Cupcakes for a Baby Shower

A tray of cupcakes topped with these light blue and white fondant elephant toppers would look adorable at a boy's baby shower.

Cut out the elephant shapes with the cookie cutter and set aside to dry out.

Use white fondant to make the ears, either by using a teardrop-shaped cookie cutter or just cutting out circles and shaping them with your fingers.

Use water to adhere the ears to the elephant shapes.

Draw an eye on each elephant with an edible ink pen, then set et aside to dry overnight.

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If you like, um ... "technicolor pachyderms," here's a cute way to make them.

Video: Decorating Cupcakes: Colorful Elephants

 

Another option is to create an elephant cake out of cupcakes.

Pipe 9 mini cupcakes and 27 regular-sized cupcakes with grey frosting and then add a fondant tusk, ear, and eye.

Elephant Baby Shower Decorations

Pink Elephant Baby Shower Party PackageGray and Blue Elephant Cupcake TopperCute Baby Elephant Cupcake Toppers for Birthday WeddingBlue Elephant Baby Shower Party Package

 

 

How to Make Farm Animal Cupcakes

A barnyard or farm theme is another idea that lends itself to having a lot of different animals

Barn Cake with Farm Animal Cupcakes

Another Betty Crocker design, this barn is decorated with pretzel sticks, graham cracker squares, shredded coconut, and yellow and green food coloring.

 

Barnyard Animal Cupcakes Tutorial

Cow Cupcakes Made with Candy

These cow cupcakes are quick and easy to make.

Use Wilton candy eyes, a pink Starburst candy for the nose, and two black jelly beans for ears.

Then use craft scissors to trim a couple Haribo cola bottles until they are a size that looks right for your cows.

Wilton Candy EyeballsSTARBURST--Original Fruit Chews CandyHaribo Gummi Candy, Happy ColaJelly Belly Black Jelly Beans, Licorice,

 

 

If you like working with fondant, this is a pretty cute cow cupcake:

Cow Cupcake with Fondant

 

How to Make a Fondant Cow

These were described as "lamb" cupcakes for Easter, but I think they could work as sheep cupcakes for a barnyard themed party, don't you?

 

Sheep Cupcakes with Mini Marshmallows

The sheep's faces are made by flattening gumdrops (they chose to make "black sheep" -- cute!), poking holes into them for nostrils, and attaching candy eyes and licorice sticks.

After frosting the cupcakes, create a mound of frosting in center (the frosting recipe includes two jars of marshmallow creme), attach the sheeo's face, and press in mini marshmallows.

 

Pig Cupcake Ideas

As any Charlotte's Web fan knows, you can't have a proper barn without a pig. Here are some clever ideas:

Cute and Easy Pig Cupcakes

These look more difficult than they really are. Simply coat a cupcake in pink frosting and then:

Cut pink wafer cookies into triangle for the ears.

Use 2 mini chocolate chips upside down for the eyes.

Place a pink Necco wafer in the middle for a nose.

Attach 2 pink mini marshmallows to the side of the cupcake with frosting for the feet.

Ta-Da!

 

Pig Cupcakes Made with Candy

These cute pigs are made with Wilton candy eyes a pink marshmallow cut in half for the snout, upside-down candy hearts for the ears, and a twirled pink pipe cleaner for the tail.

Kraft, Jet-Puffed, Strawberry MarshmallowsNecco Conversation Candy HeartsWilton Candy Eyeballs

 

 

Video -- Make this Cute Pig Cupcake

 

And these pigs in mud are just too adorable not to include. You can purchase them on Etsy.

 

Farm Animal Cupcake Toppers

 

How to Make Cat Cupcakes

 

How to Make Penguin Cupcakes

 

Easy "Under the Sea" Cupcakes

 

Butterfly Cupcake Decorating Ideas

Butterflies are, of course, so pretty and colorful by nature that they lend themselves to all sorts of creative ideas. They would make a nice choice for a spring birthday party.

Butterfly Cupcakes With M&Ms and Pretzels

My kids were all born in the spring and we often had their birthday parties out in the backyard when they were younger, so these immediately caught my eye as being a good spring birthday party cupcake.

It uses pastel-colored M&Ms for the body, yogurt pretzels for the wings, and something called "Edible Easter grass" for the antennae.

Edible Easter Basket Candy Grass, Green Apple

 

 

Super-Easy Butterfly Cupcakes

These cupcakes are not only very pretty, but so easy that it's almost ridiculous.

Simply cut out a little circle in the center of a vanilla cupcake.

Cut the circle in half (these will become the butterfly's wings) and fill the "hole" with sweetened whipped cream (not frosting!)

Arrange the wings in place and top with sprinkles and powdered sugar.

That's it!

 

Cupcakes in the Shape of a Butterfly

 

How to Make Puppy Cupcakes

Yes, we own three cats, but we still love puppies! (Who doesn't?)

Here are a whole bunch of ideas for "pupcakes" for different varieties of dogs. All of them are super-cute!

Cute and Super-Easy Puppy Cupakes

The secret to this little guy's fluffy white "fur" is using white icing in a spray can.

Start by squirt a dollop of icing in the middle of the cupcake and a small line of icing along the top edge of the cupcake.

Use mini marshmallows vertically for the both the ears and the snout.

Ice the face with "squirt-strokes," then the snout, going in a different direction.

Use 2 mini M&M’s for eyes and a chocolate-covered raisin on top of the snout as the nose

You can use either a pink M&M or a half of a Starburst candy for the puppy's tongue. like a tongue.

 

Easy Dalmation Puppy Cupcakes

 

How to Make Mini Puppy Cupcakes for Kids

 

Puppy Dog Cupcakes with Oreo Ears

 

Video -- More Puppy Cupcake Designs

 

Owl Cupcakes with Oreo Eyes

Here's another recipe that's really easy for kids to make. Nothing fancy, just make a regular cupcake and decorate with Oreos and M&Ms! What could be easier?

I hope you've found some great ideas for your next kids' birthday party -- OR just a fun activity together!

 

More Fun Desserts That Kids Will Love

Looking for more super-cute desserts for kids' birthday parties? Check out these posts:

• 35 Desserts to Make with Rice Krispies -- Who knew there were so many fun variations on Rice Krispie Treats! Learn how to make chocolate "donuts," pumpkin treats, s'mores treats, and even a colorful Rice Krispies cake!
• 10 Ocean Themed Snacks -- Looking for some fun treats at the pool this summer? Check out these starfish sugar cookies, mermaid tail cupcakes, and ocean Oreas.
• 17 Animal Desserts -- Learn how to make penguins out of Nutter Butter cookies, sheep with marshmallows and graham crackers, and owls out of Oreos.
• Easy Desserts that Kids Can Make -- Do you have a young baker at home? They'll be able to make this chocolate poke cake, Oreo truffles, or cookie dough balls.

 

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