Sweet and simple. These adorable Penguin Cupcakes will steal your heart. Easy buttercream frosting and cute details make it super easy to decorate a dozen or more in time for Valentine’s Day.
Penguin Valentine's Day Cupcakes
Sweet and simple. These adorable Penguin Cupcakes will steal your heart. Easy buttercream frosting and cute details make it super easy to decorate a dozen or more in time for Valentine's Day.
Equipment
- Large Round Tip 2A
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- Favorite Cupcake Recipe or Mix
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- ½ cup Solid Vegetable Shortening
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter 1 stick, softened
- 4 cups Powdered Sugar (confectioners' sugar) sifted
- 2 tablespoons Milk, Heavy Cream or Water
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (pure or imitation)
- Pinch of Salt (optional)
Decorating Ingredients
Instructions
Make Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cupcake batter following recipe instructions. Bake cupcakes then cool cupcakes on a cooling rack.
Make Buttercream Frosting
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and shortening. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy for about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla and scrape down the bowl occasionally.
- Gradually add one cup of powdered sugar at a time. Start by mixing each cup on a low speed then beating well on medium speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each cup of sugar is added. When all the sugar has been mixed in, the frosting will appear dry and stiff.
- Gradually add milk or water, adding small amounts at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Continue to beat at a medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl once more and beat again to make sure all the ingredients are incorporated. Add a pinch of salt.
Ice Cupcakes
- Use spatula to ice cupcakes smooth using white buttercream.
Tint Frosting
Red: Tint 1/2 cup frosting dark red (combine Red-Red and Christmas Red icing colors)Orange: Tint 1/4 cup frosting orange Black: Tint 1 cup frosting black
Pipe Heart
- Prepare a bag with tip 3 and dark red frosting.
- Pipe the top half of the heart outline onto the white frosting and the bottom half onto the cupcake liner. Use the zig zag technique to fill in the heart. Pat smooth with finger dipped in cornstarch.
Pipe head and body
- Prepare a bag with tip 4 and black frosting.
- Pipe a heart outline starting at the middle section of the red heart outline. Leave white space between both hearts. Pipe around the cupcake for the penguin body. Smooth out with spatula.
Pipe penguin face
- Using the black frosting pipe eyes.
- Prepare a decorating bag with tip 352 and orange frosting. Using orange frosting to pipe a beak. Use fingers dusted with cornstarch to shape beak.
Video
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How-Tos
How to Make Cupcakes from Scratch
Make 24 perfect cupcakes with better ingredients and proper measurements by following our tried and true cupcake baking tips.
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