Four Super Sesame Street Cupcake Recipes

By Patricia Estridge 

Kids (and some adults) will go crazy for these seriously cute Sesame Street cupcakes. Learn to make The Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Elmo and Oscar the Grouch in cupcakes. All designs use the Vanilla Cupcake and Buttercream Cheese frosting recipes which are at the bottom of this article.

The Cookie Monster

Make 12 vanilla cup cakes and allow to cool completely before decorating - you will need to use 2 of these to make the cookies, so only decorate 10!

To Decorate:

1 Portion Buttercream cheese frosting 
Black food colouring
Blue food colouring
Chocolate chips

1. 'Butterfly' 1 side of the cupcake - cut across along the paper until way into the top, slide down way across the top to release a circle of the top of the cake.

2. Use 2 chocolate chips to prop the circle of cake up, so it looks like an open mouth (think Pac-man).

3. Take 1 spoon of the uncoloured icing and set aside. Take another 2 spoons and colour black.

4. Fill a piping bag, fitted with a medium sized round nozzle, with the black icing and fill the mouth with it - smooth to make sure it covers the whole mouth and secures the mouth open.

5. Colour the main part of your icing blue and ice your cake by putting a dollop in the centre of the cake and smoothing over the edges with a spoon.

6. Fill a piping bag, fixed with a small round nozzle, with the 1 spoon white of icing that you set aside and pipe two eyes with it.

7. Add chocolate chips for the iris.

8. Slice the 2 remaining cakes into 10 half circles (the rounds should be about a cm thick. Use the black icing make small dots like chocolate chips.

9. Finally, insert your cake cookie in to the cookie monster's mouth.

Nam nam nam nam nam - cookie monster!

Elmo

What a cutie - Elmo, the people's favourite. The kids will love these cupcakes!

Make 12 cup cakes of your choice (see recipes) and allow to cool completely before decorating.

To Decorate:

1 Portion Buttercream cheese frosting
Red food colouring
Black food colouring
Orange food colourig
Chocolate chips

1. 'Butterfly' 1 side of the cupcake - cut across along the paper until way into the top, slide down way across the top to release a circle of the top of the cake.

2. Use 2 chocolate chips to prop the circle of cake up, so it looks like an open mouth (think Pac-man).

3. Take 2, 1 dessert spoon portions of the uncoloured icing, colour one of them Orange, and set aside. Take another 2 spoons and colour black.

4. Fill a piping bag, fitted with a medium sized round nozzle, with the black icing and fill the mouth with it - smooth to make sure it covers the whole mouth and secures the mouth open.

5. Colour the main part of your icing red and ice your cake by putting a dollop in the centre of the cake and smoothing over the edges with a spoon.

6. Fill a piping bag, fixed with a small round nozzle, with 1 spoon white of icing that you set aside and pipe two eyes with it.

7. Add chocolate chips for the iris.

8. Finally, take your orange icing and use a medium sized round nozzle to pipe Elmo's nose between the eyes.

Big Bird

What Sesame Street collection would be complete without Big Bird?

Make 12 cup cakes of your choice (see recipes) and allow to cool completely before decorating.

To Decorate:

1 Portion Buttercream cheese frosting (or any of the frosting recipes here - we used Lemon frosting)
Yellow food colouring
Chocolate chips

1. Take two, one dessert spoon portions of the uncoloured icing, colour one orange and set aside. Colour the rest of your icing yellow.

2. Fill a piping bag, fitted with an arrow shaped nozzle with the yellow icing. Starting with the edges of the cake and working inwards, pipe short feathers using the arrow tip.

3. Take the white icing that you set aside and pipe two eyes on each cake. Add chocolate chips for the irises.

4. Finally, put the orange icing into a piping bag with a medium sized round nozzle on it and pipe two pointy blobs to form Big Birds beak.

Oscar the Grouch

They can't all be sweetness and delight - bad boy Oscar the Grouch completes your Sesame Street collection.

Make 12 cup cakes of your choice (see recipes) and allow to cool completely before decorating.

To Decorate:

1 Portion Buttercream cheese frosting
Green food colouring
Black food colouring
Red food colouring
Chocolate chips

1. 'Butterfly' 1 side of the cupcake - cut across along the paper until way into the top, slide down way across the top to release a circle of the top of the cake.

2. Use 2 chocolate chips to prop the circle of cake up, so it looks like an open mouth (think Pac-man).

3. Take two, one dessert spoon portions of the uncoloured icing, colour one red and set aside. Colour the rest of your icing yellow.

4. Fill a piping bag, fitted with a medium sized round nozzle and fill the mouth with the black icing - smooth to make sure it covers the whole mouth and secures the mouth open.

5. Colour the main part of your icing green and ice your cake by putting a dollop in the centre of the cake and smoothing over the edges with a spoon.

6. Fill a piping bag, fixed with a small round nozzle, with the 1 spoon white of icing that you set aside and pipe two eyes with it.

7. Add chocolate chips for the iris.

9. Finally, take the red icing and use a spoon or a knife to spread a red streak into Oscar's mouth to form a tongue.

Vanilla Cupcakes - Makes 12

60g Unsalted Butter - softened
120g Caster sugar
140g Self-raising flour
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract
100ml Milk

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F (170 C).

2. Line a 12 cup cake pan, with cup cake papers.

3. Place all the ingredients, apart from the eggs, into a large bowl.

4. Crack the eggs into a cup and beat lightly with a fork.

5. Beat with an electric mixer or by hand, adding the eggs in 2 parts, until the ingredients are incorporated.

6. Divide the mixture evenly between the cake cases.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and firm to touch.

8. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.

9. Allow to cool fully before icing.

Buttercream-cheese Icing

60g solid vegetable shortening - available from good supermarkets, get original not butter flavour if you can find it
90g cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
400g icing sugar
25ml Milk

Method:

1. Cream shortening and cream cheese with electric mixer or in a kitchen mixer.

2. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed.

3. Add milk and give a final fast mix for a few seconds.

4. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.

5. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For more recipes, baking and cake decorating inspiration, visit us at http://www.a-slice-of-cake.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patricia_Estridge

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6612038