Lion Cupcakes Recipes

LION CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350º Fahrenheit and line 2 cupcake tins with cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat together the cake mix, milk, eggs and melted butter until a smooth, fluffy batter forms, about 2 minutes.
• Scoop about ¼ cup of batter into each prepared cupcake liner. They should be filled about ¾ way full. Depending on how full the cupcakes are you should be able to fill 20-24 liners.
• Bake the cupcakes for 19-23 minutes or until they spring back when tapped and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with just a couple of crumbs.
• Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely before frosting, about 30-40 minutes.
• When you are ready to decorate the cupcakes, place half of the coconut in a small bowl and add a few drops of yellow food coloring.
• Stir the food coloring into the coconut until the coconut is all covered. It will be colored in a gradient of orange with some pieces darker and some lighter. This will work well so don't worry about them all being the same shade.
• Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to the frosting and stir until the frosting is an even, light yellow color.
• Frost each cupcake with a layer of yellow frosting and then dip the edge of the cupcake in the coconut and twist the edge in a circular motion to make a coconut "mane". The center of the cupcake should be just yellow frosting, with no coconut on it.
• If the coconut gets low or starts to have only small pieces, add the rest of the bag and a few more drops of coloring and mix it up and then continue decorating.
• Add two candy eyes to the coconut free center of the cupcakes with a mini chocolate chip below them for a nose. Place the chocolate chip so that the point is pointing down away from the eyes.
• Use the black decorating icing to draw on a mouth, a line running down from the nose that splits into two "U" shapes.
• Add two brown M&Ms on either side of the face, in the mane, to be the ears of the lions.
• Serve your lions with pride!

LION AND LAMB CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Measure 1/2 cup buttercream, and tint with pink food coloring to desired shade; transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip; set aside. Divide remaining buttercream equally between two bowls. Into one bowl, stir melted chocolate; set aside.
• Frost half of the cupcakes with the plain buttercream for the lambs, and half with the chocolate buttercream for the lions: set aside.
• For the lamb cupcakes: Arrange the halved mini marshmallows around the perimeter of each plain-buttercream cupcake, in two concentric circles. Leave room for ears on the edges, and an empty circle in the center for the face. Place halved full-sized marshmallows in reserved spots for the ears. Place two mini chocolate candies in upper half of each empty circle to make the eyes, and a bubble gum triangle for the nose.
• For the lion cupcakes: Press coconut into the edge of the chocolate-buttercream on the cupcake to create a mane. On each cupcake, pipe a small dot of pink buttercream in the center to form a nose, then arrange two gumdrop halves on either side of the nose for cheeks. Stick three licorice pieces into buttercream on either side of cheeks for whiskers. Place two mini chocolate candies over gumdrops for eyes.

LION CUPCAKES - ROARRRR!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• Toast coconut on a cookie sheet in a single layer for 6-10 minutes until lightly brown (stir coconut every 2-3 minutes while toasting).
• Frost cupcakes with frosting.
• Roll edges of cupcake in toasted coconut to make the lion's "mane".
• Place 2 gum drops side by side in the lower/middle of the cupcake.
• Place 2 licorice "whiskers" on each side tucked partially under the gum drops to adhere.
• Place 2 m&m "eyes" above the gumdrops.
• Place a dab of pink icing below eyes and above the gumdrops to make the "nose".

LION CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Tint 1/2 cup buttercream pale pink with gel-paste food color. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip (#4). Add melted and cooled chocolate to remaining buttercream, and stir until combined with a flexible spatula.
• Using an offset spatula, spread cupcakes with chocolate buttercream in a smooth, even layer. Attach two candy-coated chocolates for the eyes and two gumdrop halves, cut sides down, for the cheeks. Arrange three licorice pieces in the buttercream on each side of gumdrop cheeks for whiskers. To make the nose, pipe a dot in the center with pink buttercream. Gently press toasted coconut around the edge of cupcake to resemble a mane. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes are best served the same day they are decorated; keep at room temperature.