Best 4 Barnyard Cupcakes Recipes

BARN CAKE WITH FARM ANIMAL CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour 2 1/4 cups batter into square pan; divide remaining batter among muffin cups. Bake yellow cupcakes 15 to 20 minutes and yellow square pan 20 to 26 minutes) OR devil's food cupcakes 18 to 23 minutes and devil's food square pan 21 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze square cake 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.
• In small bowl, tint 1 cup of the frosting with red liquid food color to make pink frosting. In medium bowl, tint 1 1/2 cups of the frosting with red gel or paste food color to make desired color of red frosting for barn; set aside. Reserve remaining white frosting. Decorate square cake to make barn (step 3); decorate cupcakes to make 4 chicks, 4 sheep and 4 pigs (steps 4, 5, 6).
• Barn: Trim 1 side of square cake to form roof of barn; place cake near top of tray with roof at top of tray. Spread thin layer of red frosting over entire cake to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining red frosting. Make vertical lines on top of cake to look like boards (use spatula or toothpick).For window, break 2 pretzel sticks in half; place near top of cake in square shape.For shutters, place 1-inch-square piece of graham cracker on each side of window.For sides and top of doorway, place 3 pretzel sticks near bottom of cake. For doors, place 2 1/2x1-inch graham cracker rectangle on each side of doorway.For roof, arrange eight 2 1/2 x1-inch graham cracker rectangles on top edge of cake, overlapping to form barn roof shape. For hay, place 1/2 cup of the coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add 2 drops yellow liquid food color; seal bag and shake to mix. Place small amount of yellow coconut at bottom of window and doorway (reserve remaining yellow coconut to decorate chick cupcakes). For grass, place remaining 1 cup coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add 2 drops green liquid food color; seal bag and shake to mix. Scatter green coconut on bottom half of tray. Decorate cupcakes and arrange on coconut grass.
• Chicks: Frost 4 cupcakes with white frosting. Top with reserved yellow coconut. For eyes, add M&M's™ minis brown chocolate candies. Cut orange gumdrops to look like beaks; place on cupcakes.
• Sheep: Frost 4 cupcakes with white frosting. For muzzle, spread 1/2 teaspoon pink frosting in small circle on each cupcake; add M&M's™ minis red chocolate candy for nose. For eyes, add M&M's™ minis brown chocolate candies. For ears, add white gumdrop halves, cut sides down. Place marshmallow halves on face for wool.
• Pigs: Frost 4 cupcakes with pink frosting. For snout, spread additional 1 teaspoon pink frosting in small circle on each cupcake; add M&M's™ minis red chocolate candy for nostrils. For eyes, add M&M's™ minis brown chocolate candies. For ears, cut 8 small triangles from fruit snack; place on cupcakes. Store loosely covered.

PULL-APART GRAVEYARD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup standard muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Warm the grape jelly in the microwave until loosened, 20 to 30 seconds, and whisk until smooth. Set aside.
• Beat together the sugar and eggs in another medium bowl with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually pour in the butter and then the vanilla.
• While mixing slowly, add half the dry ingredients and then all of the milk. Follow with the rest of the dry ingredients, taking care not to over mix the batter.
• Remove 2 cups of the batter and stir in the grape jelly. Evenly fill the liners about two-thirds full, alternating with yellow and grape batter.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly to the touch, 20 to 22 minutes. Place the pan on a rack to cool for 10 minutes, and then remove the cupcakes to the rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• For the frosting: Beat the butter and salt in a large bowl until fluffy and combined. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the milk one tablespoon at a time until the frosting has a nice spreadable consistency. Add the crushed cookies and continue to beat until any large chunks are crushed to smaller bits and the frosting has a speckled, greyish look.
• For the decorations: Arrange the cupcakes in 4 rows on a large serving plate or cutting board. Fit a marshmallow between each cupcake, 5 marshmallows per row, to fill in the gaps between the cupcakes. Spread the frosting over the whole rectangle so it looks like one cake. Sprinkle with the cookie crumbs and black decorating sugar.
• To make the tombstones: Use the black decorating icing and a small round tip to write "RIP" or other one-word epitaphs on the top half of the oval sandwich cookies and stick into the cupcakes randomly around the graveyard.
• To make the ghosts: Remove two-thirds of the tube of marzipan and place between 2 sheets of wax paper or parchment. Roll about 1/8-inch thick and cut into 3 rounds using a 4-inch biscuit cutter. You may need to gather and re-roll the scraps for all 3 rounds. Drape over the wrapped lollipops and stick into the cupcakes around the tombstone. Using the black decorating icing and the same round tip, dot eyes and a mouth on the ghosts.
• To make the pumpkins and leaves: Divide the remaining marzipan into 4 small pieces and roll each into a ball. Roll in the orange sugar until coated and place around the graveyard. Use the black icing to pipe a small stem. Fit the tube of green decorating icing with a leaf or ribbon tip to dot bits of green grass poking through the dirt around the graveyard and pumpkins.
• To make a border: Use 6 pieces of the licorice, trimming to fit, to make a border around the cake, leaving the middle of the front side open. Bend the seventh piece into an upside down "U" and stick into 2 cupcakes in the front to make an arched gateway.

BARNYARD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Prepare golden cake batter according to package directions. Pour into a greased and waxed paper-lined 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 33-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. , Prepare devil's food cake batter according to package directions. Fill 24 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 21-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. , Tint 1 cup frosting red. Frost two-thirds of the cake, forming a barn shape; spread frosting on sides of barn. For sky, tint 2/3 cup frosting blue; frost remaining top and sides of cake. , Outline barn roof with chocolate chips. Insert #6 round tip into a pastry bag; fill bag with 1/4 cup white frosting. Outline barn doors and a window. With black decorating gel and an M&M baking bit, add a spiderweb and spider., For pigs, tint 1 cup frosting pink; frost 12 cupcakes. Attach baking bits for eyes, pink candy lozenges for snouts, chocolate chips for nostrils and Good & Plenty candies for ears. , For chicks, tint 2 cups frosting yellow; transfer to a pastry bag. Insert #17 star tip; pipe frosting onto 11 cupcakes. Pipe heads and wings. Decorate with dessert mints, baking bits and candy corn. , For sun, frost remaining cupcake with yellow frosting. Position candy corn around edges. Form a face with chocolate chips and red decorating gel.

CUPCAKE GRAVEYARD

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes.
• In a medium bowl stir 1 package of frosting with the cookie crumbs. Frost cooled cupcakes.
• Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a plain tip, with remaining white frosting. Write R.I.P. on each chocolate covered graham cracker cookie. Stand a decorated cookie on top of each cupcake so that it looks like a tombstone. Place the cupcakes on a large cookie sheet that has been covered with green paper. Place paper ghosts and bats randomly through the graveyard. Serve!