If you have plans to bring cupcakes to your office or school holiday potluck, these are the cupcakes you'll want to make. Adorable and delicious with just the right frosting-to-cupcake ratio.
Samantha Chiu of @SamanthaChiu via Instagram.
Line cupcake pan with liners or grease pan with butter and lightly dust with flour.
Melt butter and add eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar and salt and add flour mixture with milk to the butter mixture.
Fill cupcake cups 1/2 full.
Preheat oven at 350°F and bake for 15-17 minutes or until the toothpick inserted into cupcakes comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
Combine butter, sugar and salt and beat with electric mixer until blended. Add the milk and vanilla and beat for 5 minutes or until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency.
Fit piping bag with round tip and fill bag with frosting. Pipe frosting in the center of each cupcake in an upward motion to achieve 3 layers, squeezing more in the first layer and gradually piping less frosting as you move up.
To make royal icing for the nose and buttons, mix powdered sugar with corn syrup and milk.
Divide the royal icing into two bowls, then add red and orange food coloring into two separate bowls and mix until the desired intensity is achieved.
Using a toothpick, apply the nose and button details onto each cupcake.
Start melting chocolate. Bring about an inch of water to a simmer in your saucepan. Set the heatproof bowl in the mouth of the pot, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir chocolate occasionally as it softens. When you have just a few small unmelted chunks, remove bowl from heat.
With a toothpick apply the eyes to each cupcake.
Using a toothpick, draw the arms onto wax paper and refrigerate until chocolate is hardened.
Gently remove chocolate from wax paper once solidified and stick into the frosting.
