How to Make Elephant Cupcakes

These cupcakes were made along with some other zoo animal designs for the birthday of an adorable one-year-old boy.

Items Needed

Filled cupcakes, frosted with vanilla buttercream
Light blue modeling chocolate or fondant
Round cutter, 1” (25 mm) diameter
Rolled modeling chocolate equipment
Googly chocolate eyeballs
More vanilla buttercream for piping
Blue food coloring
Piping bag, disposable
#3 and #12 round piping tips

Google Chocolate Eyeballs Instructions

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Form the elephant ears by cutting circles out of light blue modeling chocolate with a 1” (25 mm) round cutter. Bunch them together at one end. Trim the excess.

2. Place two ears on either side of each cupcake, just above center, burying the rough ends in the frosting.

3. Using light blue buttercream and a #12 tip, pipe the heads and trunks onto the surface of the cupcakes in the sequence illustrated above. Piping the trunk element involves lifting the bag to make a sideways S shape.