Who doesn’t love a good animal print? Maybe I’ve been watching too many episodes of the Real Housewives lately (everyone seems to be walking around in leopard this season) –but I decided that today was the perfect day to jump into the wonderful world of leopard print cupcakes!!!
I know that I say this a lot…but they really are not as hard as you would think to pull off :0) — Let me show you how…
And finally….the big reveal!!!…
Hooray! Isn’t it nice when we can find a pattern that kids and adults will love? :0) – I’m continuing with the animal print theme in my next video tutorial–only next it will be zebra stripes!!!
Thanks for checking in–see you next time!
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Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…..me wearing leopard print may just be a crime punishable by death. However, these are no crime! Now my to-do list just keeps getting looooonger and loooooonger!
Awesome!! Thanks for the super simple but totally awesome idea!! LOVE it!
What is the trick to making black buttercream? I read somewhere that you are supposed to use chocolate bc and then add black coloring? Can you just add black coloring to regular buttercream?
Thanks!
You make it look so easy
But I guess that’s why you do what you do. I love the pink ones with 3 colors. They look gorgeous. I’m almost tempted to try it tonight myself.
Too cute! I think I like the two colored ones best, but they are all darling!
Absolutely wonderful!!! I can’t wait to try them!!!!
These are outrageously creative! Love them. You truly make them look easy to make.
I like the two colored ones but they all look nice! You made it look easy enough for me to give it a try!
So I tried this tonight and it’s SUPER EASY!!! I’ve been hesitant to do leopard out of fear of how to draw the shapes and yet have them look random/natural. With this method, I didn’t have to be precise with the pinks and blacks because when I smoothed it out they all blended together in the right ways and naturally ended up looking like leopard print. This is a great technique and I’d encourage everyone to try it. Thanks again for sharing!!
Oh yes, darling. Can’t wait to try it. I particularly like the 2 colors but enjoy the brightness of the pinks in 3 colors. You are a very talented lady. Thanks, D
love them! Thank you for the tutorial! =D
So cute! Thanks for making it doable!!
You have made it look so simple and beautiful
I will try this one out
made some last night it was so easy! thank you!
Love the look of three colors.
I have a question about the crusting Buttercream, though. The Buttercream recipe that I use contain the same ingredients in different quantities (Buttercream with only butter doesn’t hold up in Texas). I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I was wondering about the crusting. I understand the need for it with all these amazing decorating techniques but I was wondering if those who have tried it can tell me about the taste. Does it taste like several day old crusty frosting or is a nice texture for eating? Thanks so much–love this site!
Olá Melissa seus trabalhos são maravilhosos e sua imaginação não tem limites
Parabéns
I LOVE these! I wish to make these my signature cake!
Wow, these are brilliant
cant wait to try!
Thanks everybody!!! @Kelly–I just use Americolor Super Black, even when starting with white buttcream, and once it has some time to intensify, it looks good. @Kia & Natalie–Glad that you tried them!!! :0) — @Daniebark–I love crusting buttercream…it’s really just a very thin crusted layer, and beneath it is the soft icing. After 2 or 3 days at room temp, there is a texture change and they become a little “crustier”. I refrigerate if they have to sit out more than a couple of days. @Addie–these should TOTALLY be your signature cake, lol :0)
These are so cute!! Thank you for sharing how to make them!!
So adorable! Love them! And I love Real Housewives!
Just stumbled across your site and I’m in love! I’m a self taught baker and love learning all I can. This technique is amazing. You mention adding “CRC” to fondant. What is CRC? Also, when adding vodka to make the ‘paint’ would you worry about serving it to kids?
Sorry, CMC.
Thank you!
Hi Reine–thanks for your comment! I sometimes use CMC or tylose powder to firm up the consistency of my fondant. It makes the fondant a little bit more of an elastic consistency which can make modeling and handling cupcake toppers a little easier. Adding a lot of tylose gives you something more like gum paste…so for cupcake toppers and things that may be eaten, I just add a little. It is optional.
As for vodka/coloring gel “paint”, the alcohol evaporates very quickly, just leaving the color. However, if you are worried…you can substitute lemon extract in place of the vodka. Good luck!
These are adorable (and probably delicious)! I’m going to repost a link to this on my blog!
These are amazing! The instructions were so clear ad easy to follow! Thanks!!!
My cousin is having a survival themed birthday party and wants camo cupcakes. I’m going to use a forest green icing instead of white as the base and use the 2 color print with brown and black. Hoping it looks camouflage!
These are simply gorgeous….and so easy to make! I always wondered how they were made.
can you do the cupcake trick on a cake as well? my sixteenth birthday is coming up and i hate fondant. so could i just use the butercream icing and do the design and smooth it like you did?
Yes you can! ;0) –Hope you have a great birthday~
How to you get the Buttercream to Crust??? do u let it simply dry out??? at room-temp.?
Hi Kimberly, buttercream will crust in just 5 to 10 minutes depending on your humidity. When you touch the buttercream with your finger and the frosting does not stick to it, you should be ok to smooth with your Viva paper towel. You will need to be using a crusting buttercream recipe.
Hi,
Just wanted to know if I could paint the leopard spots on a buttercreamed cake instead of piping the dots on. I have to make a graduation cake themed with jaguar. Could you kindly please email me on the details. Thank you and your work is absolutely beautiful
This so cute! If I were making a leopard print fondant bow for a cake, would you suggest painting it, prior to making the bow or afterwards? Also, how long in advance can one make fondant? So new to this :0) Thanks!
@Geet–I’m sorry, I don’t know if you asked this question anywhere else (it sounds familiar) but just in case, painting doesn’t work well on buttercream. The only alternative that I can think of would be to create “press on” fondant spots. You could paint those if you’d like.
@Kirst– I would probably paint on the spots after drying the bow. (I actually prefer to use gum paste or fondant with a good amount of tylose kneaded in, rather than straight fondant.) — I use pre-made fondant these days…but if I were making it from scratch, I would make the fondant the week that I need it, to be on the safe side. Some people would say it lasts a few weeks as long as it is tightly wrapped and sealed in an airtight container. My experience though is making it closer to the event. You want to make sure that you allow several days for the bow to dry. Good luck!
@Geet–I’m sorry, I don’t know if you asked this question anywhere else (it sounds familiar) but just in case, painting doesn’t work well on buttercream. The only alternative that I can think of would be to create “press on” fondant spots. You could paint those if you’d like.
@Kirst– I would probably paint on the spots after drying the bow. (I actually prefer to use gum paste or fondant with a good amount of tylose kneaded in, rather than straight fondant.) — I use pre-made fondant these days…but if I were making it from scratch, I would make the fondant the week that I need it, to be on the safe side. Some people would say it lasts a few weeks as long as it is tightly wrapped and sealed in an airtight container. My experience though is making it closer to the event. You want to make sure that you allow several days for the bow to dry. Good luck!
Amazing! But one question – what is a viva paper towel? Never heard of this! Thanks
Hi Alysia, Viva is the brand name of a paper towel (paper towels are used for drying hands). We like that brand for smoothing buttercream because it has a perfectly smooth texture. If you are in an area that does not sell Viva, you might try using smooth paper napkins.
Could you also do the leopard print inside the cupcakes???
I like all or each of them but I really think the painted gumpaste toppers are my personal favorites. Could you do the cupcake batter in the same way as the cake batter but with smaller piping tips?
Hi Danielle and Shirley– Yes, you can. I forgot that I had this blog tutorial called “Leopard Print Cupcakes”— ;0) — I’m posting another version of leopard print cupcakes this weekend except it will be a video–the ones in the photo with my leopard print baby shower cake. In this video, you’ll see how I do the leopard print on the inside–it’s a slightly different process.
Thanks for the great tutorials! I just finished the cake video too! Just wondering if you did the inside of the cupcakes leopard print also?
Melissa, these are great and will be so much fun to see what people think when they get a slice of cake…my co-worker is having a boy and her hubby is army…what colours do you think I should make the spots….green and brown??
Thanks for any ideas
Stunning!
I love them so much so cute!!!!!!!!!! how would you make cheetah cupackes, any ideas……
Can’t wait to make these!!! I love to make cupcakes and usually will send them to the kids at church. I’ve missed a cple of wks of sending cupcakes and a little girl came up to me just this past Sunday and requested that I mk them some cupcakes next Sunday…lol But these I’m mking for a special friend that requested them when she saw them. Hope they turn out as great as yours!
Just finished making these — this tutorial is FABULOUS and my cupcakes turned out AMAZING!!! THANKS!!!!
Wonderful!
These’s are super cute so glad I found them!!!!!! Just one question what is buttercream? Is it icing? (: Thanks for the amazing idea!
I prefer the two color prints on such a small surface! I just mastered the leopard print CUPCAKE this week and the 13 yo girls they were for went gaga over them when the bit into them!
That’s great, Gina! 13 is a perfect age to go gaga over leopard print! ;0)
hi, ive tried to do this but it turned out my buttercream cant be crusted eventhough i was using the crusting vanilla buttercream recipe. well, i was using this ingredients
Ingredients
2 cups real butter (4 sticks), softened
2 cups vegetable shortening (14 ounces)
4 pounds of confectioners sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract (use Wilton’s Clear Vanilla if you want a whiter frosting, although the “tint” that regular vanilla adds is not noticeable to me)
2 teaspoons of Wilton butter flavoring
6-8 tablespoons of milk or cream
well, is it because of my recipe, or because my room temperature outside. 25′c
Hi Eish, Your ratio of fat to sugar should give you a crusting buttercream.
If your cake or cupcakes are cold (partially frozen) it will take many hours for the buttercream to crust. Is this a possibility?
When you do the fondant cutouts on top, do you mix it with gumpaste, or i ut jut fondant? If it is just fondant do you let it sit out so that it can harden. Just wondering how you get it to stand up?
Hi Danielle, you can look above the picture for a quick description of the process. Melissa used CMC powder in the fondant, it is a powder that makes fondant more like gumpaste. You could use straight fondant, it would just take longer to dry.
How do you get the buttercream frosting to crust? I make buttercream following the recipe in my Wilton book. Love these cheetah/leopard cupcakes. Thank you!!
Hi Char–Just letting the icing sit out for maybe 5-10 minutes should be enough time for the icing to crust. I’ve never used Wilton’s recipe but I’m pretty sure that it is a crusting recipe. The biggest advice that I can give is to frost your cupcakes at room temperature. Frosting cold cupcakes leads to condensation, which often prevents crusting (or delays it for a very long time.) — Very humid conditions can lengthen the amount of time before crusting also–hope this helps!
Wow! Looks so easy!
I did it in a similar way and they turned out amazing:))))) it was very easy