Just Ducky Cupcakes

The youngest daughter of my best friend turns ten tomorrow. To celebrate, Donna decided to make cupcakes to send to school.  Ten is a BIG birthday... ordinary cupcakes would not do, so we made ones that look like rubber duckys.  Isn't it amazing what moms do for their children?

The cupcakes turned out so cute!  You should give them a try.

 Start by baking cupcakes as you normally would.  Allow them to cool.  Then apply a thin coating of white frosting.

Since these are shaped cupcakes, you will need to add a few things to help create the duck shape.  The process is super easy.  Simply cut marshmallows in half, and add one half to the back of each cupcake to form the tail.  To form the head, add a glazed doughnut hole.  Fill in the areas in between the two pieces with extra frosting. 

 The cupcakes should look like the picture to the left at this point.  Place them in the freezer for 15 minutes so they can set up.  This makes them easier to handle and dip. Don't worry if they look a little weird at this stage.  The next few steps will fix any imperfections.

Take white frosting and add food coloring to achieve a bright yellow color or if you are lucky, buy colored frosting.  Microwave this for 45 seconds or until it reachs the consistency of whipped cream.

 Dip the frozen cupcake in the heated frosted to coat the shape.

Use a knife to insure the whole form is coated.

Allow the forms to set up until firm.

 Now it's time to make the duck come alive with personality!  It needs a face! The eyes are brown miniature M & Ms.  The beak is an orange Starburst fruit chew cut in half, pressed into an oval, and folded in half. Add to head.

 Each ducky looks completely different.  A couple of tips... Be careful making the beaks. Donna gave me much grief because I wanted to make the beaks massive... which made them fall off like Daffy Duck in the old Bugs Bunny cartoons. You need to add a small dot of white icing before adding the eyes to give it a little depth.  Go have fun!  Your children will think you are incredibly cool for taking the time to make these rather than running to the bakery.

Our children are only young once.  Take time to make memories like this.... before you know it, it will be time for the next half of your life...