pull-a-part owl cupcakes

I was browsing through my many Halloween decorating books for inspiration staging my own Halloween party this year and I ran across this great pull-apart owl cupcake from Matthew Mead’s 2008 Halloween Tricks and Treats book.

So many of us are into owls right now and not just for Halloween. I myself have three invitations in my shoppe sporting this nightly creature. As is, this guy would be perfect for my campout invitation and with a few color changes and maybe a nicer demeanor he could be perfect for my owl fun birthday party or owl couple baby shower.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 30 unfrosted cupcakes
• 4 cans icing
• 2 chocolate glazed jimmy-topped donuts
• 2 black jelly beans
• Orange, red and brown gel food coloring
• Resealable bags (freezer weight) with couplers
• #199 fine cut tip
• #2 and #5 round tips
• Offset spatula

And here’s how you pull it together {wink}:

1. Arrange cupcakes on large round platter (shown at 16″ diameter)
2. Spoon 3/4 cup icing into a small bowl and tint with 23 drops of orange food coloring and 10 drops of red food coloring, mixing until blended for the beak. Spoon 1/4 cup frosting into a second bowl and tint with brown food coloring for accents. Take out 2 large dollops of icing and then tint the remaining 3 cups with 30 drops of orange food coloring, 9 drops of red food coloring and 6 drops of red food coloring.
3. Fit a resealable bag witha  #199 tip. Fill the bag with the orange icing. Cover the top of the assembled cupcakes with “feather” peaks as shown. For each peak, hold the bag straight up with the tip against the cake; squeeze the bag, keeping the tip in the icing until the peak forms; stop the pressure and reposition the tip for the next peak. Work from the center out, rotating the plate; refill the bag as needed.
4. Place the donut tops on the frosted cake for eyes. Remember those two large dollops of icing you kept out, now pipe them into the center of the donuts for the whites of his eyes and top them with a jelly bean. For the beak, use a spoon to place 3 dollops of frosting on the cake: start with a largish dollop near the eyes, then add 2 dollops below it, each smaller than the previous. Run the spatula under hot water until heated, dry thoroughly and use to contour the beak as shown.
5. Fit another resealable bag with the #5 tip and fill it with brown icing. Hold the bag at a n angle and pipe the brown outline onto the cake as shown. Change the tip to a #2 and pipe on the squiggle details.

Enjoy and make sure and check out Matthew’s 2009 Halloween book. You can see a preview at MatthewMeadStyle.com.

Want more Halloween dessert recipes?   Creative Spider Cake Recipes, Ghost Cake Recipe & Free Printable, Creature Candy Recipe.

As always, I hope you’re inspired to craft, bake, create and celebrate!

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