Turn your favorite cupcakes into adorable Spring Chick Cupcakes with a few simple ingredients. These are perfect for spring or Easter!
This recipe was originally posted on April 9, 2009 but has been moved to its own post.
I saw this idea for Spring Chick Cupcakes from Martha Stewart and thought they were so adorable. I ended up using these Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes with Dulce de Leche Buttercream as the cupcakes and frosting to make the chicks.
It was a winning combination, but you can use any type of cupcake and any kind of light colored buttercream frosting.
These chicks are not only adorable, they are so delicious!
If you've never made dulce de leche with sweetened condensed milk before - do it! The method I use does not require boiling cans, which can be dangerous.
I made these alongside these Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Mock Marzipan Carrots. My coworkers loved both kinds of cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 16 your favorite cupcakes, such as Tres Leches Coconut Cupcakes
- about 5 cups buttercream, such as Dulce de Leche Buttercream
- 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut (toasted)
- red licorice lace
- 16 whole almonds
- 32 mini chocolate chips
Assemble the Cupcakes
To begin, remove the cupcakes liners from the cupcakes.
Spread some buttercream on the bottom of the cupcake and adhere it to a plate to anchor it while you are working.
To make the body of the chick, use a small offset spatula to coat the sides with a thick coat of frosting, then mound more frosting on top to create a dome shape.
Press toasted coconut into the frosting for the feathers. Hold the plate at an angle while applying the coconut so the excess falls back into the bowl.
At this point you may use a spatula to transfer the chick to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
To decorate, place two mini chocolate chips for the eyes on each chick using tweezers or by hand.
Use a whole almond for the beak and red licorice for the feet and comb. Both can be pushed into the frosting by hand.
If you're using red licorice lace, you can squeeze the ends of 3 pieces of licorice together to help the feet stay in one piece.
Store the assembled cupcakes covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator until serving.
Gluten Free Option
Use your favorite gluten free cupcakes as the base. Since licorice has wheat flour as an ingredient, you could use gluten free pretzel sticks in place of the licorice for the feet and comb. If you want them to be red, you could dip the pretzel sticks in red candy melts, let set, then place on the chick.
📖 Recipe
Spring Chick Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 16 your favorite cupcakes (see note)
- 5 cups your favorite buttercream (see note)
- 4 cups sweetened shredded coconut (toasted)
- red licorice lace
- 16 whole almonds
- 32 mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Remove paper wrappers from cupcakes. Spread buttercream on the bottom of a cupcake and place it on a plate to anchor it while you are working. To make the body of the chick, use a small offset spatula to coat the sides thickly with frosting, and then mound more on top to create a dome shape.
- Press toasted coconut into the frosting for the fuzzy feathers. Hold the plate at an angle while applying the coconut so the excess falls back into the bowl. At this point you may use a spatula to transfer the chick to a serving platter and then decorate, or proceed to step 3 and transfer later.
- Place eyes (mini chocolate chips) on chicks using tweezers or by hand. Use a whole almond for the beak and red licorice for the feet and comb; both can be pushed into the frosting by hand. If using red licorice lace (or pull and peel like I did), you can squeeze the ends of the 3 pieces of licorice together to help the feet stay in one piece.
- Use a spatula to transfer the completed chick to a serving platter.
Char says
Adorable idea!!! FYI, Licorice is not gluten-free (wheat flour is a prominent ingredient, sadly!). I hope you will update the "gluten-free option" portion to reflect that so as not to misguide.
Meghan says
Thanks for pointing this out! I will add a GF option for that now.
Anonymous says
That's a great substitute idea! Thx.
Meghan says
Thank you!!