Description
These Elmo cupcakes are fun and easy to decorate using my favorite buttercream and an easy piping technique. They’re perfect for a Sesame Street birthday party!
For the Cupcakes
For the Frosting and Decorations
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the eggs and oil are well incorporated and the batter is lighter in color, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Next mix in the sour cream and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Add half the dry ingredients, and half of the milk and mix just until the flour starts to incorporate. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir the batter from the bottom to the top to ensure it’s well mixed.
- Using a large cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly, filling each liner 2/3 full.
- Bake at 350°F for 14-16 minutes. Test the cupcakes for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cupcake. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cupcakes are done. Cool Completely.
For the Frosting
- Cut butter into pieces. Using the paddle attachment, whip the butter for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the bowl occasionally. Beat until the butter looks light in color.
- Alternate adding 2 cups of powdered sugar at a time with the liquid ingredients: vanilla extract & heavy cream. Ensure the powdered sugar is well combined, then whip for 1-2 minutes before adding more powdered sugar.
- Once all the powdered sugar has been added, increase speed to medium-high and beat for another 3 minutes or so to whip additional air into the frosting. Finally, dye the frosting red using red gel colors (see notes). Reduce the mixer to the lowest speed and beat for 1-2 minutes to eliminate air bubbles. Use a spatula to stir to remove any remaining air bubbles.
To Decorate
- Prepare the Oreos. Separate the cookies and remove the filling. Cut each cookie in half using a sharp serrated knife to create a half circle for the mouth.
- Fill a large piping bag ¾ full, cut off the tip about 1/2-inch up, and roughly cover the top half of the cupcake with frosting (this gives some height to the frosting). Using a knife, gently pull one edge of the frosting towards the bottom, unfrosted portion of the cupcake so the Oreo has something to stick to. Place an Oreo cookie on the bottom 1/3 of the cupcake.
- Prepare a small piping bag with a coupler and grass tip (#233). Then prepare a couple of separate bags with just the colored frosting, and place them inside the bag with the piping tip. Using a double piping bag allows you to change out the bag easily without removing a piping tip.
- Next, work your way around the dome of frosting, pulling the frosting in either an upward or downward position. Long pulls will result in longer hair, whereas short pulls will result in short hair.
- Once the dome of frosting is covered, pipe a small edge around the bottom half of the cupcake/Oreo. Place 2 large candy eyes on top and an orange M&M for the nose.
Notes
Frosting Color
- For this frosting, I used Super Red. To achieve a deep red color, you’ll need about 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of gel. As is, the red is pretty bright. If you have crimson, you can try using a mix of crimson and red to get a darker red or the simplest trick is to add a touch of black to this to deepen the color and get closer to the cupcake liners used in this recipe. To add black, use a toothpick and dip it in the bottle of gel, adding just a smidge of it to the red. Keep adding as needed, a tiny amount at a time. Remember, you can always add, but you can’t take away!
- The red color will darken as it sits. If possible, I recommend making the frosting the night before you plan to use it. You’ll notice how much darker it gets. You may need to re-whip the frosting with a mixer before using it.
- Concentrated gel colors will give you the richest colors without thinning out the frosting. My preferred brand is Americolor or Chef Master.
- These are grease-free cupcake liners from Shop Sweet Treats. I love their liners because the color holds up when baking.
Storage:
- As prepared: Store the frosted cupcakes airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can keep them in the fridge if your kitchen is particularly warm. Serve the cupcakes at room temperature.
- Freezing: Freeze the cooled, unfrosted cupcakes airtight and freeze them for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature before frosting and decorating.
- Leftover frosting: Store the prepared buttercream frosting at room temperature for up to 24 hours, or airtight in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months. Bring the frosting to room temperature before using. You’ll need to re-whip the frosting with a mixer before piping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
- Calories: 453
- Sugar: 51.8 g
- Sodium: 119.2 mg
- Fat: 21.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 63.3 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 3.1 g
- Cholesterol: 67.3 mg
