Hatching Chick Cupcakes

Don't they just make you smile?! I had originally planned to make a cake this week, and then these little gems popped in my head.  It all happened last week while I was shoe shopping.  Somewhere between picking which pair of heels would be coming home with me, I thought wouldn't it be so cute if I made hatching chick cupcakes.  Once this happens, everything else I'm doing goes out the window, even the shoes...

Normally when I tell people things like this, they just give me a very strange look.  What can I tell you, this is how my mind works.  So I let the idea stew in my head for a bit, and then I got to work.  I kind of followed the same process I did for the penguin cupcakes.  With a little fondant and step by step directions, they're pretty simple to put together.

The first thing I did was color some fondant yellow.  I rolled it out, and used a wine glass to cut out the circles for the face.  I put a small amount of buttercream on each cupcake so that the fondant had something to stick to, and place the circles on top.  The trick part of this was to get the oval shape of an egg on a round cupcake.  The answer to this is to use an egg shaped cookie cutter.  I rolled out some white fondant and cut out the eggs.  You will see in the step by step photos below that cracked egg shells are easy to make!  At this point you can decorate the eggs any way you wish.  I used rainbow disco dust, I know you're shocked.  The next step is to adhere the egg shell to the fondant covered cupcakes with a small amount of water.

1. Cut out yellow circles and attach to cupcakes with buttercream.
2. Cut out eggs & create cracked look with a paring knife.
3. Attach egg shells to fondant covered cupcakes.

At this point it's all in the details.  In my world chicks hatch out of sparkly eggs with little flowers, but that's just me!  I made their little beaks out of orange fondant, but you could also use a small orange jelly bean.  To make the eyes, I dipped a toothpick in black food coloring and drew them on.  Their eyes give them a charming look, and the little fondant flower on top is my little finishing touch.  I'm really happy with how they turned out, and they're a fun project for Easter or any Spring themed party! I also want to take a moment to tell you guys Buttercream Blondie is moving and getting a makeover! The move is happening in the next few weeks, and I will no longer have Google friend connect.  If you want to stay up to date with all my latest posts please subscribe by email so you don't miss anything. Hope you all have a great weekend!

What You'll Need

• Regular sized cupcakes
• Small batch of buttercream
• Fondant
• Egg shaped cookie cutter, 
• Yellow, orange, and black food coloring
• Paint brush
• rainbow disco dust & pink pearl dust

1. Prepare cupcakes & buttercream.
2. Ice each cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream.
3. Color some fondant yellow & roll it out.  Using a 3" ring mold or wine glass, cut out circles.
4. Place circles on top of cupcakes.
5. Roll out white fondant and using the egg shaped cookie cutter, cut out eggs.
6. Cut eggs to look like cracked shell (see photo).  Brush the shell lightly with water & dust with disco dust.
7. Adhere egg shells to fondant covered cupcakes with a small amount of water.
8. For the beak: color a small amount of fondant orange, cut out little triangles.  
9. Press widest part of triangles together with a dab of water.  Adhere beak to face with a dab of water.  *You can also use an orange jelly bean.
10. For the eyes: I dipped a toothpick in black food coloring & drew them on.  *You can also use those little eye candies from Michael's.
11. To give them rosy cheeks, lightly brush on orchid pink pearl dust.
12. Accessorize as you wish!