Limited on time? Use this easy cupcake decorating idea to make adorable teddy bear and polar bear cupcakes. Everyone will think you spent all day creating these sweet treats.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Pillsbury™. The opinions and text are all mine. #DoughboySurprise
So often I get this comment, “ain’t nobody got time for that” on my social media posts with pictures of cute food crafts.
Admittedly some of my projects are a bit time consuming, but I’m here to tell you that not all cute food has to take up half of your day. This easy cupcake decorating idea is so simple that you’ll have a whole batch of these adorably cute cupcake bears done quicker than you’d ever imagine.
To make these decorated desserts you’ll need to start by baking a batch of your favorite cupcakes. You can make them from scratch or use a cake mix. Either will work great. I actually used a brownie mix, added and extra egg to make the brownies more cake-like and baked them in cupcake wrappers for 18 minutes. They turned out great.
Once your chosen cupcakes have baked and cooled then you can quickly decorate them using a Pillsbury™ Filled Pastry Bag and some candies.
These new pre-filled pastry bags are filled with the same great vanilla, chocolate fudge, and cream cheese frosting that you have found in frosting tubs for years. These new bags are so convenient and easy to use.
I found them at Meijer in the baking aisle. They come packaged in a box which stands up vertically on the shelf so they can be displayed next to the tubs of Pillsbury Frosting or near the Pillsbury Cake Mixes.
When you get them home and open a box you’ll find a disposable pastry big filled with frosting. Each bag comes with a plastic star tip. You simply pull off the top of the pastry bag to expose the tip. I expected to have to get a pair scissors out to cut the tip off the bag, but there is a notch already cut into the tip of the bag and it’s perforated so it tears off easily.
That’s great but the fact that the bag is sealed along the top edge is even better. If you’ve ever had frosting ooze out of the top of a pastry bag you know how messy that can be. These bags totally eliminate that possible mess.
Frost the Teddy Bear Cupcakes
These pre-filled bags are great for adults and for kids too. These bear cupcakes are definitely easy enough that older kids will be able to make them on their own. Younger kids who can’t quite manipulate the pastry bag will have fun helping to add the candy decorations.
To decorate your teddy bear cupcakes:
- Hold the Filled Pastry Bag at a 90 degree angle over your cupcake. Squeeze the bag slightly, allowing a small amount of frosting out of the bag. Then stop squeezing and pull up away from the cupcake. You can make frosting stars this way.
- To make the bears look furry, continue to squeeze for a second while pulling the bag away from the cupcake. You’ll end up with furry looking spikes this way.
- Pipe chocolate fur all over the top of your cupcake.
- Add two, round, chocolate wafers onto each cupcake for the bear’s ears.
- Flatten a soft caramel into a rounded triangle for the bear’s snout.
- Press a small malted milk ball onto the caramel to create the nose.
- Set the snout/nose opposite the ears on the cupcake.
- Add two 1/2 inch round candy eyes and your first teddy bear is complete.
- Repeat making about 16 cupcakes per Filled Pastry Bag.
Frost the Polar Bear Cupcakes
Use vanilla frosting to make the polar bear cupcakes.
- Pipe white frosting fur all over a cupcake.
- Pipe a mound of frosting for the snout. You can make a swirl or a star to create the bear’s snout.
- Top the snout with a small malted milk ball nose.
- Then add two white chocolate wafer ears and two candy eyes.
I had a dozen of these cute bear cupcakes decorated in less than 10 minutes. I realize I’m pretty fast but even if you aren’t experienced at cupcake decorating I think you’ll have an easy time making these sweet little cupcake bears.
These new Pastry Bags are rolling out to stores across the U.S. this summer.
You can use the Pillsbury product locator to find them in your area.
Have fun making these adorable Bear Cupcakes. If you share pictures online be sure to mention Hungry Happenings and link back to this post. If you’d like to have the images of your cupcake bears featured in my Readers’s Gallery be sure to send some pictures to beth@hungryhappenings.com. Share them on social media using #HungryHappenings.
Click here to see more Cute Food ideas.
Be sure to check out all my fun Christmas Recipes!
What did you use for the eyes?
I used 1/2 inch candy eyes. You can buy them from amazon here – https://amzn.to/2G1686y (affiliate link)
who makes the chocolate and vanilla wafers you used?
I actually used Wilton Candy Melts, but unfortunately they have recently changed the size of their wafers. They are now smaller than they used to be, so I’d recommend getting Mercken’s or Peter’s White Confectionery Coating wafers instead. They are a big larger than the new Wilton Candy Melts wafers.
How did you guys flatten the Carmel and what did you use? Thank you
How did you guys flatten the Carmel and what did you use?
If you have soft caramels like Werther’s (which is what I used) you can just flatten them. If you are using Kraft caramel squares and they are not soft enough to flatten, you can heat them in the microwave on the DEFROST or LOW setting for about 3-5 seconds then flatten them.
I didn’t even know these filled decorator bags even existed and you have used them in a completely adorable way!! I can’t wait to get my hands on these! 🙂
They are brand new and are so incredibly convenient. I’m glad you like my bear cupcakes too!
FINALLY!!!!! Prefilled pastry bags makes perfect sense. No need to try to find the tips or remember if you have any bags when you are at the store.
They are perfect for people who only make and decorate a cake or cupcakes once in a while. They are so easy to use!
These bears are just too cute, I now crown you queen of the cupcake (jungle)!
LOL! Thanks for my crown.