Brown Bear and Polar Bear Cupcakes

These weren't too difficult. If you like to create when it comes to food, this is right down your alley. In my opinion, if you can frost a cupcake, these won't be too challenging.

Here are my tried and true, FAVORITE chocolate and white cupcake recipes, as well as the frostings. Enjoy! :o)

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Devil's Food Chocolate Cake

1/2 c. shortening

1 3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa

2 1/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. sour milk or buttermilk*

1 c. boiling water (with 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda, dissolved)

*Buttermilk substitutes:

1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice OR vinegar PLUS enough whole milk to equal 1/2 c. (let stand 5 mins.)

1. Preheat oven to 350. If using a substitute for buttermilk, mix that now.

2. Cream together shortening and sugar, then add eggs.

3. Combine cocoa, flour, and salt in a separate bowl, then add to sugar/egg mixture.

4. Add vanilla and sour milk/buttermilk to mixture.

5. Lastly, add baking soda water and stir until well blended.

6. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 mins.

(Makes about 3 dozen cupcakes)

***I only needed a dozen cupcakes, so I halfed this recipe and with the remaining batter made a dozen mini cupcakes. The mini cupcakes are "glued" with frosting onto the big ones to create the bear's snout. I did not use mini cupcake liners; just lightly greased my nonstick mini muffin pan.

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Creamy Chocolate Frosting

2 c. powdered sugar

4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

6 Tbsp. butter, softened

5 Tbsp. evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1. Sift cocoa and powdered sugar together.

2. In a separate bowl, cream butter, then gradually alternate adding powder mixture and evap. milk.

3. Blend in vanilla and beat until fluffy.

*If necessary, adjust milk and sugar ratios. You don't want it to be too soupy or too stiff.

**Makes enough to liberally frost a 9x13 cake, or 2 dozen cupcakes.

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Silver White Cake

2 c. flour

1 1/2 c. sugar

3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. shortening

1 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

4 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour pans, or prepare cupcake liners.

2. Beat everything but the egg whites in mixer on low speed for 30 sec.

3. Then beat on high for 2 mins.

4. Add egg whites, beat on high 2 mins. more.

5. If making round layers, bake 30-35 mins.; 9x13 bake 35-40 mins.; cupcakes bake 15-20 mins.

*Bake until the tops are no longer "glossy", but you don't want to let the edges get more than lightly brown.

**Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

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Mom's White Frosting

2 c. powdered sugar

1/3 c. shortening

3 Tbsp. water

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. almond extract

pinch of salt

Put half of the sugar in a bowl and add shortening, water and flavoring. Mix well. Then add remaining sugar and beat until fluffy. Adjust sugar and water ratios if needed.

*Makes enough to frost 2 dozen cupcakes or the top of a 9x13 cake.

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Finally, to make the bears, once you've baked enough cupcakes and cooresponding mini cupcakes for the snouts and prepared the frostings, this is what you'll need.

Brown Bears:

Junior Mint for the nose (1 per bear)

Werther's for the ears (2 per bear)

Chocolate chips for the eyes (2 per bear)

Chocolate sprinkles (about 1 Tbsp. per bear)

Polar Bears:

Junior Mint for the nose (1 per bear)

White Gumdrop, halved for the ears (1 per bear)

Chocolate chips for the eyes (2 per bear)

Coconut flakes (about 1 Tbsp. per bear)

1. After cupcakes are completely cooled, use a paring knife to gently hollow out a circle for the "snout" to sit in, and use frosting to attach mini cupcake. Spread frosting over remaining top of cupcake and "snout".

2. Attach nose, eyes and ears, then "fur". It's important you don't attach the fur first because then your other components won't stick.

*One thing I'd do differently than what is pictured: put Junior Mint more towards the top of the snout. I think my placement of the noses in the photo at the top of this post makes the bears look more like dogs.