Jungle Party Cupcake Ideas

Different colored frostings can be used to represent animal fur.

Children's love of animals can be expressed in many ways, from the affection they show to their pets to the posters and pictures of animals they hang on their bedroom walls. Animal-themed desserts, such as cupcakes, can add a memorable twist to any child's birthday celebration. Frostings and candies can easily represent animal fur and facial parts as well as other aspects of the jungle. There are a number of options to create cupcakes and related decorations for a jungle-themed cupcake party. Does this Spark an idea?

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Create Icing Faces
- The different colors of the animals found in the jungle can be replicated in buttercream icing through the mixing of different icings and food coloring. Animals such as zebras and monkeys are easy to replicate through the use of vanilla and chocolate frosting. Other colors, such as orange for the large jungle cats, as well as the various markings on the animal's fur, can be created using food coloring. Candy pieces, such as candy-coated chocolates, licorice and gumdrops, can serves as eyes, ears and noses.
Animal Inserts
- Party supply stores and online baking retailers have myriad options for decorating cupcakes in a jungle theme. Candles shaped as elephants, giraffes and lions can be placed on top of green buttercream icing -- made with vanilla buttercream icing and green food coloring. Cupcake toppers, either plastic or made from edible fondant or spun sugar, also can be placed on top of your cupcakes. Add more realism by using animal-themed baking cups.
Safari Cake and Cupcakes
- Bake a regular safari-style cake in addition to the cupcakes. Spread buttercream frosting in green, brown or tan, or a mixture of all three, on the surface of the cake to represent the jungle floor. In the center of the cake, add some blue food gel to represent water. Decorate the top of the cake with green icing to represent jungle brush and add some pretzel sticks topped with green icing to represent trees. Arrange cupcakes iced in the same manner on a platter, lined with green tulle paper, around the safari-themed cake. Insert animal-shaped candles or cake toppers into the large cake and cupcakes.
Animal Cupcake Pans
- Make small cakes using jungle animal-shaped baking pans. Animals that can be made from premade pans include lions and giraffes. You also can create your own animal shapes by molding aluminum foil -- either in cupcake pans or separately -- into various animal-shaped molds. Mix and use the corresponding colored icing for the animal and use a piping bag to add stripes, spots and other markings.