When it comes to decorating cakes, I usually walk away in defeat.
Even the ‘super easy, anyone can do it’ ideas from the Women’s Weekly Kids Birthday Cake book never turn out for me… ever. But I keep trying.
When my big boy said “Can you make cupcakes for me to take to kinder…really special ones?” Of course I said yes.
Then he made some wild suggestions like mini dinosaur shaped cakes, or maybe volcanoes! So thinking on my feet I suddenly suggested dirt cakes… with added worms! And got a big fat yes!
I am all for easy when it comes to birthday treats so these cup cakes are made from my basic cupcake recipe (adapted from the 1977 edition of the Women’s Weekly Original Cookbook which taught me how to boil and egg) and a few basic decorations.
Here’s how we did it…
Basic Cup Cake Recipe
125g of butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons coco powder (if you are making chocolate cupcakes)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (if you are making plain cupcakes)
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup milk
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and mic well. Add the coco and stir in gently or it will make a huge mess!
If you want them to be perfect sift the flour into the mix, or just dump it in like I did. Alternate a bit of flour with some of the milk and mix till combined.
Fill patty pans (cup cake wrappers) and cook in a moderate oven (around 180 C) for 10-15 minutes.
This recipe makes around 20 fairly big cup cakes.
How to Decorate Dirt Cup Cakes with Added Worms!
You’ll need to make up some green icing. I just use plain icing sugar with a little milk or water and food colouring. Keep it quite stiff so it doesn’t run straight off your cakes.
Crush some chocolate ripple biscuits (or other store bought chocolate biscuits/cookies) roughly so they look like dirt. I used about half a pack to decorate about 40 cupcakes.
A packet of gummy worms! We chose sour worms, cause they are our favourite.
Ice each cupcake then dip it into the crushed biscuits. Next make a hole with the end of a chopstick or similar item and poke your worm into the cake…. Done!
Here are some of the other super easy birthday treats we’ve created…
Face Biscuits – Printable Rainbow Cupcake Toppers – Car Cake
These are so brilliant! MUCH more exciting than the ones I sent off to Kindy today for my son’s 4th b’day. Pinning this for inspiration next year. :) Sharing this on my fb wall too.
Pity I didn’t see this yesterday x they look great.
Oh, these are FAB :) Love them!
I made an earthworm cake with my class 2 years ago….blogged about it. It was super easy….as it’s no cook. Lots of fun too….and delicious :)
My little bub is having a “Hungry Caterpillar’ party for his 1st b’day….I’ll have to remember these cupcakes :)
x
I’ve always loved this idea, but I have the world’s most squeamish children – seriously, they threw a fit when I made them a jelly in a rabbit shaped mould – so I think I’d end up eating these if I made them.That’s not a bad idea, come to think of it …
Wow! What a fabulous, simple idea. I think myMr 3 would love dirt cupcakes. Can’t wait to try them!