Cute Penguin Cupcakes Recipe Fun Idea for Winter
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Our Penguin Cupcakes Recipe is the epitome of winter fun in the kitchen!
These adorable cupcakes are perfect for Christmas or winter gatherings and will delight kids and adults alike.
Get ready to bake, decorate, and indulge in these penguin cupcakes that are almost too cute to eat!
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Where is the Recipe Card?
The printable recipe card is toward the end of this post. We recommend reading through the blog post for tips, substitutions, and serving suggestions.
Penguin Cupcakes Recipe:
Number of Servings: 16
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
Decorating Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
A Winter Wonderland Treat: Penguin Cupcakes!
Winter is a season of wonder, and what better way to celebrate than with our Penguin Cupcakes recipe? They’re as fun to make as they are to eat!
The cupcakes are easy to make: they use a box of vanilla cake mix, crushed Oreo cookies, and buttercream frosting.
The real magic comes in decorating: from the charming fondant hats to the cute little beaks piped with orange frosting, these cupcakes are a whimsical addition to any dessert table.
Perfect for winter birthdays, holiday celebrations, or even a cozy baking afternoon with the kids, this recipe is as much about the experience as the result.
Pair these cupcakes with Snowflake Hot Cocoa Bombs or coffee for the ultimate seasonal treat!
And if you’re hosting a holiday dinner, scroll past the recipe card to see our dinner party menu suggestions.
For more wintery Cupcake Recipes, try these:
Ingredients for Penguin Cupcakes Recipe
This recipe’s ingredients and tools are conveniently linked to online retailers like Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart.
- Box of Vanilla Cake Mix—The usual ingredients are changed to butter, milk, and eggs to enrich the cake mix.
- Powdered Sugar—Also known as Icing Sugar and Confectioner’s Sugar.
- Vanilla Extract—Always buy good vanilla; it makes a flavor difference.
- Oreo Cookies—Crushed to go in the cupcake batter.
- Chilled & Dairy—Unsalted Butter, Heavy Whipping Cream (Double Cream)
- Wilton Fondant—This is available in 4.4-oz packages, which are just the right size for these cupcakes, but you can use any brand you like. You will need:
- Red Fondant—For the penguin’s hat.
- White Fondant—For the penguin’s face.
- Black Food Coloring Gel
- Orange Food Coloring Gel
- Fondant/Cake Glue—This is used to secure decorations.
- Christmas Sprinkles—We used single sprinkles (holly and snowflake shapes) to add detail to the cupcakes.
The complete list of ingredients with measurements is on the recipe card at the end of this post. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide US customary, imperial, and metric measurements. Still, it’s important to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).
Cupcake Decorating Equipment
In addition to cupcake baking equipment—Mixer (standing or handheld), Rubber Spatula, Cupcake Liners, Cupcake Tins, and Wire Cooling Rack—you will also need:
- Ice Cream Scoop—A handy tool to divide cupcake batter and frosting equally.
- Round Cookie Cutter—you will need a 3″/7.5cm cutter.
- Heart Cookie Cutter—you will need a 2″/5cm cutter.
- Small Circle Fondant Plunger—this is to cut the penguin’s hat pompom.
- Fondant Rolling Pin—these have a smooth surface and won’t leave a texture on your fondant when rolling out.
- 2 Piping Bags —you can use disposable or reusable.
- 2 Small Round Tips—for piping the penguin’s eyes and beak.
Cupcake Making Tips
- These cupcakes are made using a box of cake mix—the flavor is enriched with butter, milk, and eggs instead of the usual oil, water, and eggs.
- For the best results, use room-temperature ingredients for a smooth batter. This results in even mixing and better air-trapping, giving your cake a softer, fluffier texture.
- You can use your choice of cupcake liners—themed to the cupcakes, plain white or black, or a complementary color.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the cupcake mixture equally between the liners. Fill them about three-quarters full.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- The cupcakes should be ready in about 20 minutes. Test their doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cakes. When the cupcakes are cooked through, it should come out clean. If not, bake for an extra 2 minutes and check again.
Tips for Using Fondant
The cupcake decorations are made with fondant (sugarpaste). If you have never worked with fondant, don’t panic—it is easy to use. Follow our tips, and you’ll be just fine!
- We typically make fondant decorations ahead of time (at least 24 hours). However, the penguin face decoration can be made while the cupcakes are baking and cooling.
- Line a cookie sheet(s) or tray(s) with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat to place the fondant pieces on to dry.
- Dust your work surface with cornstarch (cornflour) or powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner’s sugar) so the fondant doesn’t stick. Think of it like using flour when rolling dough.
- Rub a little cornstarch into your hands and knead a handful of the fondant to make it more pliable before rolling, rather than using it straight from the package.
- Dust your rolling pin, too, and roll fondant to about ¼” thick. Some fondant rolling pins have guides you can use. You don’t want it to be too thick as it will take ages to dry, and you don’t want it to be too thin as it will become more tricky to work with.
- Pour a little cornstarch onto your surface and dip the cutter or plunger into it before cutting the shapes—again, this prevents sticking.
- If the pieces have excess cornstarch, use a pastry brush to remove it. An unused, clean paintbrush will also work here.
- Alternatively, you can use a vodka spray. Pour some vodka into a mini spray bottle and gently mist the fondant wings. Vodka dries more quickly than water.
- Always make extra pieces—that way, if something breaks or you have another mishap, you have backups that you can use.
- Clearing up after using fondant can sometimes be a bit sticky. Use hot, soapy water to clean your surfaces. For easier cleanup, use a fondant rolling mat.
- Always cover fondant when making decorations to prevent it from drying out. When you’ve finished, wrap any remaining fondant very well. Double-wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container. This keeps it fresh, and you can use it for future cake-making.
Cupcake Frosting Tips
- When making the frosting, you want the end result to be creamy, smooth, and hold a stiff peak. You may have to slightly adjust the amount of powdered sugar and cream to achieve the desired consistency.
- Food coloring is available in various forms. You’re most likely to find liquid coloring in your grocery store and other types of coloring like gels, pastes, and powders in more specialised cake decorating shops. The cheapest option is liquids, but they can alter the consistency of your frosting and cake batter. We prefer pastes or gels, which don’t. A little goes a long way with food coloring gels, and you can usually get a much deeper shade than you would with liquids.
- Turning white or cream frosting black can be tricky and require a lot of food coloring. A tip to counter this is to make a dark frosting by adding a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder. (It will give you a slightly chocolate frosting, but it’s okay on these vanilla Oreo cupcakes!) Then, adding black food coloring to the dark frosting shouldn’t take as much hard work to get a good deep black rather than gray.
Penguin Cupcakes Recipe Card
The printable recipe card is below—please leave a star rating and quick review to share your experience with others!
Penguin Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 (15.25-oz/432g) box French vanilla cake mix
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1¼ cup whole milk
- 1 cup crushed Oreo cookies
For the Penguin Faces
- Cornstarch (Cornflour) for dusting
- 1 (4.4 oz/125g) package white fondant
- 2 (4.4 oz/125g) packages red fondant
- Edible fondant/cake clue
- 16 Holly sprinkles and/or snowflake sprinkles
For the Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 5 Tbsp heavy cream (double cream)
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- Black gel food coloring
- Orange gel food coloring
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
To Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4. Line cupcake pans with 16 black cupcake liners and set them aside.
- Using an electric standing or hand mixer, beat the cake mix, eggs, milk, and butter until combined and smooth. Fold in the crushed Oreos.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter between the cupcake liners. Fill about ¾ full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the cupcakes from the oven and leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
To Make the Penguin Faces
- Line a large cookie sheet or tray with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat and set it aside. When using fondant, use cornstarch as you would flour when making dough. Dust your work surface, hands, and tools. Knead your fondant before using it to make it pliable.
- Roll out white fondant to ¼"/0.5cm thick. Use a 2"/5cm heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 16 hearts. These will form the penguin's face. Place on prepared cookie sheet.
To Make the Penguin Hats
- Roll out red fondant to ¼"/0.5cm thick. Use a 3"/7.5cm round cookie cutter to make 16 circles. Then use the cutter again on the circles to create crescent moon shapes for the penguin's hat. Place on prepared cookie sheet.
- Roll out more red fondant and use a small circle plunger to cut out 16 circles. Brush the back of each small circle with some edible fondant glue or a little water to stick it to the top center of each red fondant hat.
- Pinch off 1 tablespoon of red fondant and roll it into a thin sausage approximately 3"/7.5cm long. Repeat to make 32 in total. These will form the hat's trim.
- Take one end of two sausages and pinch them together. Twist to create a braid-like trim. Dab edible fondant glue or water along the bottom of the hat and position the trim in place. Lightly press to secure and trim off any excess on either end. Repeat to complete all of the fondant hats. Set aside to dry while the cupcakes are cooking and cooling, and while you make the frosting.
To Make the Frosting
- Use an electric stand or handheld mixer and add the butter, powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla to the bowl.
- Beat on medium speed until creamy, smooth, and stiff peaks form.
- Scoop ½ cup of frosting into a bowl, add 4 drops of orange food coloring gel, and stir to combine. Add more coloring if needed to reach the desired shade.
- Transfer the orange frosting to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and set it aside.
- Add black food coloring gel to the remaining frosting. You may have to add upwards of 5-7 drops to achieve a nice, black shade. Add more as required.
- Transfer ½ cup of black frosting into another piping bag fitted with a small round tip and set it aside.
To Decorate Cupcakes
- Use a medium ice cream scoop to place a mound of black frosting on each cooked and cooled cupcake. Use a small angled spatula to flatten and create a smooth surface.
- Place the white fondant hearts onto the lower part of the cupcakes.
- Use the piping bag of black frosting to pipe eyes in the top part of the heart.
- Use the orange frosting to pipe a small cone to create a beak.
- Place the red fondant hats on top, pressing gently to secure. Use edible glue or water if needed.
- You can finish here or decorate with single sprinkles. Dab edible glue onto the back of a holly or snowflake sprinkle, and add to the hat. Place them along the trim or at the top of the hat.
- Serve, and Happy Holidays!
Notes
- Prep Time: Have all ingredients at room temperature to ensure a smooth batter.
- Decorating: Work quickly with fondant to avoid drying.
- Colors: Use different colored fondant for the penguin hats. Green and blue work well for this time of year!
- Storage: Place cupcakes in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
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Dinner Menu Suggestions
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:
- Appetizer: Parmesan and Mozzarella-Stuffed Potato Croquettes
- Soup: Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Salad: Waldorf Salad
- Main Dish: Orange Cranberry Chicken Breasts
- Side Dish: Butter Parsley Baby Potatoes
- Beverage: Cranberry Moscow Mule
The Create the Holidays series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog features free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Christmas and the Winter Holidays. Check out Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.