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–+ servings
3 yellow big bird cupcakes on a blue background
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Big Bird Cupcakes

We made these banana Big Bird Cupcakes and my four year old just loved these! These are very easy to make and decorate using Starburst candies and sprinkles.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Author: Jill

Ingredients

  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 4 tablespoons instant banana pudding
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon banana extract
  • 1/4 cup butter melted

Frosting

  • 1 cup butter unsalted
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2 tablespoons banana extract
  • 8 cups powdered sugar
  • 6-8 tablespoons milk
  • yellow gel coloring

Decorating

  • Starburst candy yellow, blue, pink, and red
  • white Sixlets
  • black Sprinkles
  • white cookie icing

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350. Line 2 12-cup cupcake pans with yellow cupcake liners.
  • Mix the cake mix and pudding in a bowl and set aside. Mix your wet ingredients using a mixer with a paddle attachment and then add your cake mixture.
  • Beat for about 15-20 seconds. Do not overbeat.
  • Spoon 3 tablespoons of batting into each cupcake liner and bake for 16-18 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven making sure a toothpick comes out clean and cool.
  • While cupcakes are cooling, prepare your banana buttercream frosting. In a large bowl cream together the butter until smooth on medium speed. Add shortening and banana extract.
  • Slowly add powdered sugar until combined. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and yellow food coloring (trying to match the yellow Star Burst). Add the other tablespoon of milk if needed and beat for 1-2 minutes.
  • Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost the cupcakes using a #98 tip pulling it out to a point to look like hair.
  • Place each piece of candy in the microwave for 8 seconds to soften (for decorating we used Starburst candy) Flatten out the blue and pink candies using your fingers and cut into strips using kitchen scissors.
  • Press your pieces onto the white Sixlets candy to look like eyelids. Add 2 black sprinkles on the front using the white cookie icing.
  • You will use 1 yellow Starburst to make the beak. After you soften the candy, cut it in half at a angle and then shape the pieces into a beak. Do the same with the red and pink and shape 2 small pieces to decorate the mouth. Using Starburst is like working with fondant. It's just better because it's already colored!