Happy Birthday to the Penguin Lover

My youngest brother (I am the oldest of three) loves penguins and it's kinda insane how we all fuel his love the non-flying bird. For my birthday I got from my mother-in-law and sister-in-law Hello Cupcake not a cookbook but more assembly book for cupcakes.

The book had penguin cupcakes that I felt required too many supplies and this did it my own way. The cupcakes started out in regular cups and in these brownie pop forms I found at Michaels. The cupcakes were to be the penguin's body and the other forms the head.

Then it was time to pop the heads. I did this two batches because the form only made eight at a time. I  learned less is more and spray the pan! The "heads" on the left look a little messed where as the right side looks much much better.

Next it was assembly time. I put white frosting in a bag and piped on to create a glue.

And an army of brown chocolatey future penguins. 

Now throw those brown blobs into the freeze for at least ten minutes to allow the makeshift frosting glue stick and harden the cake. To ice the penguins you need a dark food coloring, I used chocolate, and some frosting coloring. I used Wilton's in a little container. Now this part is really important, unless you like the taste of frosting coloring. Mix some, making a spoon of the coloring into a full jar of the frosting (I think it's 16 oz). It won't look like much but an icky brownish/grey. Now microwave 10 seconds at a time, stirring in between, for 30 second. You're icing will be black if it isn't dark enough add a little bit more coloring to the dark bubbly stuff and stir.

Now take those frozen penguin bodies outta the freezer and dip them in to the molten lava head/top first (yes lava makes penguins). Then flip onto it's bottom and let the icing ooze to cover the rest of the bottom. You can always touch it up with a dipped spoon and drizzle where it needs more icing. Here's what lava covered penguins look like ...

They are totally messy and I had black icing all over the place but be patient cause, I promise, they will look pretty kick ass when all is done. Keep dipping those penguins.

Now if you are suicidal, like me, you will think that adorable penguins aren't enough... they need icebergs (like in the cupcake assembly book). This part is actually the easiest. Take regular cupcakes and ice with white/vanilla icing. Sprinkle some blue sparkly sprinkles, throw on some coconut flakes and add some fish-like edible candy and voila! An iceberg! or icebergs!

Next up decorate those penguins. I used white frosting to create the white belly and the eye whites. Then added mini chocolate chips (smooshed in backwards) to create eyes and more white icing to put a little sparkle in the eyes. Then I used the unmelted black icing and piped on wings (because black cookies that the book wanted me to use where not in two grocery stores - I think they just made it up). Lastly I used Sunkist Fruit Chews in orange and lemon to create the beak and feet.

Voila! Happy Birthday Jonathan!

*Disclaimer* No actual wildlife was harmed in the creation of these baked goods. Although the following photo may show baked good violence.