Garden Bugs Mini-Cupcakes for my sister's birthday!

I swear, all my posts will NOT be about baking. I just happens it's birthday month. That and the fact that I am channeling my creativity into cute baking outlets rather than "serious" art at the moment. Not that baking art isn't legit, but maybe I have been watching too much "Ace Of Cakes" lately. Guilty as charged.

Anyway, I wanted to bake something special for my sister's birthday but I had to factor in that whatever I create must: a) survive a six hour car ride, and b) also be appealing to three nephews under the age of ten. I assumed they would not appreciate pink girly cupcakes so I thought a cute bug theme might still appeal to them, although I was worried about their finicky taste regarding unfamiliar food. Happily they like bug cupcakes and even ate the fondant bugs :)

I made three kinds of mini cupcakes (42 in total). The first set were little caterpillars.

The cupcakes were made from a home made chocolate cupcake recipe and the little nests are chocolate frosting with chocolate sprinkles. The Caterpillars are green fondant and sprinkles.

 

















The ladybug cupcakes are chocolate cupcakes with white frosting and chocolate sprinkles. The ladybugs are red and blue fondant and chocolate shot for antennae. Why are they so much cuter in groups?


 



















These are little scarab beetles. The cupcakes re chocolate with white frosting and white non-pareils. The scarab beetles are blue fondant with pink and lavender sugar crystals and chocolate shot antennae. These were made with my mom in mind. I remember how she likes scarab beetles.







I feel that I should mention here that I don't actually like sweets and, other than tasting these as I go to make sure they are good, I don't usually eat much of what I bake. I just really like making them. And feeding them to people. It fulfills a necessary maternal instinct of mine to nurture people.