He had been talking (obsessing) about Elmo for a couple months leading up to his birthday, so the theme was set early on. So I started researching cute Elmo birthday party ideas online. I figured I could find some cute party supplies at the store, so I was most concerned about finding the perfect Elmo cake. I decided on cupcakes and found a cupcake blog that showed me how to make what I thought were the perfect Elmo cupcakes!! Believe me, there are about a thousand ways you could go about making Elmo cupcakes, just google it. Go ahead. I'll wait. So I decided on using the Kara's cupcake method. So here goes.
Supplies Needed:
-2 boxes cake mix (Unless you are super ambitious and make your own, and you can also use just one box, I needed lots of cupcakes so I made two)
-Enough orange gumballs to make noses for all your Elmos (I used jawbreakers because that was all I could find, don't worry, Leah! I warned all the parents to take them away before consumption of said cupcakes)
-1 bag white candy melts (Can be found at party supply stores and bakeries)
-1 package Oreos
-Red Wilton food coloring gel (You can find this at many party stores or cake supply stores, in Bismarck I found it at Magicandle Cakery)
-Black Wilton food coloring gel
-2 16 oz containers of buttercream frosting (I went to the grocery store and asked for some at the bakery. I am told using the store bought Betty Crocker or Pillsbury kind won't work very well.)
-Two piping Bags, one "grass" or "hair" tip and one plain, round tip
Okay, so to begin you just make the cupcakes according to the box recipe. I make two boxes because there were a lot of people coming to Ben's party (See above where I mention going overboard for his birthday). I made one box chocolate and one box yellow cupcakes. I didn't use any special liners for the cupcakes, but I did see Elmo cupcake liners at the party store if you are interested.
So, after the cupcakes have cooled substantially, you mix up your red frosting. You have to use A LOT of red food coloring to reach an acceptable level of Elmo red. Oh, and on a sidenote, it is also good to warn other parents that this much food coloring will alter the color of their child's poop. Sorry, for oversharing, but it's better to overshare and save the other parents a trip to the ER. Okay, so once you have the red frosting mixed up, put it in one of the piping bags with the "grass" or "hair"tip. Then you pipe it all over the cupcakes. This is the best part about these cupcakes. A messy Elmo = messy cupcakes, so there is not a lot of precision involved in making these.
After you finish piping you can start adding his face and they really start to come together! A couple hints, when you cut the oreos in half to make the mouth, use a serated knife and you will have more luck. When I started, I was just breaking all of them. My father-in-law, who is a genius, suggested the serrated knife. I also need to give credit to my mother-in-law, Jane. She helped me dye the frosting and get started with the piping. So to start the face you put two candy melts flat side up on for the eyes, then add the half-oreo. After that, I added the jawbreaker noses. Finally, using the remaining piping bag with the plain tip, I piped on his eyeballs. And voila! 48 tiny Elmos! Here are a few more pics of the process. Enjoy!
After you finish piping you can start adding his face and they really start to come together! A couple hints, when you cut the oreos in half to make the mouth, use a serated knife and you will have more luck. When I started, I was just breaking all of them. My father-in-law, who is a genius, suggested the serrated knife. I also need to give credit to my mother-in-law, Jane. She helped me dye the frosting and get started with the piping. So to start the face you put two candy melts flat side up on for the eyes, then add the half-oreo. After that, I added the jawbreaker noses. Finally, using the remaining piping bag with the plain tip, I piped on his eyeballs. And voila! 48 tiny Elmos! Here are a few more pics of the process. Enjoy!
