I really struggled with what to call these little guys. They’re made with layers, and coated in buttercream frosting, so they’re cakes, right?? But then again…their “layers” are actually CUPCAKES! So are they monster cupcakes, or monster cakes??

To be totally honest, they’re more work than simply piping frosting onto a cupcake. In fact, they even have a crumb coat! That makes them seem like cakes to me. Little gremlin cakes 🙂

Sometimes I feel burnt out after a day of baking, other times I feel like I could spend an entire day in the kitchen and still want more!

Luckily when I made these, it was the latter. I wished I had made a second dozen cupcakes so I could keep playing around, trying different frosting tips, and make silly facial expressions.

It’s safe to say these are a ton of fun to make. They’d also be a blast to make with kids, or with your friends.

The Monster Innards

As we just covered, these baby cakes are made with cupcakes. It sounds crazy, but it’s actually awesome, I promise! I used my one-bowl vanilla cupcake recipe to make one dozen cupcakes.

This is enough cupcakes to make 6 mini cakes, if you stack them two cupcakes tall. However, you can get creative with this part too.

If you look closely, my green monster is made with three cupcakes, and the little black monster is made with just one!

I wanted a variety of height, because I knew they’d all be hanging out for a photoshoot at the end. I liked the way they looked with different heights, but you can stack them as high (or as low) as you’d like.

The Monster Fur

So now that we have our “layers” figured out, it’s time discuss the first component of decorating them. The buttercream fur!

I used my American buttercream because it’s my favorite frosting to pipe with, but any light colored frosting would work.

Whether you prefer a different type like swiss meringue or Italian, or a different flavor like cream cheese buttercream, you can use whatever you like best!

Just be sure it has a white base (so you can color it), and is stiff enough to be piped.

To make the fur on these little guys, I used the following frosting tips:

• blue and orange monster: wilton 234 frosting tip (large grass/fur tip)
• black monster: wilton 1M frosting tip (open star tip)
• purple monster: Ateco 824 frosting tip (small french tip)
• green monster: wilton 231 frosting tip (smaller grass/fur tip)
• pink monster: wilton 104 frosting tip (petal tip)
• orange monster: wilton 234 frosting tip (large grass/fur tip)

The Facial Expressions

After you’ve frosted your monsters, it’s time to add their faces. This is where your imagination can really run wild.

I used eyeball sprinkles (both large and small), and made one giant eyeball myself with black and white fondant. These were pretty straight forward, so I chose to get creative with the quantity and location of the eyeballs.

The mouth of each monster is what really defines it. Is it scared? Or angry? Maybe it’s happy? Clearly, I was very happy too 🙂

Mine were mostly happy, but a couple were scared! I made my mouths by rolling out some black and white fondant, and using some small circle cutters.

Tips for Making These Monsters:

• Insert a skewer or chopstick into the stacked cupcakes to make them easier to frost. Chill the stack with the skewer in, then remove it as you pipe on the second layer of frosting.
• Be sure to thoroughly chill the crumb coat of each monster, to help them keep their shape for decorating
• You can make the cupcakes for these monster cakes in advance! The cupcakes can be frozen for up to 2 weeks, if stored in an airtight container.
• You can also decorate the monsters ahead of time! Once the cupcakes are fully frosted, the buttercream will lock in all the moisture. They keep in the fridge for several days.

Let Me Know What You Think!

If you try making these monster cakes, I’d love to hear what think! Please leave a rating, and let me know your thoughts by sharing a comment.

Or if you share your creations on social media, be sure to tag me @chelsweets!

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