Hot Dog Pull Apart Cupcake Cake Recipes

PULL-APART POOL CUPCAKE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. Prepare the cupcakes according to the package directions. Transfer to cooling racks and cool completely.
• In a clean mixer bowl, combine 1 1/2 tubs of the frosting and about 1/4 teaspoon blue food coloring. Beat until smooth and no streaks remain, adding more color if needed to make a light blue frosting.
• Dollop a tiny bit of blue frosting on the bottom of the liner of one of the cupcakes (this will help anchor it to the serving tray), then dollop a generous amount on top of the cupcake. Anchor the cupcake to a serving tray large enough to hold all 24 cupcakes. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, arranging them in a 4-by-6 cupcake grid with the edges touching.
• Using an offset spatula, smooth the blue frosting across the tops of the cupcakes, adding more as necessary, so it appears as 1 layer and the individual cupcakes are no longer visible. Smooth the remaining blue frosting on the sides to cover the cupcakes but not the liners.
• Put the remaining 1 1/2 tubs white frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe the outline of a rectangle in white (about 5 by 7 inches) closer to one short edge of the cupcake grid to make the pool. Pipe around the outline of the rectangle all the way to the edges of the cupcake grid with white, leaving the inside of the pool blue. Smooth the white frosting with an offset spatula.
• For the decorations: Arrange a row of blue candy-coated chocolates on the white frosting around the perimeter of the pool, then arrange another row of blue candy-coated chocolates around the outer perimeter of the cupcake grid. Fill in between the 2 blue rows with rows of white candy-coated chocolates to make the pool deck. Chill the cake 30 minutes to set the frosting inside the pool.
• Meanwhile, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the blue gelatin until dissolved. Combine a mixture of water and ice in a measuring cup to make 1/2 cup. Stir into the dissolved gelatin until the ice melts. Chill the gelatin mixture while the cake chills. After 30 minutes, pour the gelatin into the pool. Chill until completely set, about 2 hours.
• Cut 2 strips of sour candy belt, each slightly larger than a graham bear, to make beach towels. Lay 1 bear on each towel and arrange them to relax by the pool. Add a drink umbrella over each to shade them from the sun.
• Cut the candy necklaces open where they tie to make 2 long strips. Cut 2 strips the same size as the length of the pool and arrange them over the gelatin for lanes. Gently pull out and discard the strings, keeping the candies in straight lines. Arrange 3 bears around a jawbreaker in the pool to play a game of volleyball. Stick a bear in each gummy ring candy for floaties and add to the pool.
• Cut the chocolate chew into 4 pieces crosswise to make legs for the diving board. Cut a 1 1/2-inch piece from the white taffy and attach it to the legs to make a diving board. Set at the deep end of the pool and press a bear at the end, ready to dive in.
• Cut the green taffy into a rectangle a little larger than a bear. With the back of a paring knife, score lines in the taffy to resemble the puffy parts of a blow-up raft. Stick a bear on the raft and add him to the pool. Stick the remaining bears in the pool to hang out.

PINEAPPLE PULL-APART CUPCAKE CAKE

Steps:

• Color 4 cups buttercream bright yellow in a medium bowl. Color 2 cups buttercream leaf green in a second medium bowl. Color the remaining 1/2 cup buttercream light brown with the ivory food coloring in a small bowl. Transfer the yellow and green buttercream to 2 separate pastry bags fitted with medium star tips. Transfer the light brown buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.
• Arrange the cupcakes on a large cutting board or serving platter as follows: Arrange 10 cupcakes in a tall U shape. Fill the inside of the U with 2 columns of 4 cupcakes (8 total). To make the pineapple stem, arrange a row of 2 cupcakes at the top of the U, followed by a row of 3 cupcakes, then finally 1 cupcake at the top.
• Pipe stars of yellow buttercream onto the bottom pineapple section. Pipe vertical streaks of green buttercream onto the pineapple step (the top 3 rows of cupcakes). Pipe the brown buttercream in a crosshatch pattern on the yellow body of the pineapple, and then pipe small upside-down Vs at the top of each crosshatch.

PULL-APART CUPCAKE SNOWMAN

Steps:

• Arrange 14 cupcakes in a tight circle on a platter or cake board for the body and 7 cupcakes in a smaller tight circle for the head. Add 2 cupcakes for the scarf.
• Using a small serrated knife, cut 7 chocolate wafer cookies in half; spread frosting on the back and arrange around the edge of the cupcake circles as shown to round out the shape.
• Cut 6 more cookies into quarters. Spread frosting on the back, then use to fill in the gaps between the cupcakes.
• Transfer the remaining frosting to a piping bag with a 1/2-inch round tip. Pipe dots of varying size all over the cupcakes and cookies to cover completely. Add chocolate candies for eyes and buttons and trim a circus peanut for the nose. Roll out the fondant until 1/4 inch thick; trim into 2 strips for the scarf and fringe the ends. Place on the snowman.

WATERMELON PULL-APART CUPCAKE CAKE

Steps:

• Reserve about 3/4 cup white buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip. Color about 1 1/2 cups buttercream deep green. Color about 3 cups buttercream deep pink, with a few drops of red added to make the color of ripe watermelon.
• Arrange 19 cupcakes in a triangle shape, starting with 1 at the top and ending with 6 at the bottom, sloping the bottom sides up to resemble the curved rind of a watermelon wedge.
• Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to dollop about 1/4 cup green buttercream on each of the 6 cupcakes in the bottom row. Smooth with a small offset spatula, covering the tops and sides (but not the paper liners), to make a solid line of green for the rind.
• Wash and dry the ice cream scoop and offset spatula. Dollop about 1/4 cup pink buttercream on each of the remaining cupcakes and smooth the tops and sides with the offset spatula. Shape the frosting on the top cupcake into a point to resemble the tip of a watermelon wedge.
• Wash the offset spatula again. Pipe a curved line of white buttercream along where the pink and green buttercream meet. Smooth with the tip of the offset spatula to make the inner white part of the watermelon rind.
• Press jelly beans in a random pattern to make watermelon seeds.

BEACH TOWEL PULL-APART CUPCAKE CAKE

Steps:

• Color about 2 cups buttercream yellow. Color about 2 cups buttercream orange. Color about 2 cups buttercream turquoise. Transfer each color as well as the remaining 4 cups white buttercream to pastry bags fitted with large plain round tips.
• Arrange a 4-by-6 rectangle of cupcakes. Cover all the cupcakes with about half the white buttercream and spread to cover. Chill the cupcakes until the frosting is firm, about 15 minutes. Starting at one of the top corners the rectangle, pipe horizontal lines in different colors and thicknesses, keeping the lines as straight as possible. Reserve about a quarter of each frosting to decorate the top.
• Use a bench scraper (a flat and rectangular metal baking tool) to flatten and smooth the buttercream: With a gentle amount of pressure, drag the bench scraper along the buttercream in the same direction as the stripes, making sure to clean it after each swipe. Pipe an orange pair of flip flops on the blanket and make the strap with sour belts. Pipe a white outline of sunglasses and fill in the lens with blue. Pipe a white sunscreen bottle on the blanket. Decorate the sunscreen bottle as desired.