Children In Need is a huge charity in the UK and every November they have a big fundraising campaign. These Children In Need Cupcakes feature their mascot, Pudsey Bear, and they would be perfect for a charity bake sale! They are vanilla cupcakes decorated with coloured coconut for Pudsey's fur, and fondant for his facial features. I'm not a fondant expert at all, so I can assure you the fondant decorations for these Children In Need Cupcakes are really easy to make with a few simple tools. They will go down a storm at your charity bake sale!
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality vanilla extract and not an essence.
- I used a baking spread for the cupcakes and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
- To dye the desiccated coconut use a good quality professional food colouring. My favourite brands are Sugarflair and Pro Gel - you can get them both online.
- If you don't want to buy all the different colours of fondant for Pudsey's polka dot bandage, you can also use food colouring and paint it directly onto the white fondant.
- If you're not familiar with fondant, here are a few tips: knead the fondant in your hands first to warm it up and soften it. Roll the fondant out using plenty of icing sugar underneath it and on a silicone mat with a silicone rolling pin - this will stop it from sticking. Try not to let too much icing sugar get on top of the fondant as this can effect the colour. You can use a small dry brush to brush any excess icing sugar off the fondant shapes once they've dried out.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Children In Need Cupcakes
To make the cupcakes, start by mixing the butter and sugar together. Then add the eggs and vanilla extract, and whisk them in.
Add the self raising flour and whisk in, then divide the mixture between cupcake cases. Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes until golden. Then make all of the fondant decorations and leave them to dry out.
To dye the coconut flakes, mix yellow food colouring with some water then add it to the coconut and mix in until it is yellow. Make the vanilla buttercream and spread it over the cupcakes, then sprinkle and press the yellow coconut onto it. Then add the fondant facial features to create Pudsey's face.
What can you use instead of desiccated coconut?
If you need to avoid using coconut, double the buttercream quantities and add yellow food colouring to it. Then either spread it on - it doesn't have to be neat as remember its meant to look like scruffy bear fur. Or you can pipe it on with a grass nozzle.
How long do the cupcakes last for and can they be frozen?
The cupcakes will last for 2-3 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze both the cupcakes and the buttercream. To freeze them separately, wrap the cupcakes well in cling film or put them in an airtight container. The buttercream can be frozen in a sealed tub. I do not recommend freezing the desiccated coconut or the fondant decorations.
Can you make the cupcakes with plain/all purpose flour?
Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ¾ teaspoons baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.
Can the cupcakes be made gluten or dairy free?
Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add 1 + ¾ teaspoons baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xantham Gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for the cupcakes and the buttercream.
More tips for making the Children In Need Cupcakes:
- If you don't have, or don't want to purchase some round fondant cutters, you can use the ends of round piping nozzles to cut out Pudsey's eyes, ears and other facial features.
- Make the white fondant shapes first, this ensures you don't have any colour on your work surface or hands that can then get into the white and discolour it.
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
- Cupcake tin
- Mixing bowls
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Yellow cupcake cases
- White fondant
- Red fondant
- Green fondant
- Blue fondant
- Yellow fondant
- Black fondant
- Yellow food colouring
- Round fondant cutters
- Food paint brushes
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
Children In Need Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 175 g Butter or baking spread
- 175 g Caster sugar
- 3 Eggs large
- 175 g Self raising flour
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For decoration
- 75 g Dessicated coconut
- Yellow food colouring I use Pro Gel or Sugarflair
- 100 g Yellow fondant
- 100 g Red fondant
- 250 g White fondant
- 100 g Black fondant
- 100 g Blue fondant
- 100 g Green fondant
For the buttercream
- 100 g Butter
- 200 g Icing sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
For the fondant decorations
- If you're not familiar with fondant, here are a few tips: make sure to roll the fondant out using plenty of icing sugar underneath it and on a silicone mat with a silicone rolling pin. Try not to let too much icing sugar get on top of the fondant as this can effect the colour. You can use a small dry brush to brush any excess icing sugar off the fondant shapes once they've dried out
- To make the bandages, use a piece of paper or card measured against a cupcake to create a template shape. Roll the fondant out and use the template to cut out 12 bandage shapes. Then roll out green fondant and cut out 12 10mm circles using a round fondant plunger. Repeat with the yellow, blue and red fondant. Use a little water applied with a small brush to stick the red, yellow, blue and green circles on top of the white bandages. Leave to dry
- To make the eyes, roll out some white fondant and cut out 12 circles using a 16mm round fondant plunger. Then roll out black fondant and cut out 12 circles using a 10mm round fondant plunger. Use a little water applied with a small brush to stick the black circles on top of the white circles. Leave to dry
- To make the ears, roll out some yellow fondant and cut out 24 circles using a 16mm round fondant plunger. Pinch one side of the circles together with your fingers to create the ear shape, then leave to dry
- To make the nose and mouth, roll out some black fondant and cut out 12 circles using a 16mm round fondant plunger. Then use a 12mm round fondant plunger to cut out a section of the black circles so you create a mouth shape. The cut out section will be the nose. Leave to dry
For the cupcakes
- Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a cupcake tin with yellow cupcake cases
- For the cupcakes, mix the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl, ideally with an electric mixer, or use a stand mixer
- Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk them in
- Then whisk in the self raising flour gently, ideally with a hand whisk or on a slow speed on your mixer
- Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown or until a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, then put them on a rack to cool fully
- To colour the desiccated coconut, put it into a mixing bolwl. Then mix two or three blobs/drops of food colouring (depending on strength) with 1 ½ tbsp water in a small cup, then pour it into the coconut and mix in. Add more if it doesn't go as yellow as you want
- To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar, ideally with an electric mixer, when it starts to come together, add the vanilla and mix until smooth. If the buttercream is too stiff then you can add some milk to it
- Using a palette knife, spread some of the buttercream out onto the top of one of the fully cooled cupcakes
- Dip the frosted side of the cake into the bowl of yellow coconut flakes, and press firmly until fully coated. Add extra with a spoon if needed, pressing the coconut into the buttercream, and shake off any excess
- Then add the fondant decorations, using a little buttercream spread thinly on the back of them, to glue them down
- Keep in a cool place, and eat leftovers within 3 days
Sarah Barnes
They look fab Kat!
Wendy M
They look brilliant