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.
Step by step…
To make the cupcakes I started by creaming the butter and sugar together. Then I added the eggs and vanilla and whisked them in.
I added the self raising flour and whisked in, then I divided the mixture between cupcake cases.
The cupcakes baked for 20-25 minutes until golden.
I made all of the fondant decorations and left them to dry out.
To dye the coconut flakes, I mixed yellow food colouring with some water then added it to the coconut and mixed in until it was yellow.
I made a vanilla buttercream and spread it over the cupcakes, then I sprinkled and pressed the yellow coconut onto it.
Then I added the facial features and Pudsey’s face appeared!
The Children In Need Cupcakes looked so fun and cute! They will go down a storm at your charity bake sale!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
| Cupcake tin | Electric hand mixer | Yellow cupcake cases |
| White fondant | Red fondant | Green fondant |
| Yellow food colouring | Blue fondant | Round fondant cutters |
| Black fondant | Yellow fondant | Food paint brushes |
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Children In Need Cupcakes
Vanilla cupcakes decorated with dessicated coconut and fondant to look like Pudsey the bear
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 175 g Butter or baking spread
- 175 g Caster sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 175 g Self raising flour
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
For decoration
- 75 g Dessicated coconut
- Yellow food colouring
- Yellow fondant
- Red fondant
- White fondant
- Black fondant
- Blue fondant
- Green fondant
For the buttercream
- 150 g Butter
- 300 g Icing sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
For the fondant decorations
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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
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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
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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 to create the ear shape, then leave to dry
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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
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To make the bandages, use a piece of paper measured against a cupcake to create a template. 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
For the cupcakes
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Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 and line a muffin/cupcake tin with yellow cupcake cases
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For the cupcakes, cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl with a wooden or silicone spoon
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Add the eggs and vanilla, and whisk them in
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Then whisk in the self raising flour
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Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown or until a skewer inserted comes out clean, then put them on a rack to cool fully
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To colour the desiccated coconut, mix two or three blobs of food colouring (depending on strength) with 1 1/2 tbsp water, mix it into the coconut. Add more if it doesn't go as yellow as you want
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To make the buttercream, mix together the butter and icing sugar with a spoon or electric hand whisk, when it starts to come together, add the vanilla and mix until smooth.
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Using a knife, spread some of the buttercream out onto the top of one of the fully cooled cupcakes
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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
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Then add the fondant decorations, using buttercream to glue them down
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Keep in a cool place, and eat leftovers within 3 days
If you like this, check out more of my Cupcake recipes!
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They look fab Kat!
They look brilliant