Owl cupcakes are soft, fluffy chocolate cupcakes topped with vanilla buttercream and decorated to look like adorable, wide-eyed owls. They’re a fun choice for birthdays, parties, or anytime you want a playful treat.
This post focuses mostly on decorating rather than on advanced baking techniques. If you’re new to decorating, these cupcakes are an easy, elegant starting point. The decorating steps are simple, and even beginners can achieve great results with a little patience.
I’ve always loved owls. The first time I heard one near my house I was surprised to learn New Zealand has native owls. Since then owls have popped up everywhere for me—on items in shops and even in personality quizzes. Their distinctive look and quirky habits make them a charming decorating theme.
Their head turns and big eyes are a little eerie and a lot of fun—perfect for cupcake faces that are both cute and memorable.
You will need
- A batch of chocolate cupcakes (see recipe below)
- Vanilla buttercream icing
- Red food colouring gel (or any gel colour you prefer)
- 24 white chocolate buttons
- 24 chocolate chips
- 12 M&Ms (brown or orange look most like owl beaks)
The full recipes for the cupcakes and buttercream are included below.
Decorating steps
(A video is available below if you prefer visual guidance.)
- Dye the vanilla buttercream with a small drop of red gel to create a light pink. Use gel colouring—not liquid—to keep the icing consistency stable.
- Spoon about two teaspoons of buttercream on each cupcake and spread into a thin base layer.
- Transfer the remaining buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a closed star tip.
- Starting from the mid-left edge of the cupcake and moving around the top to the mid-right edge, pipe small star dots in an M-shaped curve to form the owl’s feathered face. Depending on cupcake size, you may need two rows of dots.
- Place a white chocolate button on each side in the hollow of the M to form the whites of the eyes.
- Use a tiny dot of buttercream to attach a chocolate chip, off-center, onto each white button for pupils.
- Press an M&M vertically into the tip of the M shape for the beak.
- Finally, pipe small upward swipes of buttercream from each eye toward the outer edge to create eyebrows or wing accents.
Your owl cupcakes are ready!
If you like this decorating idea, leave a comment—I have plenty more cupcake designs in mind. I also love seeing your versions, so share photos on Instagram and tag #lightscamerabake.
Owl Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- ½ Cup Butter, softened (110g)
- 1 Cup Caster sugar (200g)
- 2 Large Eggs
- ½ tsp Vanilla extract
- ½ Cup Cocoa powder (50g)
- 1 Cup Cup Boiling water
- 1 ⅓ Cups All-purpose flour (190g)
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Baking powder
Vanilla Buttercream
- ⅓ Cup Butter, softened (75g)
- 3 Cups Icing sugar (360g)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp – ¼ Cup Cup Milk
- 1 Drop Red food colouring gel
Decorating
- 24 White chocolate buttons
- 24 Chocolate chips
- 12 M&Ms
Instructions
Make the chocolate cupcakes
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Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 12-cup muffin tray.
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Mix the cocoa with boiling water until dissolved, then chill to cool.
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Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
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Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl.
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With the mixer running, add one-third of the flour mixture, then one-third of the cocoa mixture, alternating until combined. Stir in vanilla.
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Divide batter between cases and bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
Vanilla buttercream
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Beat softened butter until smooth.
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Add vanilla and one cup of icing sugar, beat until combined.
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Beat in remaining icing sugar and two tablespoons of milk. Add more milk only if the icing is too stiff; it should hold shape but be pipeable.
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Add a drop of red food gel and mix until you reach the desired pink shade.
Decorating
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Once cupcakes are cooled and icing is prepared, follow the decorating steps above to create the owl faces.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
