One of our good friends was coming over for lunch and a birthday celebration in her honor. I figured she might enjoy panda-themed cakes, so I made these little cupcakes. The problem was, we found out the day before she came that she didn't like chocolate, which is what the lower part of the panda should have been made of for the best look. Also, she showed up 2 hours earlier than we expected and had to leave earlier than expected, so these were hurriedly thrown together in the other room... They're not all they could have been, but they were a cute idea we'll probably try again when we have more time & more interest in chocolate.
First, I used some mini yellow cupcakes and frosted them with cream cheese icing. I used a dark chocolate bar which had already melted during shopping to draw on the rings around the eyes and the mouths. The eyes and noses are made of dry black beans, and the ears are halved mini-Oreos, one of the two western cookies we can buy here.
First, I used some mini yellow cupcakes and frosted them with cream cheese icing. I used a dark chocolate bar which had already melted during shopping to draw on the rings around the eyes and the mouths. The eyes and noses are made of dry black beans, and the ears are halved mini-Oreos, one of the two western cookies we can buy here.
The base of the panda body was a regular-sized cupcake (should have been chocolate). I frosted them with cream cheese frosting and sprinkled on brown cookie crumbs. Normally, this part would have been chocolate cake sprinkled with Oreo bits or left plain. I put big Oreo halves (or fragments as I hurriedly worked with whatever happened as I chopped) on the front of these cupcakes as panda arms, and added a dollop of cream cheese frosting to help secure the heads.
Finally, I attached the heads. They should have had little Oreo-half feet as well, but time just wouldn't allow. Still, they were cute & fun. I think it might have been her first theme cake!
