How to make a barn cake and farm animal cupcakes

Preparing Frostings

• For the barn cake - In medium bowl, tint 1 ½ cups of the frosting with red gel or paste food coloring to make desired color of red frosting for the barn; set aside.
• For the farm animal cupcakes -  In a small bowl, tint one cup of vanilla frosting with red liquid food coloring to make pink frosting. Reserve remaining white frosting.

Decorating the Barn Cake

• Trim the 9-inch square cake as shown in the barn cake template; place cake near the top of serving tray with the roof at the top of the tray.
• Crumb coat the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of red frosting to seal in the crumbs. See more about how to crumb coat a cake.
• Refrigerate or freeze cake for 30 to 60 minutes. 
• Frost tops and sides of chilled, crumb coated cake with remaining red frosting.
• Use a spatula or toothpick to make vertical lines on the top of the barn cake to imitate the look of wood boards.
• For the window, break two pretzel sticks in half and create a square shape placed in the center towards the top of the cake.
• For the shutters, place a 1-inch-square piece of graham cracker on each side of the window.
• For the sides and top of the doorway, place three pretzel sticks near the (center) bottom of the cake.
• For the doors, place a 2 ½ x 1-inch graham cracker on each side of the doorway.
• For the roof, arrange eight 2 ½ x 1-inch graham cracker rectangles on the top edge of the barn cake, overlapping to form the shingles of the roof.
• For the hay, place ½ cup of shredded coconut in a resealable food storage plastic bag and add 2 drops of yellow liquid food coloring; seal bag and shake to mix. Place small amount of yellow coconut at the bottom of the window and doorway (reserve remaining yellow coconut to decorate the chick cupcakes). For the grass, add 1 cup of coconut in a resealable food storage plastic bag. Add 2 drops of green liquid food color; seal bag and shake to mix. Scatter green coconut on bottom half of tray.
• Decorate farm animal cupcakes and arrange on coconut grass.

 

Decorating the Farm Animal Cupcakes

Decorating Chick Cupcakes

• Frost 4 cupcakes with white frosting. Top with reserved yellow coconut. For eyes, add brown mini candy coated chocolates. For the beak, flatten and cut an orange gumdrop into a triangle and place on cupcake.

Decorating Sheep Cupcakes

• Frost 4 cupcakes with white frosting. For the muzzle, spread ½ teaspoon of pink frosting in small circle on each cupcake; add red mini candy coated chocolate for the nose. For the eyes, add brown mini candy coated chocolates. For ears, add white gumdrop halves, cut sides down. For the sheep’s wool, cut mini marshmallows in half and place on the face and head.

Decorating Pig Cupcakes

• Frost 4 cupcakes with pink frosting. For the snout, spread additional 1 teaspoon of pink frosting in small circle on each cupcake; add 2 red mini candy coated chocolate length-wise for the nostrils. For the eyes, add 2 brown mini candy coated chocolates. For the ears, cut 8 small triangles from the Fruit Roll-Ups® snacks; place on cupcakes and fold over to create the look of a floppy pig’s ear.

The Barn Cake and Farm Animal Cupcakes recipe serves 20.

1 9-inch square cake
12 cupcakes
2 containers Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
Red gel or paste food coloring
Yellow liquid food coloring
Green liquid food coloring
Thin pretzel sticks
Graham crackers
Shredded coconut
Mini candy-coated chocolate candies (brown and red)
Orange gumdrops
White gumdrops
Mini marshmallows
1 roll strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups®

Large tray, platter or wrapping paper-covered cardboard (about 20 x 15 inches)
Small knife for cutting gumdrops and marshmallows
Resealable food storage bags for coloring shredded coconut