Octopus Cupcakes

To me, making special foods for young kids is one of the most rewarding things. The kids are already so excited because, well, theyre at a party. But when they see foods with special shapes, and foods that fit in with the theme of the party, theyre just so thrilled to eat them. Thats why, if youre having an undersea adventure party for a young child, you wont want to forget the octopus cupcakes. Its the perfect dessert for the sea party and combines the cupcake with two different types of candy - you simply cant go wrong.The cupcakes can be any color/flavor you want but, in keeping with the sea theme, some cupcakes that are perfect include white, spice, or even blue cupcakes. Just mix up a white cake and then add a couple of drops of food coloring in to tint it blue. Make the cupcakes from a boxed mix or recipe, bake according to package or recipe instructions, then allow to cool completely.Blue frosting is perfect for the undersea cupcakes. Simply buy or mix up white frosting and, again, add a couple of drops of blue food coloring to tint it. Be generous with the frosting on the cupcakes and dont go out of your way to smooth the frosting. Instead, leave peaks and valleys to represent the waves of the sea.A sucker makes the ideal body for the octopus. A sucker that is round, and shaped like a ball, can become the octopus body when you push the stick through the center of the cupcake. It might be necessary to trim a bit of the stick off so that the sucker will rest right on top of the cake. Stand the sucker up beside the cupcake to get a rough estimate of how much of the stick to trim. Good colors for the suckers include purple, green, or even red.Purchase Gummi Worms to make the tentacles of the octopus. Keep in mind the colors of the Gummi Worms when selecting a color for the body of the octopus. Place eight Gummi Worms on the cupcake, around the sucker, to make the octopus arms. For the best look, space the worms evenly around the sucker, leave some of them hanging over the side of the cupcake. Bend other worms so that they arch up over the cupcake, then back down to the edge.To make eyes for the octopus, place two small dots of white frosting on the sucker, then stick the points of two chocolate chips - one chip on each frosting dot - to finish. The eyes should be low on the sucker and near the worms. The finished octopus cupcakes are intriguing, delicious, and always a real crowd-pleaser.Octopus Cupcakes