Butterfly Cupcakes

I have some pretty awesome friends. Not only are they just generally awesome, but they support my fanatic and insatiable need to bake. Spice will cook me dinner when I'm too busy making cookies, other friends come over to my apartment frequently so that I can use my oven, Kitchen Aid and cookie cutters and then an awesome friend and supporter got me "Hello, Cupcake!". This book is amazing. I'm not kidding you. I can't wait to try my hand at more creations from this book. They are all super duper adorable and have step by step instructions. 

After looking through the book for awhile, marveling at each cupcake in turn, I decided on butterflies for Spring. First, I made chocolate cupcakes from the book, which I did not care for. They were too dry, so I won't even post the recipe. But any cupcake will work, really.

For the butterflies, you will need to following:
2 cups dark cocoa melting wafers
2 cups orange candy melting wafers
3 tablespoons white nonpareils
3/4 cup dark chocolate frosting
Vanilla frosting
72 brown candy-coated chocolates such as M&Ms 

I made a batch of vanilla buttercream and dyed it orange before piping it onto each cupcake. You can also just spread the frosting on. 


Draw butterfly wings and antennae on paper with a dark marker to use as a template. I used the template in the book, but I'm sure you can trace wings online as well. Place template behind wax paper.

Place 1 cup each of the dark cocoa and orange candy melting wafers into separate ziploc bags. Do not seal the bags. Microwave for 10 seconds to soften. Massage the wafers in the bags, return to the microwave, and repeat the process until the candy is smooth, about 1 minute total. Press out the excess air and seal the bags.

Snip a 1/16-inch corner from each bag. Working on one wing at a time and using the melted dark cocoa, outline the template on wax paper. Go over the outline several times to thicken. Fill in with the orange melted candy. Tap the pan slightly to flatten. Using a round toothpick, pull the dark cocoa into the orange to create a wing design. While the candy is still wet, sprinkle the upper portion of the dark cocoa outline with the white nonpareils. 

 
Repeat with the remaining melted candy, melting additional wafers as needed. Reheat the candy in the microwave for several seconds if it becomes too thick. Place the cookie sheets in the refrigerator until set, about 5 minutes. Follow the same procedure to make the antennae, using the melted dark cocoa.


Make some chocolate frosting. I used the one in the book, which I will post at the end, but any chocolate frosting will do! Spoon frosting into a ziplock bag, press out the excess air, seal and set aside. I used  pastry bag, instead. 

Remove the wings from the refrigerator and carefully peel from the wax paper. Place 2 brown chocolate candies, 1/2 inch apart, on top of the cupcakes to form supports for the wings. Press the inside edge of a pair of wings into the frosting about 1/4 inch apart, allowing the wings to lean on the chocolate candies. Gently press the antennae into the frosting at the head of the butterfly. 



Snip a 1/8-inch corner from the bag with the chocolate frosting. Starting at the antennae, pipe 4 or 5 bead of frosting down the length of the body, drawing the frosting into a small point of the last bead. 


Chocolate Frosting
From Hello, Cupcake! 

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder,
1 box (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/3-1/2 cup milk

Combine the butter and the chocolate in a small saucepan. Melt oven medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer.

Add the confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk, adding more milk, if necessary, to thin, and beat until fluffy.

*If you are using this frosting for the butterfly cupcakes, I would recommend halving the recipe as it makes about 2 1/2 cups.