Alien Invasion Cupcakes

Seth SmootWhether your house is full of sci-fi lovers or you want to bake out-of-this-world desserts for a kids' birthday party, these Alien Invasion cupcakes are sure to be a hit. Encased in a 'spaceship' made out of cups, these aliens are even ready for transport.

About the Alien Invasion Cupcakes

Don't be intimidated by the three-dimensional nature of these creatures -- all you need are marshmallows, doughnut holes, white frosting and the neon food coloring of your choice (Karen Tack and Alan Richardson opted for blue, but a bright green martian would work well, too). Their ears are made out of sugar cereal circles, and they're given sight with mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips. Karen and Alan's aliens have black licorice antennas, but they suggest using anything long and thin, such as red licorice or pretzel rods.

To make your own Alien cupcakes, you will need the following:
12 vanilla cupcakes baked in blue paper liners (or liners that match the color of your food coloring)
1 can (16 ounces) plus 1 cup vanilla frosting
Neon blue food coloring (or other color of your choice)
6 marshmallows
12 plain doughnut holes
24 blue cereal "O's"
18 mini marshmallows
36 colored mini candy-coated chocolates
1 black licorice lace

Here are Karen and Alan's easy decorating steps:
1. Cut the large marshmallows in half crosswise. Spread the tops of the cupcakes with a small mound of vanilla frosting. Top with a marshmallow half. Add a dot of frosting and add the doughnut hole. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Place the cupcakes in the freezer until set (about 15 to 20 minutes).

2. Spoon 3 tablespoons vanilla frosting into a re-sealable bag. Fill in any gaps on the cupcake structures with some more vanilla frosting and return to the freezer. Tint the remaining vanilla frosting neon blue with the food coloring. Spoon the neon blue frosting into a glass measuring cup. Heat the blue frosting, stirring every 10 seconds, until it reaches the texture of slightly whipped cream.

3. Holding a slightly frozen cupcake by the paper liner, dip it into the melted frosting, up to the paper liner. Allow the excess frosting to drip off before inverting. If air bubbles form, re-dip the cupcake. Invert the cupcake and place on a plate to set. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. If the frosting becomes too thick, return to the microwave and heat for about 5 to 10 seconds until thinned, stir well.

4. Press 2 cereal pieces on either side of the cupcake as the ears. Cut the mini marshmallows in half crosswise. Snip a small corner from the bag with the vanilla frosting. Pipe 3 dots of frosting on the front of the cupcake and add the cut marshmallows. Pipe a dot of frosting on the marshmallows and add the candies to make the eyes. Cut the licorice into 1-inch pieces and press one into the top of the cupcake.

5. Place the cupcake into a plastic cup and top it with another plastic cup to make the spaceship. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.

Note: Total prep time will be 1 hour 20 minutes, plus freezing.

Learn more about Karen Tack, Alan Richardson and Hello, Cupcake!