After baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng, the internet is losing it over adorable, chocolatey brown, ridiculously fluffy baby penguin, Pesto, born in Melbourne’s Sea Life Aquarium. Dubbed “fatty”, a “linebacker”, and an “absolute unit”, Pesto soon became the talk of the town due to his weight. Born earlier this year, in January, the nine-month-old king penguin is the biggest penguin chick the aquarium has ever seen. While most adult king penguins weigh between 31 and 37 pounds, penguin chick Pesto is already looming over his parents at just nine months of age. He is weighing at around 51.8 pounds and we are sure your kids can’t get enough of penguin chick Pesto. So, surprise them with a cupcake with baby penguin Pesto as an inspiration. The cupcake will be so cute to look at that your kids might just think of you as the star chef.
Ingredients for baby penguin Pesto cupcakes
- 180 grams of all-purpose flour
- 250 grams granulated sugar
- 25 grams of unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 240 ml buttermilk, room temperature
- 80 ml vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 small Oreo biscuit
- 1 cup chocolate buttercream frosting
Preparation for penguin chick Pesto cupcakes
- Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to make the baby penguin Pesto cupcake and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Then, whisk together your flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together your buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
- Then, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk everything until well combined and no dry streaks of flour can be seen.
- Divide the cupcake batter, filling each cup about ⅔ full to avoid spillage. Following this step, bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack before the frosting step.
- For frosting, take two piping bags. Add a grass nozzle to one bag and make a small cut at the tip of another bag. Once done, fill both the bags with chocolate buttercream frosting.
- Now, take the cupcake, and place a small Oreo at one end. This will serve as the head of baby penguin Pesto.
- Then, take the normal pipping bag (the one without the nozzle) and make the eye and beak of baby penguin Pesto on the Oreo. Use the same bag to make the feet of the penguin. For the body, take the bag with a grass nozzle and cover the entire cupcake with frosting.
Your adorable baby penguin Pesto cupcake is ready to be devoured by your kiddos. Beware, they might think the cupcakes are too adorable to eat and keep them safe forever. These cupcakes will also make for a great party favor. To save time, you can also use store-bought frosting to speed up the process. This recipe is super easy to prepare and even your little ones can help you with the same. Let the children get creative with their rendition of penguin chick Pesto, even if it affects the cupcakes’ aesthetics slightly.
Baby penguin Pesto has become a viral sensation due to his looks. No wonder everyone is so captivated by the penguin chick. Even pop icon Katy Perry couldn’t hold herself back from meeting this chonky Australian aquarium resident. She not only visited the aquarium but also played with him. So, hop on the trend to be the ‘cool mom’ and try your hands at this adorable cupcake. Also, do share your kid’s reaction with us in the comment section below!
