Materials:
- cake mix and accompanying ingredients needed to make 24 cupcakes
- 4 cups white decorator icing
- 2 golf-ball sized pieces of fondant
- small rolling pin
- red food coloring
- pink food coloring
- 48 pink and red cupcake wrappers
- 1 package string licorice
- heart sprinkles
- black food marker
- 1½ inch heart-shaped cookie cutter
- ½ inch heart-shaped cookie cutter
Instructions:
Step 1: Preheat your oven according to your cupcake package or recipe directions. Make the cupcake batter according to package directions.
Step 2: Prepare cupcake pans with 24 pink/red cupcake wrappers.
Step 3: Pour batter into the cupcake wrappers, filling each one about 3/4ths full. Bake the cupcakes according to the package or recipe directions.
Step 4: Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely.
Step 5: Color a golf-ball sized piece of fondant with red food coloring by adding a few drops of food coloring and pulling and twisting the fondant until the red food coloring is thoroughly worked through the fondant.
Step 6: Roll out the red fondant with the small rolling pin until it is about ¼ inch thick. Use heart-shaped cutters to make 12 red 1½ inch hearts and 12 red ½ inch hearts, so you have 24 red hearts. (You may have to roll up the scraps and re-roll the fondant a few times so you can cut all of your hearts.) Set your fondant hearts aside to dry completely.
Step 7: Color the second golf-ball sized piece of fondant pink using the same method above.
Step 8: Roll out the pink fondant with the small rolling pin until it is about ¼ inch thick. Use heart-shaped cutters to make 12 pink 1½ inch hearts and 12 pink ½ inch hearts, so you have 24 pink hearts. (You may have to roll up the scraps and re-roll the fondant a few times so you can cut all of your hearts.) Set your fondant hearts aside to dry completely.
Step 9: Cut 48 1-inch pieces of black string licorice, and cut 24 licorice pieces that are 2½ inches in length.
Step 10: Divide the decorator icing into two bowls. Color half the icing with red food coloring, and color the other half of the icing pink with pink food coloring.
Step 11: Make your Heart Bug antennae. To do this, dab a bit of the icing (using it as a glue) on the end of each 1 inch licorice piece and stick a ½ inch heart to each 1 inch licorice piece. Make these in pairs until you have 24 pairs and set them aside to dry.
Note: Be sure the fondant hearts are completely dry before working with them.
Step 12: Use the edible marker to give each 1½ inch heart a face by drawing on two eyes and a mouth. Do this on all 24 1½ inch hearts. These will be the Heart Bugs’ Faces.
Note: Be sure the fondant hearts are completely dry before working with them.
Step 13: For extra glitz add a second decorative cupcake wrapper to the outside of each cupcake once they’ve cooled completely.
Step 14: Ice half the cupcakes with pink icing and half the cupcakes with red icing.
Step 15: Lay a 2½ inch piece of string licorice down the center of each cupcake to divide them in half and make the Heart Bug’s wings.
Step 16: Add the Heart Bugs’ faces to the cupcakes. Place each face, toward the edge of the cupcake, at the end of the licorice string, facing out.
Step 17: Add the antennas right above the faces by sticking the licorice ends to the heart faces, using icing as glue to secure them in place.
Step 18: Add some heart sprinkles if you’d like, for the Heart Bug’s spots.
