Pull-Apart Turtle Cupcakes

Prep 30 min
Total 2 hr 0 min
Ingredients 9
Servings 24

Why wait for a special occasion to make this cake? Gather the kids, a box of cake mix and a container of frosting, and you'll be in for some fun. MORE + LESS -

Ingredients

box Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ yellow or devil's food cake mix

Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box

container Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting

Green food color

container Betty Crocker™ Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting

green candy-coated chocolate candies

brown miniature candy-coated chocolate candies, if desired

piece red string licorice

green licorice twist, cut in half

Directions

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1

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2

In small bowl, mix vanilla frosting and green food color until desired shade. Place 1/4 cup green frosting and 1/4 cup chocolate frosting in separate small resealable plastic freezer bags; seal bags. Cut small tip from corner of each bag; set aside.
3

On each of 2 large serving trays, arrange 12 cupcakes as shown in diagram. Frost shell of one turtle with chocolate frosting. Frost head and feet with green frosting. (Push cupcakes together slightly to frost entire turtle, not just individual cupcakes.) Pipe green frosting on chocolate shell to create turtle design. Add 2 candies for eyes; add pupils using chocolate frosting. Add nostrils with chocolate frosting or miniature chocolate candies. Add red string licorice for mouth (trimming to fit) and green licorice for tail.
4

Frost remaining cupcakes with green frosting for shell and chocolate frosting for head and feet. Pipe chocolate frosting on green shell to create turtle design. Add 2 candies for eyes; add pupils using chocolate frosting. Add nostrils with green frosting or miniature chocolate candies. Add red string licorice for mouth (trimming to fit) and green licorice for tail. Store loosely covered.

Expert Tips

You can change the cake mix variety to suit your taste. Just follow the directions on the box for amounts of water, oil and eggs.
You can bake the cake and cupcakes ahead. Freeze completely cooled and tightly covered cake for up to two months.
For each cake, push cupcakes together slightly and frost entire turtle.
Get a party menu, prep guide, tips, party games, activities and more for a Turtle-icious Birthday Party!
If you have only one pan and a recipe calls for more cupcakes than your pan will make, cover and refrigerate the rest of the batter while baking the first batch. Cool the pan about 15 minutes, then bake the rest of the batter, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.