I usually make a mini cake of each cake in my animal cake series, but this week I’m mixing things up and making cupcakes! These lion cupcakes are inspired by my lion cake.
They’re made with my chocolate cupcake recipe, which is one of my favorites!
These lion cupcakes are decorated with peanut butter and chocolate buttercream, so they’re just as delicious as they are cute.
How to Make these Adorable Lion Cupcakes
Let’s walk through each step that goes into decorating these lion cupcakes! I’ve also included a video of how they’re made below.
I figured it might be helpful to know what tools I use too, so here’s my list.
Not all of these are mandatory, but they make the process a lot easier. If you don’t have all these things on hand, feel free to improvise and work with what you have.
- Electric hand mixer
- 4 Small piping bags
- 1 Large round tip (like an Ateco 805)
- 1 Medium round tip (like a Wilton 10)
- 1 Small grass tip (like a Wilton 233)
- 1 Small round tip (like a Wilton 3)
- Small offset spatula or small acetate sheet
- Pink sprinkles
Step 1: Pipe on the Face
Use a round piping tip to pipe a circle of yellow buttercream in the center of each cupcake.
Smooth any lines with a small offset spatula or acetate sheet.
Step 2: Pipe on the Facial Features
Use the uncolored peanut butter frosting to pipe on the lion’s cheeks like in the picture below.
Then use the black buttercream to pipe on the lion’s eyes and nose.
I had some small heart sprinkles on hand, so I used those to make the lion’s little mouth.
You could also use round sprinkles or color a tiny bit of the light yellow frosting pink and pipe it in the same area.
If you don’t feel comfortable piping on the face, you can also use fondant.
Step 3: Add the Lion’s Mane
Use the orange buttercream to pipe the lion’s mane around the edge of the cupcake.
Then pipe on two little ears with the yellow buttercream.
Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Feel free to get creative with each lion’s facial expression to give them a little variety. Then enjoy!
Substitutions and Swaps in This Lion Cupcake Recipe
While I love this recipe just the way it is, I know some of you might not have all these ingredients on hand! Below are some swaps and substitutions that can be made in this recipe:
- Buttermilk – You can also use full fat yogurt, sour cream, whole milk, or an alternative yogurt or milk (almond, soy, oat) if you’re dairy free
- Instant Espresso or Coffee – You can omit the instant espresso if you dislike the taste of coffee, but it really just enhances the chocolate flavor in this these cupcakes.
- All Purpose Flour – This recipe turns out best with AP flour, but you can use a gluten free flour blend or cake flour if that’s all you have on hand.
- Vegetable Oil – You can use any flavorless oil in this recipe. Canola or sunflower oil would work great!
- Vinegar – This recipe needs a bit of vinegar because it uses baking soda as a leavening agent. The vinegar activates the baking soda and helps the cupcakes rise. You can use white or apple cider vinegar.
Substitutions and Swaps – Buttercream Frosting
- Unsalted Butter – If you only have salted butter on hand, you can use it in place of the unsalted butter. Just be sure to omit the salt that this frosting recipe calls for. You can also use vegan butter in its place!
- Heavy Cream – Whole milk or alternative milk (soy, almond, oat) will work fine in this frosting recipe if that’s what you have on hand.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – Smooth and creamy peanut butters like JIF or Skippy work best in this frosting! Natural frostings have a tendency to separate, and this can cause the frosting to break. If you have a nut allergy, just use additional butter in place of the peanut butter in this recipe.
Making These Lion Cupcakes in Advance & Storage Tips
Make your cupcakes in advance! If stored unfrosted in an airtight container, they can last for 2 days at room temp, up to a week in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
You can also make your frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month or the freezer for 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
Frosted cupcakes can sit at room temperature overnight or in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. However, I find frosting them right before serving is best.
Tips for Making the Best Lion Cupcakes:
- Ingredients at room temperature mix together better. Set cold ingredients ahead of time.
- Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
- Mix the cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
- Use a cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners. It also makes sure your cupcakes end up being the same height.
- Seal off the top of each of your piping bags with a rubber band to prevent any frosting from seeping out the top of the bag and make the piping bags easier to use.
- This recipe makes an American buttercream frosting, so it will crust as it sits out and is exposed to air! Be sure to either cover the frosting with plastic wrap if it’s made in advance, or immediately place it into your piping bags.
Let Me Know What You Think!
If you make these lion cupcakes, I’d love to hear what you think! Please leave a rating and/or comment below.
And don’t forget to tag me @chelsweets and use the #chelsweets so that I can see your amazing creations on social media!
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Lion Cupcakes
These lion cupcakes are decorated with homemade buttercream to look just like little lion cubs! They're just as cute as they are tasty!
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature (180g)
- 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso or coffee (3g)
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips, melted (60g)
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (32g)
- 2 eggs, room temperature (114g)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (73g)
- 1 tsp white vinegar (4g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (98g)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (3g)
- 1/2 tsp salt (2g)
Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (60g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
- 1/4 tsp salt (2g)
- 3 cups powdered sugar (375g)
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream (45g)
Additional Tools / Equipment
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
- Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F / 175°F. Place cupcake liners in baking pans.
- Add 3/4 cup of buttermilk and 1 1/2 tsp of coffee or espresso powder into a large bowl. Stir until dissolved.
- Add 1/3 cup melted chocolate chips and 1/3 cup cocoa powder into the buttermilk mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Whisk 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1 tsp vinegar, and 1 tsp vanilla into the mixture and stir until combined.
- Add 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt into the wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed with a spatula. The batter will be thin, but don't worry! That's how it's supposed to be.
- Divide the batter evenly between the liners, they should be about 3/4 full. Bake for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the cupcakes cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack to finish cooling. If you're in a rush (or impatient like me), you can place them in the freezer for 15 minutes to accelerate the cooling process.
Peanut Butter Buttercream
- Beat 1 cup of room temperature butter and 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter on a medium speed for 30 seconds with a hand mixer or stand mixer until smooth. If you have a peanut allergy, you can use another type of nut butter in its place or you can use additional butter in place of the peanut butter.
- Add in 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix on a medium-low speed until combined.
- Slowly mix in 3 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Halfway through add in 3 Tbsp of heavy cream to make the frosting easier to mix.
- Beat on low until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached.
- If the frosting is too thick, add an extra Tbsp of heavy cream. If it's too thin, add in another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.
- Stir by hand with a rubber spatula to get the frosting SUPER smooth, then scoop 1/4 of the peanut butter buttercream into a small piping bag fit with a large round piping tip (like an Ateco 805) and set aside.
- Scoop 1 cup of frosting into a separate bowl and color it yellow with gel food coloring. Place the frosting in a small piping bag fit with a round piping tip (like a Wilton 10) and set aside.
- Place 1/4 cup of frosting into a separate bowl. Color it black with gel food coloring and place it in a small piping bag fit with a small round opening (like a Wilton 3).
- Color the remaining buttercream a burnt orange color with orange gel food coloring and a drop of brown gel food coloring. Place it in a small piping bag fit with a small grass tip (like an Wilton 233).
Decorating these Lion Cupcakes
- Use the yellow buttercream to pipe a circle on top of each cupcake. Smooth it using a small offset spatula or an acetate sheet.
- Then use the uncolored peanut butter frosting to pipe on the lion's cheeks like in the picture above.
- Next, use the black buttercream to pipe on the lion's eyes and nose. If you don't feel comfortable piping on the face, you can also use black fondant or black sprinkles.
- Place a pink sprinkle between the lion's cheeks to look like its mouth. I had some small heart sprinkles on hand, so I used those to make the lion's little mouth. You could also use round sprinkles or color a tiny bit of the light yellow frosting pink and pipe it in the same area.
- Use the orange buttercream to pipe the lion's mane around the edge of the cupcake.
- Then pipe on two little ears with the yellow buttercream.
- Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Feel free to get creative with each lion's facial expression to give them a little variety.
- Then enjoy! These cupcakes taste best fresh, but frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature for a day in an airtight container or be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
How Many Cupcakes Does this Recipe Make?
This recipe makes 12, standard-sized cupcakes. This recipe can be doubled or halved as needed to change the yield.
If you want to make mini lion cupcakes, this recipe can be baked in mini muffin tins! It makes about 40 mini cupcakes, and they only need to bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 F / 175 C.
Tips for Making the Best Lion Cupcakes
- Ingredients at room temp mix together better. Be sure you set out any cold ingredients ahead of time.
- Properly measure your flour (spoon into the cup measure, then level) or use a kitchen scale to measure your dry ingredients.
- Mix your cupcake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cupcakes are tender and fluffy.
- Use a large cookie scoop to easily fill your cupcake liners. It also makes sure your cupcakes end up being the same height.
- Seal off the top of each of your piping bags with a rubber band to prevent any frosting from seeping out the top of the bag and make the piping bags easier to use.
- This recipe makes an American buttercream frosting, so it will crust as it sits out and is exposed to air! Be sure to either cover the frosting with plastic wrap if it's made in advance, or immediately place it into your piping bags.
Lion Cupcake Variations:
- To make eggless, dairy free lion cupcakes, use an alternative dairy milk to replace the buttermilk and heavy cream (almond, oat, or soy), vegan butter sticks to replace the butter, and an egg replacer like this.
- To make gluten free lion cupcakes, swap in your favorite gluten free flour blend for the AP flour this recipe calls for and be sure to over-mix your batter and let it sit for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results.
Making These Lion Cupcakes in Advance & Storage Tips:
Make your cupcakes in advance! If stored unfrosted in an airtight container, they can last for 2 days at room temp, up to a week in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
You can also make the frosting ahead of time too or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again.
Frosted cupcakes can sit out at room temperature overnight or be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. However, I find frosting them right before serving is best.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 360Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 39mgSodium 277mgCarbohydrates 55gFiber 2gSugar 44gProtein 5g
Lauren
Monday 1st of July 2024
Love your content. Would the batter work for a 4 in cake round? Would you recommend the 350 temp in that format?
Lauren
Friday 2nd of August 2024
@Chelsweets, awesome! Thanks for getting back to me. I'll post and update when I bake it later this week.
Chelsweets
Sunday 7th of July 2024
Aw thank you Lauren! I haven't tested this recipe in a 4 inch cake round, but in theory it should work! I'd fill the pan with about 1-inch of cake batter, and bake it at 350 F for 25-30 minutes? Use the toothpick test to poke the center, and when it comes out with a few moist crumbs it's done. Hope that helps, happy baking!
Julie
Tuesday 3rd of October 2023
I made these today, they are so cute! I made with just butter cake as we’re not big chocolate fans. Good to practise my piping skills . Thanks for an easy recipe for the buttercream, it’s perfect and delicious. And the two year old birthday girl will love them
Chelsweets
Monday 9th of October 2023
Hi Julie,
Yay!! I love these cupcakes, and I'm so happy to hear yours turned out great!! Thank you for sharing, and happy belated bday to the birthday girl :)
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