Turkey Cupcakes

Sharing is caring!

Fun and surprisingly easy to decorate turkey cupcakes taste delicious and will brighten up every dessert plate. I piped the bodies with some chocolate buttercream and a large round tip and all those feathers were made with the flick of a wrist and small petal tips.

Pro Tips for AMAZING Thanksgiving Cupcakes

• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
• If you prefer your frosting to be less sweet then try whipping up a batch of Swiss or Italian buttercream. Silky smooth and delicious!
• If you don’t have a round tip just snip the end off a piping bag and it will work pretty well.
• Try some crazy colors for the feathers. You don’t have to stick with the traditional fall palate.

These are some turkeys you don’t have to feel bad about eating!

Frequently asked questions

How long will these cupcakes keep for?

These cupcakes will keep for 2 days at room temp if properly covered and a week in the fridge. You can Freeze the unfrosted cupcakes, wrap them up and store in the freezer for two months.

How do you pipe the beaks?

Ue a small petal tip, like a 103, and squeeze a little bit onto the head while you pull way and down.  You can always use a little knife to trim the edge if that beak is looking a little long!

What kind of cocoa powder should you use?

I love using a high-quality Dutch processed cocoa powder. Dutch processed cocoa powder is darker, less acidic and fudgier in baked goods. You’ll usually get less rise out of it though. My go to company is Valrhona but there are lots of great brands out there, including Callebaut, Ghirardelli and lots of organic and fair trade options too!

How to make Turkey Cupcakes

For the cupcakes; preheat the oven to 350 degrees and add papers to a cupcake tin. Start off by sifting the dry ingredients with the sugar into a bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together until combined.

2.Add the wet ingredients into a large bowl and whisk them together. I add the hot coffee last after giving a preliminary mix but you can use room temperature coffee if it’s easier.

3. Now add the wet ingredients into the stand mixer with the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is smooth.

4. Distribute batter evenly into the cupcake papers and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow time for these cupcakes to cool before decorating. 

5. Separate the buttercream into multiple bowls and add food coloring to create yellow, orange, and red. Use cocoa to get the brown base color. Transfer each color to piping bags fitted with wilton 103 piping tips. The brown buttercream will be fitted with a large round tip.  For the assembly; start with a red ruffle around the perimeter of the cupcake. Leave a gap open for the body! Pipe an orange ruffle, then a yellow ruffle.

6. Once the feathers are done, pipe one continuous body and head for your turkey. Use less pressure for the neck and more for the body so it’s a bit fatter on bottom. 

7. Add a dot  of white buttercream and a mini chocolate chip flipped upside down for the eye.

8. Finally, pipe a beak on the side of the turkey head with yellow buttercream and a thin strip of red for the gobble. I just snip the very tip of a piping bag off for the gobble and it gives you the right amount but you can also use a #2 piping tip. 

If you’ve tried this turkey cupcake recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

Print

5 from 4 votes

Turkey Cupcakes

These festive turkey cupcakes will charm your guests at first sight but the best part is they're moist, rich and delicious chocolate cake on the inside. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 18

Calories 180kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• ¼ cup sour cream 57g, room temperature
• ½ cup buttermilk 118mL, room temperature
• 2 medium eggs
• ¼ cup hot coffee 60mL
• ⅓ cup veggie oil 79mL
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 10mL
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180g
• 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar 265g
• ¼ cup cocoa powder 20g, nice
• 1 tsp baking soda 6g
• ½ tsp kosher salt 2.5g

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

• 1 2/3 lbs confectioners sugar 700g 900g
• 1 lb butter 450g, unsalted, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 5mL
• 1 tbsp whole milk 15mL
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt 2g
• food coloring

Instructions

For the cupcakes:

• Preheat to 350F. Add papers to a cupcake tin.
• Sift the dry ingredients (including the sugar) into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine.
• Add the wet ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together.
• Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
• Whisk until smooth and combined.
• Distribute batter evenly into the cupcake papers and bake for about 15 -20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Allow time to cool.

For the Vanilla Buttercream:

• In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and fluffy.
• Sift the confectioners' sugar into the creamed butter.
• Add 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt, and milk a tablespoon at a time until the desired smooth consistency is reached.
• Separate into buttercream into multiple bowls. A very small batch for the white and a larger batch for the red and chocolate.
• Add food coloring to create yellow, orange and red the turkey colors. Use cocoa to get the brown base color.
• Transfer each color to piping bags fitted with wilton 103 piping tips. Transfer the brown to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.

For the Assembly:

• Start with a red ruffle around the perimeter of the cupcake. Leave a gap open for the body. Just move your hand back and forth to make the ruffle.
• Pipe an orange ruffle, then a yellow ruffle making sure to leave a void in the middle where the body and head will go.
• Pipe one continuous body and head. Make sure to use more pressure for the body so it's fatter than the neck/head
• Add a a dot of white buttercream for the eye and press an upside-down mini chocolate chip into the center
• Pipe a beak on the side of the turkey head with the yellow buttercream then add the waddle with a bit of red buttercream.

Video

Notes

• Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
• You can substitute whole milk yogurt for the sour cream if desired, I do it all the time and can’t really tell the difference.
• If you prefer your frosting to be less sweet then try whipping up a batch of Swiss or Italian buttercream. Silky smooth and delicious!
• If you don't have a round tip just snip the end off a piping bag and it will work pretty well.
• Try some crazy colors for the feathers. You don't have to stick with the traditional fall palate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 250mg | Sugar: 30g