I came across these Silly Cupcakes in the book Hello Cupcake years ago when my boys were little and knew immediately they were right up our alley. I’ve never been that into pranks, so April Fool’s Day was always a day of funny and silliness for us anyway. Using sweet ingredients to turn what looks like dinner into a delicious dessert is the perfect “trick” in my book! From spaghetti and meatballs to mashed potatoes and vegetables, these cute little cupcakes make the sweetest prank!
Ingredients and Supplies Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Cupcakes – Make your own Cupcakes or do what I do and pick up some unfrosted cupcakes from your local grocery store or bakery to make things easy!
- Frosting – Same thing. Make your own Buttercream Frosting, or just grab some store-bought frosting.
- Add-ons for desired cupcakes – Ferrero Rocher, jam, and white chocolate or almond bark for spaghetti and meatballs, Starburst and runts for peas and carrots, Starbursts and caramel syrup for mashed potato and gravy, Jelly Bellies and black and clear sprinkles or poppy seeds and sugar for corn, and mini marshmallows for popcorn.
- Piping bag and round tip – For piping spaghetti frosting. You could easily do this with a zip-top bag with the corner cut off as well.
- Disposable muffin tin – Optional, but helps sell the illusion of freshly made savory food!
How to Make Silly Cupcakes
Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcakes
- Using a piping bag with a small round tip. ust by squeezing and holding the bag in one spot, the noodles form by themselves that way. I just held the tip above the cupcake and moved the cupcake around with my hand until the top was covered.
- Our “meatballs” are just Ferrero Rocher candies dunked in a little berry jam. Drizzle a little jam (thinned with hot water if needed) over the frosting noodles and plop a Ferrero Rocher meatball on top.
- If desired, grate a little white chocolate or almond bark to look like parmesan cheese on top!
Peas and Carrots
- Add a thin layer of green frosting to your cupcake.
- Cut orange Starbursts into pieces and shape with your hands into squares to look like carrots. Grab some limes from a Runts mix.
- Arrange your green and orange candies to look like peas and carrots on top of your cupcakes.
Mashed Potatoes
- Frost your cupcakes with white vanilla frosting, leaving a little well at the top.
- Drizzle with caramel syrup to look like gravy and top with a flattened yellow Starburst to look like butter.
Corn on the Cob
- Frost 3 cupcakes with pale yellow frosting. Use Jelly Bellies in white and yellow (buttered popcorn flavor works really well!) to create the corn kernels.
- Top the center with a flattened yellow Starburst or Laffy Taffy for butter.
- Sprinkle with black and clear sprinkles or sugar and poppy seeds to look like salt and pepper.
- Pop some corn cob holders in the ends if desired!
Popcorn
- Make popcorn pieces by cutting a few mini marshmallows into 3 slices with a pair of scissors and then glue another mini marshmallow to the top. You can use the pale yellow ones from a fruit flavored marshmallow mix or white would be cute, too.
- Frost your cupcakes and attach your marshmallow popcorn.
Silly Cupcakes for April Fools
These darling cupcakes look like dinner or veggies, but they're really just the sweetest prank around!
Equipment
- disposable foil cupcake tin optional but adds to the illusion of savory foods
- piping bag with round tip or zip-top bag with a hole cut in the corner
Ingredients
For All
- cupcakes
Spaghetti and Meatballs
- pale yellow frosting
- Ferrero Rocher candies
- berry jam
- white chocolate or almond bark candy coating
Peas and Carrots
- light green frosting
- green limes from Runts candy
- orange Starburst candy
Mashed Potatoes
- white or cream frosting
- caramel sauce
- yellow Starburst or Laffy Taffy
Corn on the Cob
- pale yellow frosting
- yellow and white Jelly Belly jelly beans buttered popcorn ones work well
- black and clear sugar sprinkles or sugar and poppy seeds
Popcorn
- white or cream frosting
- mini marshmallows yellow or white
Instructions
Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Using a piping bag with a small round tip. ust by squeezing and holding the bag in one spot, the noodles form by themselves that way. I just held the tip above the cupcake and moved the cupcake around with my hand until the top was covered.
- Our “meatballs” are just Ferrero Rocher candies dunked in a little berry jam. Drizzle a little jam (thinned with hot water if needed) over the frosting noodles and plop a Ferrero Rocher meatball on top.
- If desired, grate a little white chocolate or almond bark to look like parmesan cheese on top!
Peas and Carrots
- Add a thin layer of green frosting to your cupcake.
- Cut orange Starbursts into pieces and shape with your hands into squares to look like carrots. Grab some limes from a Runts mix.
- Arrange your green and orange candies to look like peas and carrots on top of your cupcakes.
Mashed Potatoes
- Frost your cupcakes with white vanilla frosting, leaving a little well at the top.
- Drizzle with caramel syrup to look like gravy and top with a flattened yellow Starburst to look like butter.
Corn on the Cob
- Frost 3 cupcakes with pale yellow frosting. Use Jelly Bellies in white and yellow (buttered popcorn flavor works really well!) to create the corn kernels.
- Top the center with a flattened yellow Starburst or Laffy Taffy for butter.
- Sprinkle with black and clear sprinkles or sugar and poppy seeds to look like salt and pepper.
- Pop some corn cob holders in the ends if desired!
Popcorn
- Make popcorn pieces by cutting a few mini marshmallows into 3 slices with a pair of scissors and then stick another mini marshmallow to the top with a bit of frosting. You can use the pale yellow ones from a fruit flavored marshmallow mix or white would be cute, too.
- Frost your cupcakes and attach your marshmallow popcorn.
Notes
To make your life easier, pick up some premade, unfrosted cupcakes from your grocery store or local bakery!
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Questions & Reviews
These were so clever. I saw a complete faux KFC meal earlier in the week that was pretty cute too.
I am starting a tradition of April Fool’s Day Dinner. Last year we had meatball sandwiched (pound cake with no bake cookie “meatballs”), sauce (raspberry jam), and shredded cheese (grated white chocolate), cupcakes (meatloaf baked in cupcake papers and topped with whipped potatoes), Punch (jello in individual cups) and cinnamon rolls (bread dough with a pureed hamburger filling and cheese sauce on top). It was a lot of fun. This year is way low key but I think Monday we’re having our dinner of cinnamon rolls (same as above) and pizza (cookie crust and fruit toppings).
Oh my!!! I love theses…they are sooo CUTE!!!!
Cute ideas. 🙂 Where do you get the clear and black sugar sprinkles?
Mine were in a Halloween pack, but you should be able to easily find them anywhere cake decorating supplies are sold (like craft stores).
Thanks!
If you don’t want to buy starbursts for the pats of butter….
My hubbie served his mission in Boise, ID, and the mission presidents wife would make the missionaries coming in and leaving a big Ice Cream Baked Potato. So when he got asked to help with a mini-MTC, I of course had to learn how to make them. Use plastic wrap to shape vanilla ice cream into a potato shape. Use your fingers to create a wedge in the the top of the “potato.” Refreeze until it’s hard. Then roll in chocolate milk drink powder. Right before serving, fill the wedge with whipped cream (Your sour cream look-alike) (Canned spray cream is easiest here). Top with chopped pistachios for your chives (I actually mixed them with a little green food coloring) and your pat of butter is made like this: Line a butter dish, or any other container that’s about the right size, with plastic wrap. Fill with yellow frosting…really smoosh it down so it goes all the way to the edges. Freeze. Remove plastic wrap with frosting from dish. Slice up and place on top. Ymmmm. Awesome. If you wanted you could probably used orange colored coconut for cheese topping as well. Cheers!
Buttered popcorn jelly bean is my favourite too! It’s okay because then no one else will eat it and it’s all for me!
love these ideas, just wanted to add a little for someone who might want to try it- I made a full size marshmallow ‘popcorn’ cake several years ago, but before i put the marshmallows on, I put a few drop of random food color(to make brown) in a gallon ziplock with a few drops of water to thin it (close the bag with no air inside and smush the food color around the bag) drop in like 10 biggies or 25 minis, close the bag and shake. this makes the ‘popcorn’ look toasted. you could repeat this with just yellow (in a clean bag) for added ‘butter’ it’s way cute.
I am truly inspired now, love love love these cupcakes – and plan to make the “spaghetti and meatballs” soon. Thanks! 🙂
Love these! So cute and real looking! I especially like the corn on the cob. And Buttered Popcorn is my favorite Jelly Belly flavor -so you’re not alone there. 🙂 Keep the wonderful ideas coming!!!
Smiths in Utah (Farmington) has salt water taffy made by Sweets, I think, that has a buttered popcorn flavor. It is quite delish.