This easy monkey cupcake recipe is the cutest most simple cupcake decorating idea–and it’s perfect for a jungle or monkey themed baby shower!
And making them is super quick, too. So, even if you have a huge number of people coming to your jungle baby shower, it will take almost no time to whip these up!
But, despite being a super easy cupcake decorating idea, you can see just how adorable they are. And how customizable.
Want all of your monkeys to be snarky and silly? Give ’em a half-smile and point the eyes outward. Want them all to be sweet and kind looking? Make a full smile with eyes pointing straight.
Seriously one of the most adjustable monkey dessert ideas you’ll find!
Monkey Cupcakes
You can make your chocolate cupcakes using any recipe you like–I mean, I’ve included one, obviously, but if you want to use a chocolate cake box mix, you can. It’s totally up to you and how you want to roll. If you do, however, want to make these with a mix, be sure to check out these tips and tricks to make a chocolate boxed cake mix even more awesome.
So, basically, start with your favorite chocolate cupcake. Then, let the magic happen with the cupcake decorating.
Get some chocolate frosting (which you can make with the recipe below or just use a canned frosting, you just need to make a chocolate frosted cupcake).
Then it’s time to break out the vanilla wafers for ears and the mouth muzzle area–you know, the front of the monkey’s face. You can use any cookie, I just liked the golden brown color against the chocolate. Also, if you want a smaller ear, use mini nilla wafers. I didn’t have any on hand, so I just broke my cookies down smaller.
Once you’ve got those in place, it’s time for a little black gel icing for the mouth and nose and some eyes. I used candy eyeballs (they’re made of some sugar mixture that’s pretty tasty–so don’t worry about that), but you can also use chocolate chips. Whatever. Just give your monkeys some eyes.
How Do You Make Animal Cupcakes?
I’ve thought about this a lot (I think a lot while I’m baking) and there are some options if you want to make more than just monkey cupcakes using the same concept–just in case your birthday party or baby shower is more than just a monkey baby shower. Here are some of my favorite ideas that I think would be a huge hit:
- Lion Cupcakes (just use orange icing instead of chocolate icing)
- Puppy Cupcakes (use fondant floppy ears instead of the extra cookie pieces)
- Gorilla Cupcake (use black icing instead of chocolate icing)
Specialty Ingredients:
The following ingredients are affiliate links on Amazon because they may be a bit hard to find in your normal store. I wanted you to be able to see exactly which things we are using.
Reminder, not all ingredients in the Monkey Cupcakes Recipe are linked above, just the ones that may be a bit difficult to find or that you might be unsure of what to look for.
Shop My Kitchen:
The following items can be found in my kitchen here at Miller Manor. Simply click the image that interests you – yes, they do contain affiliate links.
Must Have Resources:
When making Monkey Cupcakes at home, you really need to have the following Amazon affiliate tools on hand.
- Green Cupcake Liners
- The Perfect Cupcake Tin (no, really, that’s it’s name and there’s a reason)
- Non-Slip Mixing Bowls (having these in my kitchen has been life-changing)
Make it a Meal:
At the end of the day, if you’re making these monkey cupcakes for a fun jungle baby shower, they become a part of the baby shower decorations. But, if you’re making these as part of a fun spread, here are some great ideas you can put on the table:
Main Dish: Gorgonzola Stuffed Figs
Vegetable Side: Watermelon Salsa (watermelon is a veggie today, fight me)
Starch Side: Roasted Pecans
Refreshing Drink: Green Lady Mocktail
More Fun Jungle Baby Shower Ideas:
Making a monkey themed baby shower super fun can be a challenge if you don’t have a ton of ideas. Good news for you, I have a ton of ideas–and templates and more Cricut projects!
- Everything You Need to Know About Throwing a Surprise Shower
- All the Best Jungle Baby Shower Ideas
- How to Throw the Best Baby Sprinkle
Jungle Baby Shower Food Ideas:
- Rotel Dip With Ground Beef – For some wild appetizers, always keep a good cheese dip on the menu.
- Meat and Cheese Plate Ideas – Enjoying charcuterie is not only on-trend, it’s also easy and fun.
- Monkey Bread Recipe – My nutty chimp bread is so fabulous, just a little sugar and cinnamon, butter and brown sugar in some biscuit dough and you’ve got cinnamon roll flavored deliciousness in a bundt pan.
Fun Baby Shower Jungle Decorations & More:
If you need some additional decorations for the shower you’re planning, you can find some awesome coordinated supplies that fit perfectly with these cupcakes below:
And, if I’m being honest, you should probably search the site soon–I have a habit of not just stopping at a handful of things…there might be more jungle themed supplies coming soon.
FAQ: Crafting the Perfect Easy Monkey Cupcakes
Now, on to the cupcake (or tasty confection of saturated fat, whatever).
How to Make Monkey Cupcakes
I want to be really clear about these easy monkey cupcakes. They're adorable and fun--and you can make them fast. So get ready to make a ton for your jungle themed baby shower!
Ingredients
- 1 box Chocolate Cake Mix
- 1/3 cup Butter Softened
- 3 Eggs
- 1 cup Water
- Chocolate Icing
- 18 Vanilla Wafer Cookies
- 24 Candy Eyeballs
- Black Get Writing Icing
Instructions
- Start by mixing your cake mix, butter, eggs, and water with a hand mixer on high until well blended.
- Pour mixture into cupcake tins, and bake according to box instructions.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
- Fill your piping bag with your chocolate icing with a large round tip on the end.
- Frost each of the cupcakes in a single layer moving form outside to inside the cupcake. Smooth the frosting with a butter knife, as desired.
- Place a single vanilla wafer cookie on each cupcake, low on the "face" of the cupcake in the center. Break 6 of the vanilla wafer cookies into quarters. Place one quarter cookie on each side of each cupcake, on the higher side of "face".
- Using the black get writing icing, place two dots and a smile on the muzzle cookie for each cupcake.
- Place two candy eyeballs between the ears and above the muzzle and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 172Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 116mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
If you love seeing these yummy monkey cupcakes but the baby shower you’re planning isn’t for a while yet, be sure to pin this to your favorite baby shower planning board on Pinterest, so you can find it again quick!