Shark Attack Cupcakes

These delicious Shark Cupcakes are great for ocean-themed birthday parties, Fourth of July barbecues and Shark Week gatherings! They use boxed cake mix with a tasty homemade frosting, decorated with scary edible sharks. Shark cupcakes are fun to make and eat!

These Shark Cupcakes are guaranteed to be a total hit at summer birthday parties, Fourth of July barbecues and as a treat during shark week. They are a great dessert for sea creature and ocean parties and one that the kids will surely get a kick out of.

This easy recipe uses a box of cupcake mix to make the cupcakes, which are frosted with an incredible homemade cream cheese frosting and then decorated with your choice of fun shark shapes and fins. Complete the look with sugary red and white sprinkles to mimic a shark attack.

For as fancy as shark attack cupcakes look, they really are very simple!

*The most timely part of this recipe is making the decorative candy shark toppers so make sure to plan for that part in advance. I usually do this the night before and it takes about 30 minutes to prepare candy toppers for 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes and candy shark decorations you need:

• Boxed cake mix
• White candy melts: to make edible shark cupcake toppers. Fondant can also be used.
• Red crystal sprinkles: to make blood
• White shimmer sprinkles: the make foamy waves

For the frosting you need:

• Cream cheese
• Butter
• Powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
• Vanilla extract

Tools Needed

To make these shark cupcakes you need:

• Shark fin silicone molds: I use these ones to make a variety of sharks and shark fins.
• Electric hand mixer for the frosting.
• Cupcake tin, standard size.
• Cupcake liners: I like blue liners to go with the theme but any color will do.
• Piping bag and piping tips: I use a reusable piping bag with screw on tips similar to this one. It's so much easier to work with piping tips that screw into place and are secure.
• Food coloring: gel food coloring is best to use when making icing because it doesn't add liquid to it. If you only have liquid food coloring, that is okay- just don't use too much!

How To Make Shark Week Cupcakes

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on the box of cupcake mix (usually 350° Fahrenheit). Line the muffin tin with muffin liners. Make the cupcake batter as indicated on the package and fill each liner. Bake in the preheated oven for the time suggested on the box, usually 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from the oven when done and place on a workspace to decorate. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before frosting.

STEP 2: While the cupcakes bake, make the shark fins and sharks using the candy melts. You can also do this step the night before, as it will take time to make all of the sharks. Prepare the candy melts according to the instructions on the package and fill each shark in the silicone mold. Let cool for a few minutes in the fridge then remove edible sharks from the molds. Continue until you have as many as you need.

STEP 3: Make the frosting by combining room temperature butter, room temperature cream cheese and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Using the electric hand mixer, beat on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar 2 cups at a time and continue to beat on low speed until smooth. Add the blue food coloring (enough to make the hue you desire) and mix until the color is evenly incorporated into the frosting.

STEP 4: Select the piping tip you'd like to use and secure it to the piping bag. Fill the piping bag halfway with frosting. You may need to frost the cupcakes in batches depending on the size of the piping bag. Twist the top where the frosting ends and hold securely while squeezing the frosting onto each cupcake.

STEP 5: Decorate each cupcake with the edible sharks and red and white sprinkles. The white sprinkles can be poured near the sharks so that they look like foam from waves and the red can sprinkled around the cupcake to look like blood.

Serve within a few hours or store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Variations

• Stuff your cupcakes with red sprinkles or strawberry jam to make a shark attack explosion, like I do with these Fourth of July cupcakes.
• Forget about the blood and make a little less scary by using only white sprinkles and edible sharks.
• Dye the cupcake batter blue or red, or use a different flavor such as chocolate.
• Use shark fin cupcake toppers instead of making edible sharks and fins if you're short on time.
• Make your favorite frosting recipe if you have one in place of my cream cheese frosting. Either way they will be delicious!
• Add various sea creatures, like fish and turtles, to the ocean of frosting.

Recipe Tips

• Plan accordingly to prepare the candy sharks. This takes about 30-60 minutes depending on how many you're making. It can be done the night before or even a few days before.
• Fondant and candy melts are both really simple to work with when making candy molds. Only use regular chocolate as a last resort as it won't hold the shape as well and melts easily.
• The cupcakes can also be made a day in advance (don't frost them). Store unfrosted cupcakes in the fridge, then a few hours before the party make the frosting and decorate them. This will save you time the day of your party!
• Don't try to dye your white candy melts gray or black to look like a real shark. The candy melts will change texture and appearance.

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