How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

Yorkshire Terrier Cupcakes!

A super easy way to ensure a really moist, dense cupcake is to add pudding. I'm not talking about adding in a Snack Pack (I mean, you could, but I wouldn't recommend it). Just a box of of instant pudding added to the dry ingredients of your cake mix will ensure you never have to deal with a dry cupcake again! Just add vanilla to the yellow or white cakes, chocolate to the chocolate cakes, or mix and match whatever flavoring of pudding you want. Another fabulous perk of doing this is it's also *almost* impossible to over bake the cupcakes (I said almost, I'm sure someone out there could find a way).
But on to these adorable doggy cupcakes! These ones are Yorkie cupcakes made for a friend at work and were modeled after here Teacup Yorkshire Terrier. The puppies themselves have tons of frosting, perfect for those sweet tooth folks out there. Fortunately, the bone in the center has a more moderate amount of frosting. Everyone wins!

You will need:
1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 C water
1/3 C oil
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
1 can dark chocolate frosting
White buttercream frosting

In a large bowl combine the pudding dry mix with the dry cake mix. Add the eggs, water, and oil. If the mixture is still too thick, add water 1/4 C at a time until it is of a cupcake consistency. Bake the cupcakes at 350 degrees for about 23-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely. Reserve 6 cupcakes for the bone. In a large bowl, tint the white buttercream tan by adding 2-3 T of the chocolate frosting.

To construct the puppies swirl the tan and chocolate frosting all over the bodies. Next, pipe a large tan or chocolate ball for the face. Using a small star tip add the long hair accents on the side of the face and next to the nose. Using the opposite color from the face, add eyes, nose, and highlights to the longer hair. Pipe in dark ears, with light centers in front. Voila! Yorkie puppies!

To construct the bone, take the 6 cupcakes left aside and arrange in the shape of a bone. Once arranged, pipe a small amount of frosting onto the bottom of the paper in order to 'glue' the bone in place. Spread the light tan frosting over the cupcakes. With a piping tip and the darker frosting, add puppy paws and any words you would like it to have.
There you go! A super cute and deceptively easy cupcake cake that will leave everyone wondering what bakery makes those doggies!