Barn Cake with Farm Animal Cupcakes

Barn Cake with Farm Animal Cupcakes

Bake up a delicious red barn and fun-to-decorate animals.

Prep Time

1:35

Hr:Mins

Total Time

4:45

Hrs:Mins

Makes

20

servings

Cake, Cupcakes and Frosting
1
box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® yellow or devil’s food cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box
2
containers Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
Red liquid food color
Betty Crocker® red gel food color
Barn Decorations
Tray or cardboard (20x15 inches), covered with wrapping paper and plastic food wrap or foil
5
thin pretzel sticks
6
graham cracker squares
1 1/2
cups shredded coconut
Yellow liquid food color
Green liquid food color
Chick Decorations
Reserved yellow coconut (from barn)
8
brown miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
4
small orange gumdrops
Sheep Decorations
4
red miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
8
brown miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
4
small white gumdrops, cut in half vertically
64
miniature marshmallows, cut in half crosswise
Pig Decorations
8
red miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
8
brown miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits
1
roll Betty Crocker® Fruit Roll-Ups® strawberry chewy fruit snack (from 5-oz box)
  1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottom and sides of 9-inch square pan. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Pour 2 1/4 cups batter into square pan; divide remaining batter among muffin cups. Bake yellow cupcakes 15 to 20 minutes and yellow square pan 20 to 26 minutes) OR devil's food cupcakes 18 to 23 minutes and devil's food square pan 21 to 28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. For easier handling, refrigerate or freeze square cake 30 to 60 minutes or until firm.
  2. In small bowl, tint 1 cup of the frosting with red liquid food color to make pink frosting. In medium bowl, tint 1 1/2 cups of the frosting with red gel or paste food color to make desired color of red frosting for barn; set aside. Reserve remaining white frosting. Decorate square cake to make barn (step 3); decorate cupcakes to make 4 chicks, 4 sheep and 4 pigs (steps 4, 5, 6).
  3. Barn: Trim 1 side of square cake to form roof of barn; place cake near top of tray with roof at top of tray. Spread thin layer of red frosting over entire cake to seal in crumbs. Refrigerate or freeze cake 30 to 60 minutes. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining red frosting. Make vertical lines on top of cake to look like boards (use spatula or toothpick).
  4. For window, break 2 pretzel sticks in half; place near top of cake in square shape.
  5. For shutters, place 1-inch-square piece of graham cracker on each side of window.
  6. For sides and top of doorway, place 3 pretzel sticks near bottom of cake.
  7. For doors, place 2 1/2x1-inch graham cracker rectangle on each side of doorway.
  8. For roof, arrange eight 2 1/2 x1-inch graham cracker rectangles on top edge of cake, overlapping to form barn roof shape.
  9. For hay, place 1/2 cup of the coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add 2 drops yellow liquid food color; seal bag and shake to mix. Place small amount of yellow coconut at bottom of window and doorway (reserve remaining yellow coconut to decorate chick cupcakes).
  10. For grass, place remaining 1 cup coconut in resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add 2 drops green liquid food color; seal bag and shake to mix. Scatter green coconut on bottom half of tray. Decorate cupcakes and arrange on coconut grass.
  11. Chicks: Frost 4 cupcakes with white frosting. Top with reserved yellow coconut. For eyes, add brown baking bits. Cut orange gumdrops to look like beaks; place on cupcakes.
  12. Sheep: Frost 4 cupcakes with white frosting. For muzzle, spread 1/2 teaspoon pink frosting in small circle on each cupcake; add red baking bit for nose. For eyes, add brown baking bits. For ears, add white gumdrop halves, cut sides down. Place marshmallow halves on face for wool.
  13. Pigs: Frost 4 cupcakes with pink frosting. For snout, spread additional 1 teaspoon pink frosting in small circle on each cupcake; add red baking bits for nostrils. For eyes, add brown baking bits. For ears, cut 8 small triangles from fruit snack; place on cupcakes. Store loosely covered.
Makes 20 servings (1 square cake plus 12 cupcakes)
Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker® Kitchens
Get a party menu, prep guide, tips, party games, activities and more for an Old MacDonald's Farm Birthday Party!
Create an attractive display by covering a piece of sturdy cardboard with wrapping paper, then plastic food wrap. Stretch and secure with tape. Or cover cardboard with foil or cooking parchment paper.
If you have only one pan and a recipe calls for more cupcakes than your pan will make, cover and refrigerate the rest of the batter while baking the first batch. Cool the pan about 15 minutes, then bake the rest of the batter, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.

Nutrition Information:

1 Serving (1 Serving (Cake and Frosting Only))
  • Calories 320
    • (Calories from Fat 120),
  • Total Fat 13g
    • (Saturated Fat 3g,
    • Trans Fat 2 1/2g),
  • Cholesterol 30mg;
  • Sodium 260mg;
  • Total Carbohydrate 48g
    • (Dietary Fiber 0g,
    • Sugars 34g),
  • Protein 1g;
Percent Daily Value*:
    Exchanges:
    • 1/2 Starch;
    • 0 Fruit;
    • 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrate;
    • 0 Skim Milk;
    • 0 Low-Fat Milk;
    • 0 Milk;
    • 0 Vegetable;
    • 0 Very Lean Meat;
    • 0 Lean Meat;
    • 0 High-Fat Meat;
    • 2 1/2 Fat;
    Carbohydrate Choices:
    • 3;
    *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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