Do I need fondant or candy to make teddy bear cupcakes?

Nope! Every part of these bears is piped buttercream, from the fur and ears to the muzzle, eyes, and nose! I skip fondant and candy to keep this tutorial on the simpler side with pantry staples. All you need is a grass piping tip and a couple of open round tips.

What piping tip makes the fur?

A grass (or multi-opening) tip. I like Wilton 233 for fine, realistic strands, though a 234 works too. The trick is to press the tip against the cupcake so the buttercream grabs on, then pull straight up and away to form the fur. You could also create a different texture from fur but still get a nice look with other piping tips like Wilton 32.

Can I make these ahead for a party like a baby shower or birthday?

Yes, and I recommend it. Bake the cupcakes (or bake and freeze them) and make your buttercream up to two days ahead. Then decorate the bears ideally the day of or the day before the party.

Teddy Bear Cupcakes with Buttercream (No Fondant)

Description

Learn how to decorate teddy bear cupcakes with piped buttercream 'fur' — no fondant, no candy. A beginner-friendly tutorial for brown, polar, and colorful bears.

Ingredients

Scale

Strawberry Cupcakes

Use 200 g of your favorite strawberry jam or preserves, OR make it at home with the below ingredients
1 cup (120 g) strawberries, fresh or frozen (14–16 medium)
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 teaspoons lemon juice, bottled or fresh
Pinch of salt

Strawberry Cupcake Batter

1 cup (220 g) granulated sugar
⅔ cup (140 g) canola oil
4 eggs, room temperature
1½ teaspoons almond extract
3 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
1 ounce (30 grams) freeze dried strawberry powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (120 g) buttermilk, room temperature

Vanilla Buttercream

12 tablespoons (170 grams) of unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cup (575 gram) of powdered sugar
⅓ cup (80 grams) heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fine salt or to taste
A few drops of lemon or lime juice (or white vinegar) to cut sweetness; add to your preference

For tinting features (eyes, nose, and mouth)

Cocoa powder or brown or black gel food color
- 1–2 teaspoons black cocoa or a touch of black gel (darkest noses and eyes)

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Instructions

Make the strawberry puree (skip if using jam). Cook the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice over medium heat until thick and jam-like — about 5 minutes for fresh, 10–15 for frozen. Cool, then blend smooth.
Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line your cupcake tins (18 total).
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, and the almond and vanilla extracts. Whisk in the cooled strawberry puree.
Add the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, freeze dried strawberry powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour.
Bake. Divide the batter among the liners and bake about 19–21 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before decorating (I bake a day or two ahead and refrigerate or freeze).
Make the buttercream. In a stand mixer, combine the butter, powdered sugar, extract, heavy cream, and salt. Start on low in short bursts so the sugar doesn't fly, then increase speed and beat 5 minutes until smooth.
Divide and tint. Split the buttercream into bowls for the bears you're making. Remember you'll need some of your frosting to be darkened with cocoa powder and food gel for their facial features.
Fit grass piping tips into the fur bags and open round tips into the muzzle and feature bags (which should be a dark color frosting).
Pipe the fur. Press the grass tip against the cupcake so the buttercream connects, then pull straight up and away to form strands. Cover the whole top. Repeat this across all your cupcakes until they're furry!
Add the muzzle and ears. With a round tip (like Wilton 10 or 12), pipe an oval mound low and center. Place your piping tip toward the upper edges of the cupcake to create two dots of frosting for ears.
Pipe the face. With a smaller round tip and your darkest buttercream, pipe an oval nose on the muzzle and two dots above for eyes.
Repeat for all the bears and keep cool until serving.

Notes

Make-ahead: bake cupcakes and make buttercream up to 2 days ahead; decorate cold, ideally the day of or day before the party.
Storage: airtight container; holds shape at cool room temp for a day, or refrigerate longer and bring to room temperature ~30 minutes before serving.
Tips: a Wilton 233 grass tip gives the finest fur (234 also works for making a larger footprint on the cupcakes).
As noted in the blog post, there are many options to select for decorating. For the purposes of this recipe card, know that the nutritional facts are based off of strawberry cupcakes with a vanilla buttercream frosting.
Leftover buttercream keeps in an airtight container in the freezer up to 3 months; thaw and rewhip before using.

The nutritional values are approximate and can vary based on specific ingredient brands and measurements.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Buttercream and Cupcake Assembly: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cupcake
Calories: 407
Sugar: 48 g
Sodium: 317 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 58 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 3 g
Cholesterol: 67 mg