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These easy dinosaur cupcakes are perfect for a kids birthday party! Top each moist vanilla cupcake with a swirl of colorful frosting and dino spikes for an adorable sweet treat.
While some trends and characters come and go, kids have been loving dinosaurs for decades, which means parents are always looking for fun dinosaur birthday ideas. You can go to the bakery and pay a pretty penny for custom-made cupcakes, or you can make these cute dinosaur cupcakes at home.
If you’re not confident in your cake decorating skills, don’t worry—this is an easy recipe that even beginning bakers can handle. The spikes are made by piping simple triangles of melted almond bark, and you don’t have to draw faces, pipe on scales, or anything elaborate like that!
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cupcakes:
- Unsalted butter – Let this come to room temperature so it’s easy to cream with the sugar.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg whites
- Sour cream – Use full-fat sour cream for a moist, tender crumb.
- Milk – You can use skim, 1% or 2% for this recipe.
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
Vanilla Frosting:
- Unsalted butter – This butter also needs to be softened.
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Milk or heavy cream – You only need this if the frosting is too thick to pipe.
- Teal and green gel food coloring
Dinosaur Spikes:
- Vanilla almond bark
- Teal, green and orange gel food coloring
- Sprinkles – These are optional.
What Is Almond Bark?
While the name “almond bark” might make you think we’re talking about something similar to chocolate bark, it’s actually a confectionary coating. It’s made with sugar, vegetable oils, and flavoring like vanilla or almond extract. It’s commonly used to coat things like pretzels and Oreos.
You can find it in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, near the chocolate chips and bars of baking chocolate. If you have trouble finding it, you could also use candy melts, which are similar.
How to Make Dinosaur Cupcakes
You can easily split this process into two days. Make the cupcakes and the spikes the first day, then make the frosting and assemble the dinosaur cupcakes on the second day.
Make the Cupcakes:
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350º F and line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is fluffy. Beat in the egg whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a second mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Finish the batter. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time. Mix just until incorporated, then divide the batter into the muffin liners, filling them no more than halfway.
Bake. Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 17 to 19 minutes at 350º F, or until only a few moist crumbs remain on a toothpick when inserted into the center. Let the cupcakes cool completely before you frost them.
Make the Dinosaur Spikes:
Melt the almond bark. While the cupcakes are cooling, roughly chop the almond bark into smaller pieces. Place it in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 50% power until melted, stirring occasionally.
Color the almond bark. Divide the melted almond bark into 3 bowls; color each with gel food coloring. Transfer each color into a squeeze bottle, then pipe small triangles onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Add sprinkles if you’re using them and allow the almond bark to set completely.
Make the Vanilla Frosting:
Cream the butter. Beat the butter and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer for a minute or two, until it’s fluffy.
Finish the frosting. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until combined. Add a splash of milk or cream if the frosting seems too thick. Whip for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add color. To color the frosting 2 different colors, divide the frosting into 2 bowls, add the food coloring, and beat until each color is combined.
Transfer to a piping bag. Scoop each frosting into a separate piping bag fitted with a piping tip; I used a Wilton 1M.
Assemble:
Frost and finish. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, then top each with 5 spikes.
Tips for Success
Here are some simple tips for perfect dinosaur cupcakes.
- Getting the right taste and texture for the frosting. After adding the first 2 cups of powdered sugar, taste the frosting to determine if you want more. If it ends up too stiff after adding more sugar, you can add the milk or cream.
- Making fluffier frosting. If you want an extra fluffy frosting, add in 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream when adding the last portion of powdered sugar
- Adding the spikes. I thought it looked best when I alternated the spikes, so one in front, one behind, one in front, one behind, etc., vs. arranging them in a straight line across the cupcake.
How to Store
Dinosaur cupcakes are best the day they’re decorated, but they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Variations
You can make dinosaur cupcakes out of any flavor of cupcake, so if vanilla isn’t your little one’s first choice, feel free to use another flavor. Here are some ideas:
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
If you want to get a head start on this recipe, you can make the vanilla cupcakes and freeze those in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature, then frost and decorate them.
If you have leftover cupcakes that you want to freeze, set them on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer until the frosting is solid. Then, transfer them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
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Dinosaur Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (1/2 cup)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg whites
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup milk, skim, 1% or 2%
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Vanilla Frosting
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature (1 & 1/2 cups)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
- Dash milk or heavy cream if frosting becomes too thick
- Teal and green gel food coloring
Dinosaur Spikes
- 8 oz vanilla almond bark, 4 squares
- Teal, green and orange gel food coloring
- Sprinkles, optional
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In a mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar, beat using an electric mixer, 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Add in the egg whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat lightly with the electric mixer. In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients together, this will help produce extra fluffy cupcakes. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time. Mix until just incorporated. Fill the muffin liners 1/2 full. Bake for 17-19 minutes at 350º F or until a few moist crumbs remain on a toothpick when inserted into the center. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before adding the frosting. Meanwhile, make the dinosaur spikes.
Dinosaur Spikes
- Rough chop the vanilla almond bark into smaller pieces. Place it in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on 50% power until melted. Occasionally stir and continue microwaving.
- Divide the almond bark into 3 bowls and color each with gel food coloring. Transfer each color into a squeeze bottle (https://amzn.to/3Gh8Ens). On a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, make small triangles. Repeat with each color. Add sprinkles if desired. Allow the almond bark to set completely before removing the spikes.
Vanilla Frosting
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and vanilla extract, beat using an electric mixer until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low until combined. Taste as needed to determine if you want more powdered sugar. If the frosting becomes too thick, add a dash of milk or heavy cream. If you want an extra fluffy frosting, add in 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream when adding the last bit of powdered sugar. Whip for 3-4 minutes.
- If you want to color the frosting 2 separate colors, divide the frosting, add in the food coloring and beat until each color is combined. Transfer each frosting to a piping bag fit with a piping tip. I used a Wilton 1M.
Assemble
- Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Top each cupcake with 5 spikes. I thought it looked best when I alternated the spikes, so one in front, one behind, one in front, one behind, etc.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Super cute cupcakes and an easy idea for a diy baker! My complaint is that using gel food coloring in my melted almond bark caused it to clump and curdle – making it impossible to squeeze out tiny triangles. A quick google search explained that you cannot use water based food colorings to dye almond bark – only powder, oil, or paste dyes will allow the almond bark to maintain its creamy texture when melted. I wish this was noted in the recipient since it caused me so much trouble. Otherwise, a super cute and tasty treat.
Hi Shannon! In the recipe it calls for gel food coloring.