Did someone say, "Zoo Party?!?!"

Never one to turn down an excuse to try out fun new ideas, I jumped at the chance to make zoo-themed cupcakes for the sweet son of a co-worker. (I think he's 4???) I'm just now realizing this, but this was my first official (paid) cupcake order. The amount of planning and labor that went into these cuties was, as usual, far more than I expected. In the end, however, I was quite pleased with the outcome and of course it was a labor of love :)

My sister D. played a huge role in making sure this order would be finished in time, and many thanks go out to her! She actually spent her time off painting the tigers, hippos, elephants, and zebras with food colors and a tiny, tiny brush! The animals are made of animal crackers (you know--the ones that come in a big plastic bear-shaped tub) covered with a colored glaze made of powdered sugar, milk, and corn syrup. I would have liked to include some other animals, but I figured the ones I chose had the most distinctive shapes (zebra, lion, tiger, and elephant were a given since they also appeared on the green jungle print cupcake liners). These are so fun I almost want to throw my own zoo party just so I can make them again!