We follow the Swedish tradition of birthdays in bed. This means everyone in the family arrives early in the morning, singing, carrying birthday gifts and bearing the birthday cake into the bedroom of the birthday child or adult. We’ve had every sort of birthday cake from traditional Swedish Princess Torte to tailored made ideas.  I get into this as much as the kids. This year, our oldest told me, with a glimmer in his eye and a smile on his face, the he wanted “Burgers for breakfast. ” I met his glance with a smile and a game on! Along with this brother and sister, we made him a basket of Hamburger Cupcakes that we repeated them again for Dad on Father’s Day! 

If you’re looking for a unique cupcake or for a way to engage your kids in the kitchen, these top our list.  See how you can make Hamburger Cupcakes, too. Full tutorial for Hamburger Cupcakes below.

 

This is what you’ll need for 36 Cupcakes*

• 36 Yellow Cake Cupcakes (recipe here)
  1 Batch of brownies (recipe here)
• 2 Cups or Marzipan or Fondant
• Food colouring
• Icing for piping
• Plastic Wrap
• Rolling Pin
• Icing Bag with finest piping tip
• Sesame Seeds (optional: use real sesame seed or pipe teeny seeds, if you have the patience!)

(Note: We made 36 Mini Cupcakes for this recipe and this tutorial is based on this. I really like the smaller size and since these are stacked high, I prefer the mini slider size but, if you’d like a whopper, these work well, too large.)

How to Build a Hamburger Cupcake 

1. Slice top off of the cupcake

2. Tint marzipan or fondant.
– Tint 1/2 of the marzipan salad green
– Tint 1/2 of the marzipan light orange

3. Tint icing ketchup red

4. Roll GREEN (salad) marzipan or fondant between two pieces of plastic wrap.
– Roll this as thin as possible.

5. Once the green has been rolled, wrinkle the plastic wrap a little to create small creases on the fondant/marzipan to simulate a lettuce look.

6. Place on flat surface in refrigerator until ready to assemble.

Repeat this with the orange to create the cheese layer except keep this smooth and without creases and place on flat surface in refrigerator when complete.

7. Using circular cookie cutter that are just about the size or slightly larger than the diameter of the cupcakes cut brownies into circles.

8. When brownies have been cut into circles, use your clean, washed, hands to  press and mold these along their edges to look like hamburgers.

9. Remove the marzipan or fondant from the refrigerator.
– Cut orange into square cheese slices
– Cut salad into circular or ripped fan shapes for the lettuces.

10. It’s assembly time!

• – Place the cupcake bottom down first.
•  Dap a little icing onto this and place the “Brownie Hamburger” into place.
• Pipe red Ketchup onto the burger with attention to the center so that it can hold the cheese.
• Place marzipan or fondant CHEESE layer on top of the Brownie.
• Dap a little icing on top of the CHEESE.
•  Place the marzipan or fondant SALAD on top of the CHEESE.
• Dap a little icing on top of the SALAD.
• Top with CUPCAKE TOP.
  Optional: Sprinkle Sesame Seeds on top or pipe icing to look like seeds.

We live in Sweden. Marzipan is easy to pick up at our local market. If it isn’t available near your, you can also use fondant.

 

PS. I think the kitchen table can be as creative as an art studio.  Unleash your kids inner sculpter and have them make Hamburger Cupcakes.

• For more ideas for big kids,   what about baking a cookie as big as their head?
• Have campers in the house, then let your kids make Bonfire Cupcakes.
• Do you have 1 banana and a blender? Dazzle your kids with Banana Ice Cream — a one ingredient treat. This is a super project for kids to make on their own.
• Energise Veggies with Vegetable Mandalas – click here.
• Energise  Veggies with Veggie Jenga – click here