Groundhog Day has always been a favorite movie of my ex-husband. He was so inspired by it he bought a piano and taught himself how to play! Last year, on February 2nd, he started a ritual with our son where they watch the movie together. It was Jake's first time seeing it and he loved it so much that he asked to watch it again the next day. That day a tradition was born.Tomorrow evening they will watch the movie again and to commemorate the event I created a special Groundhog Day cupcake. I did my usual research on the web and I found a few recipes but none of them really looked much like an actual groundhog, so I created my own. I think Phil would be proud!
In case it doesn't come through in the photograph, it's a groundhog coming up out of it's snow covered burrow to see it's shadow. The cupcake is buttermilk chocolate-almond cake with vanilla cream cheese frosting (which is suppose to be snow). The little guy in the center is made from Tootsie rolls, regular size and mini chocolate chips, white candy melts, and cocoa. The cake crumbs around his head are suppose to be the dirt from his burrow. Yum!
One of my favorite quotes from the movie:
Piano Teacher: Not bad... Mr. Connors, you say this is your first lesson?
Phil: Yes, but my father was a piano *mover*, so...
This just in! Phil Says Spring is Right Around the Corner! Straight from Gobbler's Knob, read Phil's official forecast here. I wonder if my cupcakes helped scare his shadow away? :-)
oh my! This is awesome. I'd love to save it for my young daughters to see (and eat) but....! Thanks Julia!
ReplyDeleteOh man, I wish I worked at SerSol
ReplyDeleteG-hog day is one of my favorite holidays (and filmes), so i'm happy to celebrate it in any way. But this cupcake couldn't be better. Those choppers of his! It's almost too cute to eat, but i think i'll find a way. (it doesn't cast much of a shadow, by the way.)
ReplyDelete"What flurry, it's just a couple of flakes!"
Looked great, tasted good too. The groundhog was very chewy - and *didn't* taste like chicken (another reference from the movie).
ReplyDeleteThese are so cute I can't take it.
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the cutest things I ever ate. I am amazed at how versatile the tootsies roll can be in the Birthday Fairy's expert hands!
ReplyDeletehey its me again i wonder how you could of ever eatten this cute and adorable cupcake lol i love you
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteHow awesome for a groundhog day treat! I'm originally from Punxsutawney and enjoy making different treats from year to year to share with my co-workers.
I would love to attempt your fun cupcakes. However, I was wondering if you might share the construction process for building the individual grounhogs.
For instance, what size Tootsie Rolls did you use, did you melt the chocolate chips, etc.?
Thanks!
Hi Laurel!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your questions!
As for the actual construction of the little guys, used 3 to 4 small (not minis) Tootsie rolls for each one. I put all 3 or 4 into a small bowl and microwave just to the point that they are warm and pliable (maybe 10 or seconds). Then I would knead them together to form a ball and mould them into a long cube shape, tapering it at one end and flattening the other. On the tapered end, I pushed in each side with a teaspoon to sort of dent each side. I'd then exaggerate the dent with my finger to form a little ear. Seriously though, it's just a matter of playing with the malleable Tootsie roll. It took me a few hours to get it right but once I did I had a good little process down. I also found a good head shot of an actual groundhog and that helped me to get the overall look right.
Okay, on to the easier part, decorating! I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes -- turned upside down so the small, flat side is up. The nose is one big, Guitaurd chips, turned on its side and upside down. For the teeth, I used white candy melts and cut each circle in little pieces to for a long slice of candy. I used a knife to dent the middle of the chocolate to make it look like 2 teeth. The trick with the teeth is to make sure they are long enough so you can really get it wedged into the warm tootsie roll. This way when the Toosie rolls harden, the teeth are really wedged in there.
I really hope my instructions help. Have fun and just play! If you make them, you should know that people may not eat them - they are much too cute!
Super cute and creative, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for posting the instructions...it really helped. This was really fun!
ReplyDelete