It's Shark Week!

It's the most wonderful week of the year - SHARK WEEK!  I like to celebrate not only because I find sharks fascinating, but because I want to get people excited about sharks.  Millions of sharks are killed every year and it's a race against extinction.  So stop being afraid OF sharks and be afraid FOR sharks. 

Now, spread the word and get festive by making these delicious and FINtastic shark cupcakes!

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Blood in the Water Shark Cakes

Hangry Timer: 1 Hour
Cost: $6
Feeds: 12 Hangry Hammerheads

What You Need:

1 Package of Blue Cake Mix (I used Pillsbury Aqua Blue)
Other ingredients required to prepare the cake (located on the package)
1 Container Cream Cheese Frosting
Blue Food Coloring
1 Can Cherry Pie Filling
Sprinkles
Gummy Sharks*
Baking Cups
Ziploc Bag
Piping Tip

Hangry Timer: 1 Hour

What To Do With It:

Prepare the cupcakes as directed by the packaging.

While the cupcakes are baking, transfer the frosting into a larger bowl.  Add 1-2 drops of blue food coloring and swirl together with a spoon or spatula until the frosting looks marbled.  Should only be 3-4 swirly stirs. 

Cut the tip off of a Ziploc bag (if you have a piping bag use that, of course!).  Push a pastry decorating tip into the cut tip of the bag.  Place the bag in a mason jar or cup of some sort and fold the zippy part over the top of the cup to keep it from falling into the jar. 

Spoon the frosting into the bag and twist the top of the bag until frosting squeezes out of the tip.  Now, we wait.

When the cupcakes are baked, let them cool completely.  Once cooled, spoon a hole out of the center of each cupcake.**  Fill the hole with cherry pie filling. 

Use your Ziploc pastry bag to pipe frosting onto the top of the cupcake to cover all of the cake and cherry filling.  Top with sprinkles and a gummy shark!  Store in an airtight container until ready to devour.

CHOMP!

*Hangry District Tip: I used Trolli Sour Watermelon Sharks, but also LOVE the blue raspberry gummy sharks with marshmallow bellies!
**Hangry District Tip: Save all the cupcake holes and put them in a bowl. Add the leftover frosting, cherry filling and gummy sharks for a shark infested surprise for your hangry boyfriend/girlfriend/mom/dad/roommate/cat/dog/shark..... it's delicious.

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You can help save the sharks by adopting a great white, or becoming a shark conservationist with the Discovery channel, with a variety of ways to help.  After all, there would be no shark week without sharks!