Cupcake pull apart cakes are so easy to make and even easier to serve – no cake knife needed here! Cupcakes are one of my favorite things to make because I don’t have to worry about the cake sticking to the pan or leveling the cakes before decorating. A cupcake pull apart cakes takes that a step further by creating a cohesive cake that saves you from decorating each cupcake individually. This tractor cupcake pull apart cake is sure to make any farmer proud!
(This post contains affiliate links that I, as an Amazon Associate, may earn a commission on at no cost to you)
What You Need to Make a Cupcake Pull Apart Cake:
- Cupcake Baking Tin
- Cupcake Liners
- 22 Cupcakes
- Buttercream icing
- Food Coloring
- Disposable Piping Bags or Zip Lock Bags
- Offset Spatula (this is a MUST have when decorating cakes and cupcakes)
- Scott Paper Towels
Baking Cupcakes
I like to use Betty Crocker’s Super Moist White Cake Mix. To me this box mix tastes like bakery quality and always turns out good. Just follow the directions exactly as instructed.
- Pro Tip: Measure your eggs! The mix calls for 3 egg whites which should equal 1/2 cup (Super Moist™ Cake Mix Frequently Asked Questions – BettyCrocker.com). You may find that it takes more or less than 3 eggs to equal 1/2 cup depending on the size of your eggs.
Place your cupcake liners in your cupcake baking tin. Make sure they are all straight before you start pouring batter in. I like to use a cupcake batter scoop to keep each cupcake symmetrical.
Bake according to directions on box. Once they are done, allow the cupcakes to cool completely before icing. The icing will melt and run if you try to ice them while they are hot. While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare your icing.
Make Buttercream Icing
When baking cakes and cupcakes I always make homemade buttercream icing. Making icing from scratch definitely makes up for using boxed cake mix. Buttercream is my favorite because I love the sweet buttery flavor. Lately I have been using Natasha’s Kitchen recipe for Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, and definitely recommend it! To make Vanilla Buttercream you will need:
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk or Heavy Cream
I doubled Natasha’s recipe for this tractor pull apart cake.
- Pro Tip: It is better to have too much than not enough! This is especially true for colored icing. It is almost impossible to make the same color twice. That is why I always make plenty of icing!
To color the icing for this cake you will need green, yellow, light blue, and black. For this cake I was in a hurry and didn’t want to have to make black icing, so I just bought premade black icing from the store. I have always used Wilton icing colors, and they work great for me – I linked to the exact colors I used in the list of colors above! As you can see, for this tractor cupcake pull apart cake you will need to color most of your icing green, a little bit yellow, and a very small amount in the sky blue color.
Use toothpicks to add color a little bit at a time to your icing, and just keep adding color until you achieve the desired pigment. Keep in mind that the color will darken as the icing sets and adding too much food coloring may change the flavor of the icing.
Assembling the Tractor Cupcake Pull Apart Cake
The first thing you want to do now is lay out the cupcakes on your cake board in the shape of a tractor. You can use the printable guide linked to below to help you with this step. Then, I took an edible ink marker like this one to draw out the general lines of the tractor.
From here you can start icing your cupcake pull apart cake. I started with the yellow tire centers, then I added the green tractor body. After that I piped on the sky-blue part of the cab, then added the green roof saving all of the black for last. I found using an offset spatula to scrape the icing, then gently pressing the icing with Scott paper towels the easiest way to smooth out the icing.
I used a round piping tip to pipe on the icing first. You will definitely need a piping bag for each color, and I find these disposable piping bags very convenient. If you don’t have any icing tips or piping bags, you can just as easily do this step by cutting the corner out of a zip lock bag. After getting the main color sections down and smoothed out, then you can go back with your piping bag and add textural accents here and there!
How To Make a Cupcake Pull Apart Cake
- Bake cupcakes according to the baking instructions you are following. I like to use Betty Crocker White Cake Mix.
- After the cupcakes are done, let them cool so the icing doesn’t run when it is time to decorate. You can speed this process up by using a cooling rack.
- Arrange the cupcakes on a cake board in the shape you desire. For a tractor pull apart cake you can use this printable guide.
- Tint frosting as desired and spread onto cupcakes. For best results, use a piping bag first then an offset spatula to smooth it out.
- Use a piping bag to add detailed piping.