Minnie mouse seems to be every little one’s favorite at one stage in their lives. I remember my little girl just adoring Minnie mouse. At one stage everything had to be Minnie mouse…. So naturally a birthday with Minnie Mouse Cupcakes is just a brilliant idea. 😁
They are super easy to make but really look impressive. I used my vanilla cake http://www.livingdelish.com/vanilla-sponge-cake/ to create these cupcakes. I was able to get 24 cupcakes. Vanilla always seems like a good option when you bake for little kids. Not all kids like strong tastes like chocolate or bubblegum. I however decided to make strawberry flavored buttercream. Just a subtle hint of strawberry to compliment the vanilla flavor of the cupcakes.
How to create these Minnie mouse cupcakes
A little preparation is needed, especially for the cupcake toppers. I made the cupcake toppers one week before I had to make the cupcakes. Thus giving my toppers enough time to dry completely. The last thing you want are droopy Minnie mouse ears because you didn’t let your fondant dry enough. 😒 The bows went very quick. I have a silicone mould with a pretty bow that I love.
What will you need?
Already Baked Cupcakes.
Already made Buttercream icing
1 x 250g Black Gum paste
1 x 250g Pink Gum paste
Bow mould/cutter & circle cutter(Large icing nozzle works well)
Where do you start?
Start well in advance with your cupcake toppers, a week should be more than enough time to allow drying.
Knead your black gum paste until you can easily shape it. On a silicone matt roll out your gum paste to about 1 cm thickness.
Using your round circle cutter (+/- 3 cm diameter depending on the size ears that you want for the cupcakes or use a large icing nozzle) cut out an even amount of circles. Lay them down on a baking tray lined with baking paper. They won’t stick to much to the baking paper, as long as you keep them away from excessive moist. You can wiggle them slightly each day, just to remain loose on the baking paper.
Now, start kneading your pink fondant. (Remember to wash your matt, roller and hands after working with the black. Make sure everything is super dry before using) When your gum paste becomes easy to work with you can now start to make your bows.
I used a mould. When using a mould make sure to lightly dust your mould with cornstarch. This will ensure that your gum paste doesn’t stick to your mould. Use just enough gum paste to fill your mould. Carefully take your moulded gum paste out and lay them beside your ears on your baking tray to dry.
Baking the cupcakes
A day before your big birthday bash you can start baking your Minnie mouse cupcakes.
I used my vanilla cake recipe to bake these cupcakes. http://www.livingdelish.com/vanilla-sponge-cake/
Follow the direction to make the cake. Instead of putting them in your pans, you will fill cupcake pans instead. Just remember to spray your cupcake pans with a non-stick spray then line them with cupcake holders. Fill each cupcake holder to 1/3 from the top.
Bake them in the oven for +/- 10 minutes. This time might vary from oven to oven. You can always check if they are ready by inserting a toothpick into the center of a cupcake. If you pull the tooth pick out, It should be dry, with only a little bit of crumbs sticking to it. Once they are baked, set them aside on a cooling rack to cool down completely.
Make the Buttercream icing
Follow the buttercream icing recipe for a foolproof buttercream, that is mentioned here http://www.livingdelish.com/5-great-icing-types-to-try-today/ I doubled the amount of the Buttercream recipe just because I wanted to pipe swirls on each cupcake. I also colored the icing light pink by adding a few drops of coloring. Instead of adding vanilla essence, I changed it to strawberry essence.
Time to put everything together
Fit a Large star nozzle or a large open star nozzle to your icing bag and fill it with your prepared buttercream. Start by piping a swirl onto each cupcake.
Once you have piped the swirl, you can insert the two ears next to each other. Push them in 1/3. This should be just enough to secure them in the icing and keep them from falling over. Now add the little bow in front of each set of ears. Finish each cupcake off with some decorative sugar pearls.
And voila there you have your very own homemade Minnie mouse cupcakes. I am sure that your little guests will all be very impressed.
