My niece turned three recently, and she is absolutely obsessed with a certain cartoon mouse with a bow. These Minnie Cupcakes felt like the perfect way to celebrate my niece while still making a delicious dessert!
These Minnie Cupcakes are made with a vanilla cupcake topped with strawberry frosting. Mini Oreos work at little mouse ears, finished off with a cute polka dotted fondant bow.
Ingredients (makes 12 cupcakes):
Vanilla Cupcakes:
- 1 2/3 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 egg whites, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries (paid link)
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For decorating:
- 24 mini Oreos (paid link)
- 12 polka dotted fondant bows (I purchased mine off Etsy)
To make your Minnie Cupcakes, first make your vanilla cupcakes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a cupcake pan (paid link) with cupcake liners (paid link).
Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl, whisking to combine.
In a separate bowl, beat 3/4 cup softened butter using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Reserve your egg yolks for another use.
Add the eggs whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract to the bowl with the butter and beat until fully combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined.
Using an ice cream scoop (paid link), evenly fill your prepared cupcake pan.
Add the cupcake pan to your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Let cool completely before removing the cupcakes from the pan.
While waiting for the cupcakes to cool, make your strawberry buttercream frosting.
Add the freeze dried strawberries to a blender (paid link) and blend until powdery.
Add 1 cup softened butter to a stand mixer (paid link) fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Sift the powdered freeze dried strawberries using a fine mesh sieve (paid link) into the bowl with the butter.
Scrape down the bowl, then beat the strawberry powder into the butter until combined.
While the mixer is running on low, slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar, then follow with the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt, beating until fully combined.
If the mixture feels too thick, add a bit more heavy cream (a teaspoon at a time) until it reaches your desired consistency. On the flip side, if it feels too watery, you can add teaspoonfuls of confectioners’ sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.
Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with your desired tip (paid link).
When the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe the frosting onto each cupcake.
To decorate the Minnie Cupcakes, add two mini Oreos on top of each cupcake, pressing the Oreos into the frosting so that they stand up.
Finish the Minnie Cupcakes by adding a bow to each cupcake in front of the “ears,” pressing the bow into the frosting.
How cute are these?
I love how these Minnie Cupcakes turned out, they look so good for not requiring really any decorating skills!
Not only do they look adorable, but they also taste great too! The Strawberry Buttercream Frosting is sweet, but not too sweet and is the perfect complement to the vanilla cupcakes.
Minnie Cupcakes
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes:
- 1 2/3 cup flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 egg whites at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting:
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream plus more if needed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For decorating:
- 24 mini Oreos
- 12 polka dotted fondant bows
Instructions
- To make your Minnie Cupcakes, first make your vanilla cupcakes. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl, whisking to combine.1 2/3 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tablespoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Beat 3/4 cup softened butter using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Reserve your egg yolks for another use.3 egg whites
- Add the eggs whites, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract to the bowl with the butter and beat until fully combined.3 egg whites, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop, evenly fill your prepared cupcake pan.
- Add the cupcake pan to your preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before removing the cupcakes from the pan.
- While waiting for the cupcakes to cool, make your strawberry buttercream frosting.
- Add the freeze dried strawberries to a blender and blend until powdery.1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
- Add 1 cup softened butter to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Sift the powdered freeze dried strawberries using a fine mesh sieve into the bowl with the butter.
- Beat until combined.
- While the mixer is running on low, slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar, then follow with the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt, beating until fully combined.4 cups confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- If the mixture feels too thick, add a bit more heavy cream (a teaspoon at a time) until it reaches your desired consistency. On the flip side, if it feels too watery, you can add teaspoonfuls of confectioners’ sugar until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Transfer the frosting into a piping bag fitted with your desired tip.
- When the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe the frosting onto each cupcake.
- To decorate the Minnie Cupcakes, add two mini Oreos on top of each cupcake, pressing the Oreos into the frosting so that they stand up.24 mini Oreos
- Finish the Minnie Cupcakes by adding a bow to each cupcake in front of the “ears,” pressing the bow into the frosting.12 polka dotted fondant bows
What do you think?