The cute little yellow minions from the Despicable Me movies have become hugely popular in recent years. Their hilarious antics and unintelligible babbling have captured the hearts of both kids and adults alike. One of the best ways to celebrate your love for these adorable creatures is by making minion cupcakes! You can create a delicious treat that looks just like a minion with a little effort. Let’s learn how to make minion cupcakes.
Ingredients and Supplies
Making minion cupcakes are fun and easy, but you will need to gather a few key ingredients and supplies first. Here is what you will need to make 1-2 dozen minion cupcakes:
- Box of yellow or vanilla cake mix + ingredients listed on the box
- Buttercream frosting in yellow, blue, and black colors
- Large yellow candy melts for the goggle lenses
- Oreo cookies for the goggles
- Black decorating gel for the mouths
- Small yellow candy melts for the eyes
- Red licorice for the overall straps
- Black licorice laces for the hair
- Cupcake liners
- Tips for piping frosting (optional)
- Cupcake stand or platter for serving
The nice thing about minion cupcakes is that you likely already have many of these ingredients in your pantry or can easily find them at your local grocery store. The cake mix, frosting, cupcake liners, and licorice are all basic baking items. The candy melts, decorating gel, and Oreos may take an extra trip down the baking aisle, but you should be able to find them inexpensively.
Baking the Cupcakes
Once you have gathered your ingredients, you are ready to start baking! Here are the simple steps to bake the cupcake base:
- Preheat your oven to the temperature listed on the cake mix box. You want the oven fully preheated before baking.
- Line a cupcake pan with yellow cupcake liners. This will make 1-2 dozen cupcakes, depending on the size of your pan.
- Make the cake batter according to the package directions. Be sure to use the ingredients listed on the box, such as oil, eggs, and water. The batter should be smooth and pourable but still thick.
- Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter. Don’t overfill or the cupcakes may overflow.
- Bake for the time listed on the box. Usually 18-20 minutes for cupcakes until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting. Usually at least 30 minutes.
The cupcakes are now ready to transform into cute little minions!
Making the Minion Frosting and Decorations
The fun really begins when you start decorating the cooled cupcakes. Here are step-by-step instructions to create minions out of frosting, candy, and cookies:
- Pipe or spread yellow frosting onto each cupcake. The frosting doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth since minions have textured skin.
- Cut Oreos in half and press them into the frosting near the top for the goggles. The filling side should go face down into the frosting.
- Melt large yellow candy melts and drizzle onto the Oreo goggle lenses. Let cool and harden in place.
- Use black decorating gel to pipe on mouths. Keep them small and near the bottom of the cupcake. You can make straight or curved lines for different expressions.
- Melt small yellow candy melts and drizzle on two dots of “eyes” above each mouth. Space them evenly apart.
- Cut red licorice laces into 1-2 inch strips for the overall straps. Attach to the front of the cupcakes with a small dab of frosting.
- Cut black licorice laces into 2-3 inch strips and stick them vertically into the top of the frosting for hair.
- Use blue frosting to pipe on blue overalls, goggles, or logos. Get creative with different minion styles!
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to let decorations harden before serving.
With just a few basic candies and ingredients, you can create a whole minion squad! Kids will love helping decorate their own creative minions.
Cupcake Decorating Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips to take your minion cupcakes from good to absolutely adorable:
- Use food coloring to tint your frosting yellow, blue, and black rather than buying pre-tinted cans. You can get the exact shade you want.
- Refrigerate frosted cupcakes for 30 minutes before decorating to let the frosting firm up. This prevents smooshing and sliding.
- Invest in some basic cupcake decorating tips. Even just a round tip makes frosting goggle lenses and overalls much easier.
- Add mini chocolate chips for dot eyes instead of yellow candy melts if you prefer.
- Try crushed Oreos or cookies for “dirt” or “crumbs” on the minion’s body.
- Mix it up with female minions! Use eyelashes made from licorice laces or candy clay for hair bows.
- Let kids go crazy using extra frosting and candies for minion experiments like a mad scientist minion.
Half the fun is customizing the cupcakes however you want. Don’t be afraid to get creative!
Serving and Storing Your Minion Cupcakes
Minion cupcakes are the perfect treat for birthdays, Despicable Me viewing parties, or just because. Make sure they look their best for serving by:
- Placing finished cupcakes in the refrigerator until ready to serve. This lets decorations continue to harden.
- Displaying them on a festive cupcake stand or yellow platter.
- Surrounding them with other minion-themed treats like banana pudding, chocolate chip cookies, or candy fruit. Get the whole family involved with the theme!
- Keeping unfrosted cupcakes tightly sealed at room temperature up to 5 days.
- Storing frosted cupcakes covered in the refrigerator up to 7 days. Let come to room temperature before serving.
- Freezing unfrosted cupcakes up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before decorating.
With proper storage methods, you can make minions the life of the party when it’s convenient for you!
Adapting Recipe for Minion Donuts, Cookies, and More
The basic method and ingredients for minion cupcakes can easily be tweaked to make minion versions of other popular treats. Get creative with donuts, cookies, rice krispie treats, and more!
For minion donuts, tint vanilla glaze yellow and dip baked donut rings for the head. Decorate with candies just like the cupcakes. For cookies, use yellow cookie dough cut into rounds. Top decorated cookies with yellow icing before serving. For rice krispie treats, shape yellow marshmallow treats into oval heads and decorate.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to minionizing all your favorite desserts. Use yellow as the base color and add Oreo goggle pieces, licorice hair, and candy melt details. Let the kids take the lead on designing their own minion goodies.
FAQs
Q: Can I make minion cupcakes without frosting?
A: While frosting helps attach the decorations, you can decorate cupcakes with melted chocolate or candy stuck directly into the baked cupcakes. The frosting just makes construction easier.
Q: What color candy melts work best?
A: Yellow and blue work perfectly for mimicking minion colors. Wilton and Merckens brand candy melts have the most color options.
Q: Can I use a cake mix other than yellow?
A: Yes! Vanilla or white cake mixes will still work. Just tint the frosting yellow instead of the cake. Red velvet cake is also a delicious option.
Q: What do I do if my frosting won’t pipe well?
A: Add a teaspoon or two of shortening to your frosting. This makes it smoother and easier to pipe details.
Q: How do I make vegan minion cupcakes?
A: Use vegan cake mix, dyed coconut cream frosting, and dairy-free Oreos or chocolate cookies. Decorate as directed above, just with plant-based alternatives.
Bringing the Minions to Life
Minions from the popular Despicable Me movies. The key steps include baking yellow cupcakes, frosting them yellow, adding Oreo cookie goggle pieces, and using candy and licorice to add minion details like eyes, mouths, and hair. With just a little creativity, you can make cupcakes that look like actual minions!
Kids love being able to create their own silly minion characters by customizing the cupcakes. Let them help with steps like piping the frosting hair and choosing candy eyes. Make an entire minion-themed party or event by also serving items like banana pudding and chocolate chip cookies. How long does chocolate mousse last? Well, the delightful decadence of chocolate mousse can linger in your fridge for up to three days, allowing you to savor its rich flavors. And if you’re in the mood for a whimsical twist, the recipe can also be easily adapted to minion versions of donuts, cookies, rice krispie treats, and more—just swap in yellow versions of these baked goods for a playful and delicious variation.
