Gingerbread Mickey Minnie Cupcakes
Home » COOK » Recipes » Baking » Cupcakes »These Gingerbread Mickey Minnie Cupcakes are fun to make and delicious to eat! They’re topped with lots of sprinkles and “gingerbread ears” shaped like Mickey and Minnie Mouse! These cupcakes are really the ultimate Disney inspired cupcake! With this recipe, you get both Mickey and Minnie! I mean, what could be better?
This post is part of Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) – a series of festive recipes, crafts, printables and more on The Purple Pumpkin Blog!
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Gingerbread Mickey Minnie Cupcakes
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
How amazing do these cupcakes look! I think they might be one of my favorite Disney-themed cupcakes yet!
They are made using a box of cake mix and homemade vanilla frosting – all nice and easy to do.
The decorations for the cupcakes are made using fondant, which might look tricky, but it’s not as difficult as you might think.
If you’re an experienced cake maker you can probably jump straight to the recipe at the end of this post and get baking! But if not, please read through the steps as I’ve got lots of tips and suggestions along the way!
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
You may have some baking ingredients in your kitchen already – the full list with measurements is found in the recipe card.
For your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed to make these cupcakes have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online.
Cupcakes & Frosting Ingredients
- Box of Chocolate Cake Mix – the usual additional ingredients are changed to butter, milk, and eggs to enrich the cake mix.
- Powdered Sugar – known as Icing Sugar in the UK.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – always buy the best you can afford, it really does make a difference!
Decorating Ingredients
- Wilton Fondant – these come in 4.4oz packages and just the right size for these cupcakes, but you can use any brand you like.
- Brown Fondant – for the gingerbread ears.
- Green Fondant – for the main bow.
- Red Fondant – for Minnie’s bow.
- Wilton Cookie Icing – this ready-made icing comes in bottles and is great for piping details onto cookies, cakes, and fondant decorations! If you want to make your own icing to pipe with, please be my guest, but this shortcut saves time! There are other brands that you can use too – use what is available in your area!
- White Cookie Icing – for outlining the edges of the gingerbread ears.
- Brown Cookie Icing – for piping the nose and eyes. If you can’t find brown, you could use black.
- Pink Cookie Icing – for piping rosy cheeks on the Minnie gingerbread.
- Mini Gingerbread Men Royal Icing Decorations – these need to be about ½”/1cm and will sit in front of the bow on the top of the cupcakes. If you can’t find them, you could make them yourself using brown fondant and a miniature cutter – these ones might be okay, or maybe these ones. You could use gingerbread man sprinkles, or even use brown icing and pipe them on freehand.
- Christmas Sprinkles – you can use any sprinkles that you like! Make a mix of your own with different single sprinkle types, or buy a ready-made festive mix. Whatever you use, you will want about 2 cups to decorate the cupcakes.
Cupcake Decorating Equipment
- Mickey Mouse Head Cookie Cutter – these are available in various sizes. We used ones that are about 2″/5cm.
- Fondant Rolling Pin – these have a smooth surface and won’t leave a texture on your fondant when rolling out.
- Wilton Fondant Bow Mold – this one from Wilton is the one used to make the bows you see in the photos in this post. However, for some reason, it’s not available on Amazon, which is super annoying as I use Amazon for everything! Ultimately, use whichever bow mold you can – you just need two different sizes, judge the best size to use against the size of gingerbread ears for the smaller bow, and then a bit bigger for the main bow.
- Large Piping Bag – you can use disposable or reuseable, your choice.
- Large Star Tip – for example, Wilton 1M.
This recipe uses American cups. They’re a handy piece of kitchen equipment to have along with a kitchen food scale. Having both in your kitchen means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog as I use both cups and weighted measures.
More Recipes Using Boxed Cake Mix
This recipe is made easier thanks to a box of cake mix! So here are some more recipes using the same:
- Pineapple & Coconut Upside Down Cake
- Peanut Butter Pumpkin Brownies Recipe
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake Fudge
Gingerbread Mickey Minnie Cupcake Recipe Tips
There are several elements of these cupcakes that are made with fondant – the Mickey Mouse-head gingerbread “ears” that are made using a cookie cutter, as well as two fondant bows that are made using a mold.
Fondant needs time to dry before using as cake decorations, so allow up to 24 hours to get the pieces made before making and decorating your cupcakes.
Fondant Tips
If you have never worked with fondant before, don’t panic – it is really easy to use, follow my tips and you’ll be just fine!
- Line a cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat to place the fondant pieces on to dry.
- Dust your work surface with powdered sugar (icing sugar) (or cornstarch (cornflour)) so that the fondant doesn’t stick. Think of it like the way you use flour when rolling out dough.
- Rub a little powdered sugar into your hands and knead a handful of the fondant to make it more pliable before rolling, rather than using straight from the package.
- Dust your rolling pin too, and roll fondant to about ¼! thick. Some fondant rolling pins have guides you can use. You don’t want it too thick as it will take ages to dry, and you don’t want it too thin as it will become more tricky to work with.
- Adding flavor to fondant! Not everyone likes the taste of fondant, but I actually don’t mind it, maybe it’s a UK thing, but we always have it on cakes, so it’s something I’m used to. Since the ears in these cupcakes are decorated to look like gingerbread men, you could add some gingerbread extract to the fondant. Knead a couple of drops into the fondant and have a little taste. If it’s the right level of flavor for you, continue making the ears. If not, add a little drop more. Remember, you can always add more, but not take it away!
- Cutting the Gingerbread Ears! Pour a little pile of powdered sugar onto your surface and dip the cookie cutter into it before cutting the ears – again, this is to prevent sticking.
- Using a Silicone Mold: Dust with powdered sugar before pressing some fondant into the cavity and leveling off, before gently popping out and leaving to dry.
- If there is excess powdered sugar on the pieces, you can gently brush away with a pastry brush, or an unused, clean paintbrush.
- Alternatively, you can use a vodka spray. Pour some vodka into a mini spray bottle and gently mist the fondant wings. Vodka dries quicker than water which is why it is usually used when handling fondant.
- Always make extra pieces – that way if some break or you have another mishap, you have got backups that you can use.
- Leave the cut fondant pieces to harden in a cool, dry place – do not place in the fridge.
- The fondant pieces should be solid enough to handle and insert into the cupcakes after 3 – 6 hours. I personally leave fondant pieces to dry for around 24 hours. How long this takes, however, is based on the size and thickness of the fondant, and how humid your house is, so judge best if they will hold up as they need to in the cupcakes.
- When making cakes or cupcakes that use fondant decorations I like to make them a few days ahead of time which allows for drying without the stress. Fondant that isn’t dry enough can mean disappointing end results.
- After using fondant the surface will be super sticky (it always is in my experience!) so you will probably have to wipe away the sugar first, then give it a soapy hot wash over, and then another clean over! You can always buy a fondant rolling mat for easier cleanup!
- Make sure that the ears are well dried before you decorate them with the cookie icing. And allow time for that icing to dry too!
- Always keep fondant covered when making decorations to prevent it from drying out. And when you’ve finished, wrap up any remaining fondant very well – I double wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container. This keeps it fresh and you are able to use it for future cake making!
Cupcake Making Tips
- These cupcakes are made using a box of cake mix – the flavor is enriched by using butter, milk, and eggs, instead of the usual oil, water, and eggs.
- You can use festive-themed cupcake liners to bake your cupcakes in if you like or stick to a complementary color.
- Use an ice cream scoop to equally divide the cupcake mixture between the cupcake liners. Fill them about three-quarters full.
- The cupcakes should be ready in about 20 minutes – test their doneness by inserting a toothpick into the cakes. It should come out clean when the cupcakes are cooked through. Bake for an extra 2 minutes and check again.
- Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting and decorating.
Cupcake Frosting Tips
- When making the frosting you want the end result to be creamy, smooth, and for it to hold a stiff peak. You may have to adjust the amount of powdered sugar and cream slightly to achieve the consistency you need.
- These cupcakes are double-frosted, for the first layer, pipe a thick ring around the edge of the cupcake and dip into a bowl of sprinkles to cover completely. Then add a swirl of frosting on top of the sprinkle layer.
- SPRINKLES! Speaking of sprinkles, use any type you like in this recipe – you’ll need about 2 cups of them to cover the cupcakes.
- You will need a large piping bag fitted with a star tip. Use whichever tip is your favorite. A good one to start with is the Wilton 1M Open Star Tip
- If you feel like you are going to be making a lot of cakes and cupcakes in your future, I think it is worth investing in a set of piping tips so that you know you always have the right ones on hand for a recipe.
- Do not overfill the piping bag with frosting, and make sure you squeeze the frosting down the bag to expel any air bubbles.
- If you are not confident with your piping skills you can practice on some parchment paper first and scoop the frosting back into the bag to use on the cupcakes.
More Disney Cupcake Recipes
Looking for more Disney cupcakes to make? Check these recipes out next:
I’ve got lots of fun and easy Cupcake Recipes for Parties for you to try out – right-click and open these other recipes in a new tab so that you can read them after this one!
How Do I Make Gingerbread Mickey Minnie Cupcakes?
Just check out the recipe card below with full ingredients, and instructions. You can print the card out too (don’t worry, the pics don’t print to save your ink!).
Gingerbread Mickey & Minnie Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Ears
- Cornstarch or powdered sugar cornflour or icing sugar, for dusting
- 1 4.4oz package of Wilton brown fondant
- Gingerbread extract optional
- 1 4.4oz package of Wilton Red Fondant
- 1 4.4oz package of Wilton Green Fondant
- 1 bottle Wilton Cookie Icing – White
- 1 bottle Wilton Cookie Icing – Pink
- 1 bottle Wilton Cookie Icing – Brown
- 18 mini Gingerbread Man royal icing decorations
For the Cupcakes
- 1 box of chocolate cake mix
- 1¼ cups of whole milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 large eggs
For the Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar icing sugar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3-5 tbsp heavy whipping cream double cream
- 2 cups Christmas sprinkles of your choice!
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Use cornstarch as you would flour when making dough. Dust your work surface, hands, rolling pin, and cutters. Line a cookie sheet or tray with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
- Knead the brown fondant in your hands to make it soft and pliable and roll to ¼"/0.5cm thick.
- (Optional – if you want to add some gingerbread flavor to the fondant, add 1-2 drops of gingerbread extract and knead it in well. Taste a bit to make sure it has the right amount of flavor you require and adjust as needed. Remember you can always add more, but not take it away!)
- Using a 2-inch (approx) Mickey Mouse-head cookie cutter, cut out 36 Mickey heads.
- Place the Mickey on the prepared cookie sheet to dry overnight or for 24 hours if possible.
- To make the bows, dust the bow mold with cornstarch each time you make a fondant bow.
- Pinch off a small piece of green fondant and mold into the bigger size bow. Carefully remove from mold and set on the cookie sheet to dry overnight or for 24 hours if possible. Repeat to make 18 bows total.
- Pinch off a small piece of red fondant and mold into the smaller size bow. Carefully remove from mold and set on the cookie sheet to dry overnight or for 24 hours if possible. Repeat to make 18 bows total.
- When the Mickey Mouse-head "ears" have dried, it's time to decorate with the cookie icing. Half (18) will be Mickey, and the other half will be Minnie.
- To make the Gingerbread Mickeys, pipe white all around the edge of each fondant piece, and pipe squiggly lines inside the ears. Using brown icing, pipe dots for eyes, and nose. Set aside to dry completely.
- To make the Gingerbread Minnies, pipe white around the edge of each fondant piece, leaving out the gap between the ears. Use brown icing to pipe dots for eyes and a nose, and use prink icing to make two dots for the cheeks. Apply a dab of white icing to the back of a red bow and place it in the middle of the head. Set aside to dry completely.
- Pipe a small dap of icing into the middle of the larger green bows and attach a mini Gingerbread Man icing decoration. Set aside to dry completely.
- To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line cupcake pans with 18 cupcake liners and set aside.
- Using an electric handheld or stand mixer, place the cake mix, milk, butter, and eggs into a large bowl and mix until combined and smooth.
- Use an ice cream scoop to divide the cupcake batter between the liners – about three-quarters full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
- To make the frosting, use an electric stand or handheld mixer and add the butter, powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla to the bowl.
- Beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth and stiff peaks form.
- Transfer the frosting into a large piping bag fitted with a star tip.
- Pour the sprinkles into a bowl.
- Pipe a thick ring around the edge of each cooled cupcake and dip into the sprinkles to cover.
- Pipe a swirl of frosting on top of the sprinkles layer.
- Place the green bow in the middle of the frosting swirl.
- Place a Gingerbread Mickey & Minnie ear on either side of the bow. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!
Notes
Equipment Needed
- Mickey Mouse-head cookie cutter
- Wilton fondant bow mold
- Fondant rolling pin
- Cookie sheet with parchment paper or non-stick baking mat
- Piping bag with large star tip
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Appetizer: Brie and Cherry Appetizers with Phyllo Pastry Cups
- Soup: Winter Vegetable Soup
- Main Dish: Amazing Pecan Crusted Pork Chops with a Fresh Plum Sauce
- Side Dish: Easy to Make Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe
- Beverage: Reindeer Cocktail – Vodka Cranberry Spritzer
- Another Dessert: Reindeer Corn Cookies
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!
The Create the Holidays series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog features free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Christmas and the Winter Holidays. Check out Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.