How To Make Disney Stitch Cupcakes
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Delight the Disney fans in your life by creating these adorable colorful Stitch Cupcakes!
Using a box of vanilla cake mix to make the cupcakes (so easy!) and a batch of blue vanilla frosting (simple!), then finishing off with fondant “ears” (easier to make than you think!), the abomination that is Experiment 626 becomes cute Stitch cupcakes!
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Stitch 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.
If you love the movie Lilo & Stitch, you will LOVE making these cupcakes!
Everyone’s favorite little blue alien, Stitch, is the star of these Disney cupcakes which will bring a little bit of the Disney Parks Magic into your home!
We’ve made the Stitch cupcakes using a box of vanilla cake mix, but you could use any flavor you like – or make them from scratch too if you want to. Check out the best vanilla cupcake recipe here.
To make the cakes even more Stitch-like, you could add blue food coloring to the cake batter too!
Stitch’s ears 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 on 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 for Stitch Cupcakes
- Box of Vanilla Cake Mix – the usual additional ingredients are changed to butter, milk, and eggs to enrich the cake mix.
- Powdered Sugar – also known as Icing Sugar and Confectioner’s Sugar.
- Pure Vanilla Extract – always buy good vanilla as it really does make a flavor difference.
Decorating Ingredients for Stitch Cupcakes
- Wilton Fondant – these come in 4.4oz packages and are just the right size for these cupcakes, but you can use any brand you like.
- Light Blue Fondant – for Stitch’s Ears.
- Pink Fondant – for Stitch’s Ears.
- Sky Blue Food Coloring Gel or Paste– to color the frosting.
Cupcake Decorating Equipment
- Round Cookie Cutter – to cut out Stitch’s Ears you will need a 4″/7.5cm and 2″/5cm cutter.
- Fondant Rolling Pin – these have a smooth surface and won’t leave a texture on your fondant when rolling out.
- Large Piping Bag – you can use disposable or reusable, your choice.
- Large Star Tip – for example, Wilton 1M
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog! I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
Stitch Cupcake Recipe Tips
Stitch’s ears that decorate these cupcakes are made with fondant (also known as sugarpaste).
Fondant needs time to dry before using them 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) or tray(s)with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat to place the fondant pieces to dry.
- Dust your work surface with powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner’s sugar) or cornstarch (cornflour) so that the fondant doesn’t stick. Think of it like the way you use flour when rolling dough.
- Rub a little powdered sugar/cornstarch into your hands and knead a handful of the fondant to make it more pliable before rolling, rather than using it 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.
- Cutting the 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.
- If there is excess powdered sugar on the pieces, you can gently brush it 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 more quickly than water which is why it is usually used when handling fondant.
- Always make extra pieces – that way, if you break or have another mishap, you have backups that you can use.
- Leave the cut fondant pieces to harden in a cool, dry place – do not place them in the fridge.
- The fondant pieces should be solid enough to handle and insert into the cupcakes after 3 – 6 hours. I personally like to 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 you will need to judge 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 stress. Fondant decorations that aren’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.
- 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.
- Use your choice of cupcake liners – themed to the cupcakes, plain white or black, or 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 all the way 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.
Cupcake Frosting Tips
- When making the frosting you want the end result to be creamy, smooth, and hold a stiff peak. You may have to adjust the amount of powdered sugar and cream slightly to achieve the consistency you need.
- The frosting is then colored using food coloring. Remember that you can always add more color, but can’t take it away. Add a little to start with and add more to get the shade required.
- FOOD COLORING! Food coloring is available in various forms. You’re most likely to find liquid coloring in your grocery store, and other types of coloring like gels, pastes, and powders in more specialised cake decorating shops. The cheapest option is liquids, but they can alter the consistency of your frosting and cake batter, so I prefer to use pastes or gels which don’t. A little goes a long way with food coloring gels and you can usually get a much deeper shade than you would with liquids.
- Use a piping bag fitted with a large star tip to pipe the swirl on top of the cupcakes.
- If you feel like you are going to be making a lot of cakes and cupcakes in the 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-themed cupcakes to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort-inspired Tropical Minnie Ears Cupcakes
- How To Make Awesome Disney Ears Loki Cupcakes For Marvel Fans!
- Disney Haunted Mansion Cupcakes
How Do I Make Stitch 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).
Disney's Stitch Cupcakes
Delight the Disney fans in your life by creating these adorable colorful Stitch Cupcakes!
Ingredients
For the Fondant Ears
- Cornstarch (cornflour), for dusting
- 1 (4.4oz) package of light blue fondant
- 1 (4.4oz) package of pink fondant
For the Cupcakes
- 1 box of vanilla cake mix
- ½ cup of unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 5 cups powdered sugar (icing sugar)
- 6-10 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (double cream)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- Sky blue food coloring gel
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 light blue fondant in your hands to make it soft and pliable and roll to ¼"/0.5cm thick.
- Using a 4"/10cm round cookie cutter, cut out 48 blue circles to create Stitch's ears.
- Place the light blue circles onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- Knead the pink fondant in your hands to make it soft and pliable and roll to ¼"/0.5cm thick.
- Using a 2"/5cm round cookie cutter, cut out 48 pink circles to create Stitch's inner ears.
TIP! Always make extra fondant decorations as backup! - Dab a little water onto the back of a pink fondant circle using your finger, and place it into the middle of the light blue circle.
- Leave them to dry for about 10 minutes before using a sharp knife to cut a small triangle notch anywhere on the circles as shown.
- Leave the assembled fondant ears to dry overnight.
- To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners and set aside.
- Using an electric handheld or stand mixer, place the cake mix, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla 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.
- Add a little sky blue food coloring gel to the frosting and mix to combine to desired shade.
TIP: You can always add more coloring, but not take it away! Add a little at a time. - 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.
- Pipe a large frosting swirl on top of each cupcake.
- Place the ears on either side of the frosting swirl.
- Enjoy and Remember Ohana Means Family!
Notes
*Use any shape/style of sprinkles that you like! You will need around 2 cups total of sprinkles.
Special Equipment Needed:
- Fondant Rolling Pin
- 1 (4"/10cm) Round Fondant/Cookie Cutter
- 1 (2"/5cm) Round Fondant/Cookie Cutter
- Large Piping Bag
- 1 Open Star (#1M) Piping Tip
- 1 Medium Ice Cream Scoop
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 427Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 188mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 0gSugar: 33gProtein: 3g
This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated 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 for a dinner party or special occasion:
- Appetizer: Spicy Sweet Potato Wedges with Herbed Coconut Yogurt Dip
- Soup: Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup with Cannellini Beans
- Salad: Roasted Broccoli and Bacon Salad with Raisins & Yogurt Dressing
- Main Dish: How To Make Pizza Margherita (On A Cast-Iron Griddle)
- Side Dish: Fully Loaded Mexican Street Corn with Mexican Crema & Cotija Cheese
- Beverage: Frozen Strawberry Margaritas
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!