Maleficent Cupcakes
Home » COOK » Recipes » Holiday Recipes » Halloween Recipes »
These Maleficent Cupcakes are fun to make and are awesome to serve for a Disney Movie Night or at a Halloween Party. Vanilla cupcakes are topped with green frosting and Maleficent’s signature horns, as well as Mickey/Minnie Ears and a purple bow. They look as gorgeous as the Mistress of Evil herself!
I’ve got 50+ freakishly good Halloween Recipes 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!
Affiliate Disclosure
We have included affiliate links to products and services related to the topic of this post.
This post contains affiliate links, and we will be compensated if you purchase after clicking on those links.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Read Our Full Disclosure and Privacy Policy
Maleficent Cupcakes
Maleficent, in my humble opinion, is the best Disney Villain of all time – I mean, she was so angry about not being invited to a party that she cursed a baby! She has always been my favorite Villain and I think these cupcakes are perfect for any Maleficent fan!
Whether you are throwing a Halloween party or hosting a Maleficent movie night, you need to make these cupcakes!
Ingredients used in this recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but here is a brief outline so you know what to expect from the recipe. I highly recommend always reading a recipe all the way through before starting.
- Fondant (Sugarpaste) in the following colors:
- Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar) – for dusting and in the frosting
- French Vanilla Cake Mix – the usual box ingredients are replaced with whole milk, eggs, and butter.
- Leaf Green Food Coloring Gel
- Heavy Whipping Cream (Double Cream)
- Vanilla Extract
Equipment used in this recipe
You are likely to have many of these cooking tools in your kitchen already, but I’ve added some Amazon links for your convenience should you need to purchase anything for this recipe.
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Wilton Bow Mold (from Michaels in the US) or a silicone bow mold from Amazon
- 4″ round cutter
- Fondant Rolling Pin
- X-Acto Knife or
- Paring Knife
- Cupcake pan
- Cupcake liners
- Piping Bag
- Large Star Tip – Wilton 1M
- Wire Cooling Rack
- Ice Cream Scoop – this helps to scoop cupcake batter evenly. Get one with a trigger mechanism.
- Electric Mixer – stand or handheld
Maleficent Cupcakes Recipe Tips
Using Fondant
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!
- Dust your work surface with powdered sugar 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.
- 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.
Download Maleficent horns printable template
- Cutting the Horns: Download the printable template (below) and use it as a guide to cut the fondant horns. Use a sharp paring knife or X-Acto knife to get a good, clean cut.
- Molding the Bows: Use about one tablespoon of fondant and press it into a bow mold. Carefully remove and place on a cookie sheet to dry for at least 6 hours. Again, 24 hours is best.
- 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 by a fondant rolling mat for easier cleanup!
Cupcakes & Frosting
- French vanilla cake is also a vanilla cake, but with a more distinct flavor. If you can’t find a French vanilla cake mix, a box of the regular vanilla will be fine to use.
- Instead of the extra ingredients required to make the cake as directed on the box, this recipe replaces them with whole milk and unsalted butter (plus eggs as usual) which will enrich the cake further.
- Use a trigger ice cream scoop to transfer the cupcake mixture to the liners. This ensures you get even cupcakes.
- Food Coloring Tips: Use good quality food coloring gel or paste as the color will be more vibrant. Do not use liquid color as this will change the consistency of the cake batter, and really won’t taste good!
- Remember that you can always add more color, but not take it away. Add a little to start with and add more to get the shade required.
- 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.
- If your piped swirl doesn’t turn out how you want it on the cupcake, you should be able to wipe it off and try again!
Make It A Magnificent Meal!
You’ve made the dessert, but what about the rest of the courses? Here are some recipes to take a look at to make a complete meal!
- Appetizer: Halloween Quesadillas
- Main Dish: Slow Cooker Beef, Bean & Pumpkin Chili
- Side Dish: Cheesy Cornbread Recipe
- Beverage: Bloody Vampire Cocktail
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.
More Halloween Desserts
- Spiderweb Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée
- Jack Skellington Mickey Mouse Rice Krispies Treats for Halloween
More Cupcake Recipes
Want to make more cupcakes? Try these recipes:
- Haunted Mansion Cupcakes
- Scary-Cute Monster Cupcakes!
- Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Sugar Pie Crust Topping
I’ve got lots of fun and easy Cupcake Recipes for Parties and celebrations (and for everyday treats!) 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!
Maleficent Cupcake Recipe
These Maleficent Cupcakes are fun to make and are awesome to serve for a Disney Movie Night or at a Halloween Party.
Ingredients
For the Cupcake Decorations
- 2 package (4.4oz/124g) black fondant
- 1 package (4.4oz/124g) purple fondant
- Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar)
For the Cupcakes
- 1 box French vanilla cake mix
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- Leaf green gel food coloring
For the Frosting
- 1½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar
- 5 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (double cream)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Leaf green gel food coloring
Instructions
- To make the fondant Maleficent horns, dust your surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out the black fondant to ¼" thick.
- Print and cut the template (link in blog post) and use an X-Acto knife or paring knife to carefully cut around the template on the fondant.
- Make 12 horns in total and place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper to dry for at least 6 hours, and up to 24 hours if possible.
- To make the fondant Mickey/Minnie ears, dust your surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar and roll out the black fondant to ¼" thick.
- Cut out 24 circles with a 4" circle cutter and leave to dry on a cookie sheet as before. Make a few extra ears and horns as backup, just in case!
- To make the bows, use about one tablespoon of purple fondant and press it into a bow mold. Carefully remove and place on a cookie sheet to dry for at least 6 hours. Again, 24 hours is best. Make 12 bows in total (with a few extras as before!).
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 degrees and line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Using an electric mixer, mix the cake mix with the milk, eggs, and softened butter until combined.
- Add green food coloring and mix to get a bright green shade.
- Use an ice cream scoop to fill cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of cupcake.
- Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla on medium speed until combined and smooth.
- Add green food coloring to desired shade.
- Scoop the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.
- Pipe frosting swirls onto the cooled cupcakes.
- Place the Maleficent horns in the middle of the middle of the frosting.
- Place the Mickey/Minnie ears on either side of the horns.
- Place the bow in the front of the horns.
Notes
Make the fondant horns and ears at least 6 hours in advance (or 24 hours if you can) so that they can harden for use.
You will also need the following tools for decorating the cakes:
- silicone bow mold
- 4" round cookie cutter
- Large piping bag
- Large star tip (Wilton 1M)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 456Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 410mgCarbohydrates: 86gFiber: 1gSugar: 67gProtein: 4g
This site uses an outside source (Nutritionix) to provide estimated nutrition. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
The post is part of the Crafty October series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog. Check out Crafty October from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012 for awesome Halloween ideas and inspiration; including recipes, printables, crafts, and more!