Pumpkin Mickey Mouse Cupcakes for Halloween Celebrations!

Ingredients for Halloween Mickey Cupcakes

The ingredients and tools for this recipe are conveniently linked to online retailers, including Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Walmart. The quantities are in the recipe card.

• Box of Chocolate Cake Mix—The regular ingredients are replaced with butter, milk, and eggs to enrich the cake mix.
• Powdered Sugar—Also known as Icing Sugar and Confectioner’s Sugar.
• Vanilla Extract—Always buy good vanilla; it makes a difference in flavor.
• Wilton Fondant—you will need orange fondant to make the pumpkin Mickeys. This brand is typically available in 4.4-oz packages, which are just the right size for these cupcakes, but you can use any brand you like.
• Black Edible Marker Pen—for drawing on the Mickey pumpkin/jack-o’-lantern design.
• Neon Purple Gel Food Coloring
• Neon Orange Gel Food Coloring
• Purple and Orange Sprinkles—You can use any sprinkles you like! Make your own mix with different single sprinkle types, or buy a ready-made mix. Whatever you use, you will need about 2 cups to decorate the cupcakes.

The complete list of ingredients, along with their measurements, is provided on the recipe card. The Purple Pumpkin Blog uses both cups and weighted measurements in its recipes, making American cups and kitchen food scales valuable tools for trying all the recipes. We provide measurements in US customary, imperial, and metric units. Still, it’s essential to note that while you can combine cup measurements with weighted measures, never mix US customary/imperial units (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric units (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).

Tips for Using Fondant

The cupcake decorations are made with fondant (sugarpaste). Fondant decorations need time to dry before being used.

Allow up to 24 hours for the pieces to be made and decorated before making your cupcakes.

If you have never worked with fondant, don’t panic—it is easy to use. Follow our tips, and you’ll be just fine!

• When making cakes or cupcakes with fondant decorations, we like to make them a few days ahead to allow for stress-free drying. If the fondant hasn’t dried enough, the results can be disappointing.
• Line a cookie sheet(s) or tray(s) with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat to place the fondant pieces on to dry.
• Dust your work surface with cornstarch (cornflour) or powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner’s sugar) to prevent the fondant from sticking. Think of it like using flour when rolling dough.
• Rub a little cornstarch into your hands, then knead a handful of 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 ¼-½” (5-10mm) thick. Some fondant rolling pins have guides you can use. You don’t want it to be too thick, as it will take ages to dry, or too thin, as it will become trickier to work with.
• If the pieces have excess cornstarch, use a pastry brush to brush it off. An unused, clean paintbrush will also work here.
• Alternatively, you can use a vodka spray. Pour some vodka into a mini spray bottle and gently mist the fondant. Vodka dries more quickly than water.
• Always make extra pieces—that way, if something breaks or you have another mishap, you have backups.
• Leave the cut fondant pieces to harden in a cool, dry place—do not refrigerate them.
• The fondant pieces should be solid enough to handle and insert into the cupcakes after 3 to 6 hours. But when drawing onto pieces, like in this recipe, you want them to be absolutely dry, and should allow at least overnight, or 24 hours or more if possible.
• Trying to draw onto not-quite-dry-enough fondant can be a MESS (unless that is the look you’re going for!).
• The time it takes for the fondant to dry depends on its size and thickness, as well as the humidity in your home. You must judge whether it will hold up as it should in your cupcakes.
• Clearing up after using fondant can sometimes be a bit sticky. Use hot, soapy water to clean your surfaces. For easier cleanup, use a fondant rolling mat.
• Always cover fondant when making decorations to prevent it from drying out. When you’ve finished, wrap any remaining fondant very well. Double-wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in an airtight container. This keeps it fresh and lets you use it for future cake-making.

Cupcake Frosting Tips

• When making the frosting, you want the end result to be creamy, smooth, and hold a stiff peak. You may need to adjust the amount of powdered sugar and cream slightly to achieve the desired consistency.
• 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. We prefer pastes or gels, which don’t. A little goes a long way with food coloring gels, and you can usually achieve a much deeper shade than with liquid food coloring.
• The frosting in this recipe is divided and colored using food coloring. Remember that you can always add more color, but can’t remove it. Add a little at a time, then add more to achieve the required shade.
• SPRINKLES! Follow the cupcakes’ color scheme or theme. You can use any type you like, such as nonpareils, jimmies, stars, confetti, pearls, or shapes. You’ll need 2-3 cups to cover the cupcakes.
• This recipe uses two different colored frostings. You will need two piping bags, each fitted with a large star tip such as Wilton #1M
• If you plan to make a lot of cookies, cakes, and cupcakes, we think it is worth investing in piping tips so that you always have the right ones on hand.
• Do not overfill the piping bag with frosting.
• Ensure you squeeze the frosting down the bag to expel any air bubbles.
• If you are not confident in your piping skills, practice on parchment paper first, then scoop the frosting back into the bag to use on the cupcakes.

Disney Halloween Recipes

If you’re a Disney fan like we are at The Purple Pumpkin Blog, you are going to love these other Disney-inspired Halloween treats!

• Halloween Mickey and Minnie Oreo Pops—Spooky Disney Snack!
• Mickey Mouse 3D Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
• How To Make Hocus Pocus Candy Apples for Halloween!
• Spiderweb Mickey Mouse Brownies – A Disney Halloween Snack!
• The Nightmare Before Christmas Sally Skellington Fudge Recipe