Mickey St Patrick’s Day Cupcakes

Makes 12 Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Frosting & Decorations:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

• 16 oz. confectioners sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Pinch of salt

• 1-2 tablespoons of milk or cream
• Green food coloring
  
• Mini Oreo cookies
• Green fondant
• White Sugar Pearls
• Black Fondant
• Gold Confetti Sprinkles

Equipment:

• Piping Bag
• Round Tip

Instructions:

1. Make Cupcakes – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

2. In a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat sugar and butter together on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder together. Add to the butter and sugar mixture and mix until combined. Add milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix until smooth.

4. Divide batter evening among lined cups filling each ¾ full. Bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

    

5. Make frosting – Cream butter in a medium bowl using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer. When light and fluffy, add confectioners sugar and salt bit by bit until fully combined. Add vanilla and cream or milk until completely combined. If buttercream seems too thick, you may add another tablespoon of milk or cream. If it seems runny, you may add more confectioners sugar. Add a small bit of green food coloring. Throughly combine. Add to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Set aside.

    

6. Frost the cupcakes – Frost the cupcakes using a round. Add two mini Oreo cookies for Mickey and Minnie’s ears.

    

7. Add fondant bow – Roll out green fondant to 1/4″ thick. Cut out 1/2″ wide strips. Fold the strips with the ends meeting in the back to form a bow shape. Add another short strip in the center of the bow for the knot and wrap the ends around to the back. Use a dot of water to adhere. Add small white sugar pearls on the bow for polka dots. Place bows on half the cupcakes.

    

8. Add Leprechaun hat – Using your hands, roll green fondant into a cylinder shape. Press the ends to flatten. Roll black fondant ¼” thick. Cut into a long thin strip. Attach the black strip around the end of the cylinder joining at the back. Use a dot of water to adhere the ends. Roll the remaining green fondant into a disc shape bigger than the width of the base of the hat. Adhere the two pieces together with a dot of water. Gently press a gold confetti sprinkle over the front of the black strip as a buckle.