Beautiful Princess Cupcakes topped with your favourite Disney characters. These easy chocolate cupcakes with silky smooth swiss meringue buttercream icing are almost too pretty to eat!
I've used my favourite recipe for chocolate cupcakes, they are the perfect base for extravagantly decorated cupcakes. Everyone always asks for the recipe and the good news is it only takes ten minutes to whip up the easy cupcake batter.
That means you'll have plenty of time to make a big batch of swiss meringue buttercream icing!
Disney Theme Party
Princess cupcakes make an incredible centrepiece for a Disney themed birthday party. Having two daughters, I've made so many themed cakes and sweet treats over the years but nothing lights up a little girl's face more than her favourite Disney Princesses sitting perched atop a cupcake.
Match the frosting colour to the princess figure and it looks just like her dress.
Kids go crazy for the Disney figures! It's a nice idea to make a cupcake as a party favour, it always goes down well when the recipient gets to keep her favourite princess.
Just be prepared that everyone will be fighting over who gets to keep cupcake princess Ariel!
Disney Princess Cupcake Toppers
I bought the Disney princess figures from Amazon. The (affiliate link) Mini Princess Cake Toppers come in a pack of 6 and are 7-8cm tall. As they are designed as cake toppers for cake decorating they are non-toxic and safe to use.
In the pack, you get Belle, Ariel, Alice, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Snow White. As you can see from the video and photographs - Belle is missing. She's probably in the depths of my youngest daughter's toy box. I really shouldn't open stuff when she's around!!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
As I mentioned the chocolate cupcake recipe is super easy. It really does only takes around 10 minutes to make the cupcake batter and they bake in 20 mins in the oven.
I went with swiss meringue buttercream for the Princess cupcakes because it's so lovely to work with. It's really silky and glossy. It is also really easy to colour and pipes beautifully.
Making swiss meringue buttercream can seem like a bit of a faff because there's an extra step when you heat the egg whites and sugar together. It is so worth it though! If you follow my recipe you will end up with amazing frosting and I know you'll be delighted with the results.
What You Need
For the chocolate cupcakes
- Plain Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Caster Sugar
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Whole Milk
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
For the swiss meringue buttercream
- Egg whites
- Granulated Sugar
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
For the decoration
- Disney Princess Figures
- Gel food colouring - I used pink, blue, yellow and purple.
- Piping bags
- Piping tip - I used Wilton 2D
How to make Princess Cupcakes
Watch my video and use the images to help you!
Once you've baked the chocolate cupcakes, set them aside to cool and make the frosting. If you would like a visual for how to make swiss meringue buttercream this video is really helpful.
Step One: Measure 200g of egg white into a metal or heatproof mixing bowl. Add 200g of granulated or caster sugar to the bowl and mix to combine.
Step Two: Fill a large saucepan with a couple of inches of water and put the saucepan on the stove over a low heat.
Put the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan (double boiler method) Don’t let the mixing bowl touch the water otherwise you’ll end up with scrambled eggs!
Use a handheld whisk and stir continuously for about 4 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. You can test it by rubbing the mixture with your fingers. When it feels smooth the sugar has dissolved.
Step Three: When the sugar has dissolved, transfer the mixing bowl to a stand mixer and beat on high for 5 minutes. Your egg whites will turn into a bright white thick and glossy meringue that forms stiff peaks.
Note: You can also do this step with a handheld electric whisk.
Step Four: Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, once all the butter has been added your mixture will have changed from glossy white and will probably look like it’s split.
Note: DO NOT PANIC! The mixture will come together in a few minutes.
Keep beating until the butter and egg whites come together, and that’s when the magic happens. You’ll end up with the silkiest buttercream you’ve ever seen.
Step Five: Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes.
Step Six: Split the swiss meringue buttercream into four bowls, add a drop of different food colouring gel to each bowl and mix well.
How to decorate Princess Cupcakes
Step One: Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2D piping nozzle. (Unless you have several piping tips, you'll have to do this one colour at a time and wash the nozzle each time.)
Note: I made one bowl of frosting and coloured it pale blue to match Alice in Wonderland's dress. I used half of the frosting for Alice and then added more blue gel to make it darker for Cinderella.
Step Two: Pipe the swiss meringue buttercream on top of the cupcakes. To get frilly frosting, slowly pipe a swirl on to the cupcake and swirl upwards and inwards.
Step Three: Push a Disney figure into the top of each cupcake!
I displayed the Disney Princess Cupcakes in a really cute cupcake holder with wheels. You could also use the cupcakes to decorate the top of a cake or display them all on a cake stand.
I hope you enjoy making these Disney Princess Cupcakes as much as I did. They make such beautiful centrepieces and are brilliant for a Disney themed party or special birthday.
Which Princess Cupcake is your favourite?
More Tempting Cupcake Recipes
How to make Disney Princess Cupcakes
Delicious chocolate Princess Cupcakes topped with swiss meringue buttercream 'dresses' and beautiful Disney figures. Perfect for a Disney party theme or special birthday.
Ingredients
For the chocolate cupcakes
- 225 g plain flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 300 g caster sugar
- 2 tsps baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 80 g unsalted butter
- 240 ml whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the swiss meringue buttercream frosting
- 200 g egg whites, (about 6 large eggs)
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 500 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- gel food colouring, various colours
Instructions
For the chocolate cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC / 160ºC Fan / Gas 4 / 350ºF
- Put the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter into a mixing bowl. Beat on a low speed using a handheld electric or stand mixer until combined.
- In a separate jug, whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, beating well.
- Fill the cupcake cases about half full and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 mins or until the cupcake feels springy to the touch. Leave to cool completely while you make the frosting.
For the swiss meringue buttercream
- Put the egg whites and sugar into a metal or heatproof mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
- Fill a large saucepan with a couple of inches of water and put the saucepan on the stove over a low heat. Put the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan (double boiler method) but don’t let the mixing bowl touch the water.
- Use a handheld whisk and stir continuously for about 4 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. You can test it by rubbing the mixture with your fingers. When it feels smooth the sugar has dissolved.
- When the sugar has dissolved, transfer the mixing bowl to a stand mixer (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on high for 5 minutes. The egg whites will turn into a bright white thick and glossy meringue that forms stiff peaks.
- Add the butter a tablespoon at a time, once all the butter has been added your mixture will have changed from glossy white and will probably look like it’s split. Keep beating until the butter and egg whites come together.
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat for another 2 minutes.
- Split the swiss meringue buttercream into four bowls, add a drop of different food colouring gel to each bowl and mix well.
For the decoration
- Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2D piping nozzle.
- Pipe the swiss meringue buttercream on top of the cupcakes. To get frilly frosting, slowly pipe a swirl on to the cupcake and swirl upwards and inwards.
- Push a Disney figure into the top of each cupcake!
Notes
- You can use either a free standing mixer or a handheld electric whisk. Beating time will be a couple of minutes longer if using the latter.
- The chocolate cupcake recipe is for 16 cupcakes. If you want very tall swiss meringue buttercream for a number of cupcakes, you will need to double the ingredients quantity for the frosting.
- The frosting quantities given will ice 6 cupcakes with very tall icing. It's brilliant for decorative purposes but not practical to eat that much frosting - so bear that in mind!
- When you add the butter to the egg whites the mixture will split. Don't panic, give it a few minutes and the butter and egg whites will come together.
- I made one bowl of frosting and coloured it pale blue to match Alice in Wonderland's dress. I used half of the frosting for Alice and then added more blue gel to make it darker for Cinderella. Depending on your Disney figures you can stretch the frosting further by making a light colour and darker colour from one gel.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 464Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 19gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 107mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 1gSugar: 32gProtein: 5g
Donna
Where in the world did you get the little carriages at. This makes the cupcake complete I think. What a very sweet idea. Thank you so much and please let me know Thanks again
Donna Pollock
Amy
Hi Donna! Thanks so much. I found the carriages on Amazon. The link is here:
Hebudy Cupcake Display Stand Cake Stands Wheel Pastry Ice Cream Holder Dessert Cup for Wedding Birthday Cake Decorations 2 PCS https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07R61DJ12/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_2u6MmoLzVf5Nm
If you’re not in the UK then do a search on Amazon for cupcake carriage display stand. Hope you manage to find some! Amy
Jess
Hello! Im interested in these but how long will the icing hold its shape? Can i make them in advance before a party?