Today Galaxy’s Edge officially opens in Disneyland! I must admit I have never been super interested in Star Wars. I tried watching the original movies, but they never clicked with me. However, my boyfriend has seen all of the Star Wars films and so when the newer ones came out, I tagged along to see them. Unlike my experience with the original films, I really liked Rogue One and the newer films in the Skywalker series.
While I’m still not a die-hard Star Wars fan, I am intrigued to see the Galaxy’s Edge and the corresponding version in Disney World and wanted to make something to celebrate this exciting chapter in the Star Wars franchise. In my limited experience with Star Wars characters, I’ve found a soft spot for a certain Wookiee named Chewie and so for my dessert this week, I am excited to share these Chewbacca inspired cupcakes!
These brown sugar cupcake topped with a maple cream cheese frosting and a fondant version of Chewie’s bandolier.
When thinking about the type of cupcake to make, I wanted something that would capture the color of Chewie’s fur and found that these brown sugar cupcakes were the perfect fit! They’re moist and fluffy and with a sweet and lightly spiced flavor that perfectly complement the maple cream cheese frosting.
To frost the cupcakes, I used a grass piping tip to create the long fur like texture. I piped lines starting at the center and moving to the outside edge of the cupcake. Once I had created the base layer of frosting, I went back and added more lines and swirls of frosting to create multiple layers of fur.
To make the bandolier, I used black and white fondant. Since there are only 12 cupcakes, you don’t need a lot of fondant. I used about 1/4 each of these small packages of Satin Ice fondant. When working with fondant, make sure to use a bit of powdered sugar on your work surface so it doesn’t stick. Be careful with the sugar on the black fondant, though, because if there is too much sugar, the color of the fondant will change.
Once the black fondant is rolled out, use a sharp knife to cut strips to match the diameter of your cupcakes (mine were about 2-3 inches long). Once you have made the bandoliers, you can also trim them, so don’t worry if they seem too long at first.
To add the white bits to the bandolier, I used small strips of white fondant. To do so, I first rolled out the white fondant and then cut it into long, thin strips. Then, starting at the short end, I cut small thin strips. I aimed to have eight small strips per bandolier.
To attach the white fondant strips to the black fondant, simply dip your finger in water and run it along the length of the black fondant. Make sure not to use too much water, just enough to make the surface of the black fondant slightly damp and sticky. Then, place the white strips two by two onto the black strip.
Place the completed bandoliers onto the top of the frosted cupcakes and enjoy!
Chewbacca Cupcakes
Ingredients
Brown Sugar Cupcakes
- ½ cup unsalted butter, soft
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- ¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
Maple Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, soft
- ½ cup butter, soft
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Decoration
- piping bag
- grass piping tip
- white fondant
- black fondant
- brown gel food coloring
Instructions
Cupcakes
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Preheat oven to 350 Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
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In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
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Add the egg and beat well. Stir in vanilla.
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Add about ¼ of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, gently mixing until just combined.
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Add about ¼ cup of buttermilk to the mixture, gently mixing until just combined.
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Alternate adding the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, mixing gently until combined and smooth.
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Divide the batter among the muffin pan, filling each cup about ⅔ full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Cool cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting
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In a medium bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese until well combined.
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Add the brown sugar and beat until incorporated.
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Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating on low speed until combined.
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Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and salt.
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Stir in desired amount of brown food coloring.
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Place frosting into a piping bag with a grass tip. If frosting feels soft or runny, place in the refrigerator to chill for a few minutes before frosting cupcakes.
Decoration
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Roll out a small amount of black fondant on a flat surface lightly coated with powdered sugar.
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Using a sharp knife, cut out 12 strips about a 2-3 inches long. Set aside.
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Roll out a small amount of white fondant on a flat surface light coated with powdered sugar.
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Using a sharp knife, cut a thin strip of white fondant. Starting at the short end, cut off small strips. Aim to have 8 short white strips for each 1 long black strip.
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To assemble, run a damp finger along the black strip. The black fondant shouldn’t be too wet, just wet enough for the white strips to stick to it.
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Place 8 white strips onto the black fondant strip two by two.
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Place assembled fondant strips on top of frosted cupcakes.
Recipe Notes
adapted from The Spruce Eats