By Cake

Happy Friday! The live action adaptation of The Little Mermaid premieres today and so I’m excited to share these Flounder Cupcakes to celebrate! Inspired by Ariel’s fish friend Flounder, these vanilla cupcakes have a coat of yellow frosting and blue M&M scales.

These cupcakes are small batch–just six cupcakes in total–but you could definitely double the recipe if you’d like more! In the live action version of the movie, Flounder is more white and blue, but I preferred the look of the classic yellow and blue and so I used those colors instead. If you’d rather make it more true to the live action version, you could omit the food coloring from the frosting.

Flounder Cupcakes (vanilla cupcakes with yellow frosting and blue M&M scales)

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To make the cupcakes, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until combined. Gradually add the flour, beating on low speed. Add the milk and beat until combined. 

Transfer the dough to a 6-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. I used some my favorite parchment paper cupcake liners from PaperChef. You could also use some yellow cupcake liners to match Flounder’s coloring. Bake the cupcakes at 350 F for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting by beating the butter until creamy in a medium bowl. Add the powdered sugar, beating on low speed until just combined. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy. Mix in a few drops of yellow gel food coloring. I used the lemon yellow color from an Ann Clark food color set.

To assemble the cupcakes, use an offset spatula to spread a layer of frosting onto each cupcake. Next, place two yellow M&Ms on the lefthand side of each cupcake to make lips. Then, add a single candy eye to the right of the lips. Finally, place the blue M&M scales to the right of the eye in the following pattern: 4 M&Ms, then 3 M&Ms, then 2 M&Ms.

Flounder Cupcakes (vanilla cupcakes with yellow frosting and blue M&M scales)

Enjoy these Flounder Cupcakes and the new live-action version of The Little Mermaid !

Flounder Cupcakes (vanilla cupcakes with yellow frosting and blue M&M scales)
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Flounder Cupcakes

Inspired by Ariel’s fish friend Flounder, these Flounder Cupcakes are vanilla cupcakes with yellow frosting and M&M scales!
Course Dessert
Keyword Ariel, Flounder, The Little Mermaid
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 cupcakes

Ingredients

Vanilla Cupcakes

  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large large egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup milk

Vanilla Frosting

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • yellow gel food coloring

Decorations

  • 12 yellow M&Ms
  • 54 blue M&Ms
  • candy eyes

Equipment

  • yellow or parchment cupcake liners
  • 6- cup muffin pan
  • offset spatula

Instructions

Vanilla Cupcakes

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 6-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until combined.
  5. Gradually add the flour, beating on low speed. Add the milk and beat until combined.
  6. Transfer the dough to the prepared muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
  7. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Frosting

  1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
  2. Add the powdered sugar, beating on low speed until just combined.
  3. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
  4. Stir in a few drops of yellow gel food coloring.

Assembly

  1. Use an offset spatula to spread the frosting on the tops of the cupcakes.
  2. Press two yellow M&Ms into the top left sides of the cupcakes to make lips.
  3. Place a candy eye to the right of the lips.
  4. Press nine blue M&Ms into the top of the cupcakes to the right of the eye in the following pattern: 4 M&Ms, then 3 M&Ms, and then 2 M&Ms.
The Little Mermaid