Drop of Disney

Happy Wednesday! I’m busy preparing for Thanksgiving and so I’m sharing this week’s treat a bit early. While I think of pies as the typical Thanksgiving dessert (and I’m always reluctant to give up a chance to make my favorite pie), when I saw that Disney World was had these turkey cakes as a special seasonal treat, I thought they were so adorable and I knew I wanted to make them at home. So, I’m excited to share these Mouseketeer Turkey Cakes! Inspired by ones served at Disney World, my version has a cinnamon spice cake, colorful buttercream feathers, and chocolate mouse ears!

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The inspiration for these cakes are the “Gobble Wobble Bundt Cakes” found at the All-Star Resorts in Disney World. Those cakes are cinnamon apple flavored with caramel and regular buttercream. Although I loved how they looked, I’m not of apples in baked goods and so I for my version I changed the cake flavors and added a chocolate turkey head and Mickey ears, because everything is better with Mickey ears!

Since these cakes are mini bundt cakes, you’ll need a mini bundt or bundlette pan. I used one made by NordicWare, which I found at Williams-Sonoma. There are a lot of different patterns and options, so you can choose whichever one you like. Make sure to grease the pan well so that your cakes come out easily.

To make the batter, first whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Then, add the vanilla and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk. Beat until combined. 

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, dividing it between the mini bundt cups. Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake the cakes for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

While the cakes are cooling, make the buttercream frosting and the chocolate decorations. To make the frosting, first beat the butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and milk. Beat on low speed until combined and then beat on high speed until fluffy. 

Divide the frosting into three bowls. Add a few drops of red gel food coloring to one bowl, a few drops of orange gel food coloring to the second bowl, and a few drops of yellow gel food coloring to the third bowl. For these, I used colors from Americolor. Stir the gel food coloring in until fully incorporated. Transfer the frosting into separate piping bags. If the frosting begins to feel too soft, place it into the refrigerator. Before decorating, cut the tips off of the piping bags, so that you have a medium size hole. 

To make the chocolate decorations, you’ll need chocolate melting wafers for the face and ears and white chocolate melting wafers to attach the eyes and make the beak pattern. For these, I used Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Melting Wafers and Ghirardelli White Chocolate Melting Wafers.

Place the chocolate melting wafers into a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Place a piece of wax paper onto a small baking sheet. Pour the melted chocolate onto the wax paper. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate into a square or rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Make sure it’s not too thin or it will break when you cut out the shapes. Place the chocolate into the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Once the chocolate has set, place the wax paper on a cutting board and cut out the Mickey shapes using the small Mickey cookie cutter. I used a cutter that was part of a biscuit cutter set from ShopDisney. I haven’t seen it available in a while, but there are some other options available on Amazon.

Place the white chocolate melting wafers into a disposable piping bag. Heat in the microwave until melted, manipulating the piping bag every 30 seconds. Cut a small part of the tip off of the piping bag and pipe two dots for eyes on the face part of the chocolate Mickey piece. Place the candy eyes on top of the white chocolate dots to attach them. Pipe a small v shape underneath the eyes to make the turkey’s beak, and a little squiggle to the right of the v to make the turkey’s wattle. Let the chocolate set, about 10 minutes. 

To assemble the cakes, starting at the back of the bundt cake and pipe a large squiggle of red frosting across the top of the bundt cake. Next, pipe a medium squiggle of orange frosting in front of the red frosting (this will most likely go over the hole in the bundt cake). Finally, pipe a small squiggle of yellow frosting in front of the orange frosting (this will be close to the front edge of the bundt cake). Gently press a chocolate turkey face into the yellow frosting. 

Enjoy these Mouseketeer Turkey Cakes! Happy Thanksgiving!

If you’re looking for more Thanksgiving treats, be sure to check out my Pumpkin Mickey Pies, Cranberry Mickey Hand Pies, and Mickey’s Cranberry Breakfast Pastries!

Print

Mouseketeer Turkey Cakes

These Mouseketeer Turkey Cakes have a delicious cinnamon spice cake and colorful buttercream feathers! Perfect for Thanksgiving!

Course Dessert

Keyword Fall, thanksgiving

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6 mini bundt cakes

Ingredients

Spice Mini Bundt Cakes

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup milk

Buttercream Frosting

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• red gel food coloring
• orange gel food coloring
• yellow gel food coloring

Decoration

• ½ cup chocolate melting wafers
• ¼ cup white chocolate melting wafers
• candy eye sprinkles

Equipment

• mini bundt cake pan
• piping bags
• wax paper
• small Mickey Mouse cookie cutter

Instructions

Spice Mini Bundt Cakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease the mini bundt cake pan. Make sure the pan is well greased so that the cakes come out easily.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Add the flour mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk. Beat until combined.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, dividing it between the mini bundt cups. Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
6. Bake the cakes for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Cool the cakes in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Buttercream Frosting

1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the powdered sugar and milk. Beat on low speed until combined and then beat on high speed until fluffy.
3. Divide the frosting into three bowls. Add a few drops of red gel food coloring to one bowl, a few drops of orange gel food coloring to the second bowl, and a few drops of yellow gel food coloring to the third bowl. Stir the gel food coloring in until fully incorporated. Transfer the frosting into separate piping bags. If the frosting begins to feel too soft, place it into the refrigerator. Before decorating, cut the tips off of the piping bags, so that you have a medium size hole.

Chocolate Decoration

1. Place the chocolate melting wafers into a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave until melted, stirring every 30 seconds.
2. Place a piece of wax paper onto a small baking sheet.
3. Pour the melted chocolate onto the wax paper. Use an offset spatula to spread the chocolate into a square or rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Make sure it’s not too thin or it will break when you cut out the shapes.
4. Place the chocolate into the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes.
5. Once the chocolate has set, place the wax paper on a cutting board and cut out the Mickey shapes using the small Mickey cookie cutter.
6. Place the white chocolate melting wafers into a disposable piping bag. Heat in the microwave until melted, manipulating the piping bag every 30 seconds.
7. Cut a small part of the tip off of the piping bag and pipe two dots for eyes on the face part of the chocolate Mickey piece. Place the candy eyes on top of the white chocolate dots to attach them. Pipe a small v shape underneath the eyes to make the turkey’s beak, and a little squiggle to the right of the v to make the turkey’s wattle.
8. Let the chocolate set, about 10 minutes.

Assembly

1. Starting at the back of the bundt cake, pipe a large squiggle of red frosting across the top of the bundt cake. Next, pipe a medium squiggle of orange frosting in front of the red frosting (this will most likely go over the hole in the bundt cake). Finally, pipe a small squiggle of yellow frosting in front of the orange frosting (this will be close to the front edge of the bundt cake).
2. Gently press a chocolate turkey face into the yellow frosting.