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Captain Minnie Cupcakes (Lemon cupcakes in a white wrapper with red frosting, mini oreo ears, and a paper captain hat)

Captain Minnie Cupcakes

Sail away with these Captain Minnie Cupcakes! These lemon cupcakes are topped with lemon cream cheese frosting, mini Oreo ears, and a special Disney Cruise Line captain’s hat!
Course Dessert
Keyword Disney Cruise Line, Lemon Cupcakes, Minnie Mouse
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Lemon Cupcakes

  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 ½ cups cake flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup buttermilk

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 teaspoon lemon extract
  • a pinch salt
  • red gel food coloring

Decorations

  • mini Oreo cookies
  • paper captain hats (template in post)

Equipment

  • 12 cup muffin pan
  • white cupcake wrapper/liner
  • piping bag
  • large star piping tip
  • toothpicks
  • tape

Instructions

Lemon Cupcakes

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, butter, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice.
  5. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
  6. Transfer the batter to the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup ½ to ⅔ full.
  7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  8. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

  1. In a medium bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Then, add the cream cheese, lemon extract, and salt and beat until smooth.
  2. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and mix until combined.
  3. Stir in the red gel food coloring.
  4. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. If it feels loose, place in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.

Captain Hat Cupcake Toppers

  1. Print the captain hats out onto regular white paper (see template).
  2. Cut out the captain hats.
  3. Tape a toothpick onto the back of each captain hat.
  4. Set aside until ready to decorate the cupcakes.

Assembly

  1. If using cupcake wrappers, assemble the wrappers and place the cupcakes inside them.
  2. Pipe a swirl of red frosting onto the top of each cupcake.
  3. Insert the toothpick with the paper captain hat into the center of each cupcake.
  4. Press two mini Oreo cookies into the sides of the cupcakes to make Minnie’s ears.