Go Back
Print

Jiminy Cricket Cupcakes

Celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Pinocchio with these Jiminy Cricket inspired cupcakes! These rich chocolate cupcakes are filled with a chocolate mint ganache and topped with a fluffy mint frosting and fondant hat!
Course Dessert
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup + 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup boiling water

Mint Frosting

  • 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 7.5 oz jar marshmallow fluff or creme
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon mint extract

Fondant Hats

  • 1 oz white fondant
  • blue gel food coloring
  • edible gold cake paint

Chocolate Ganache

  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon mint extract

Equipment

  • small hat shaped cutter
  • food safe disposable gloves
  • clean/new paintbrush
  • 2 piping bags
  • large star tip
  • large round tip

Instructions

Cupcakes

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place self-standing cupcake liners on a parchment lined baking sheet or line a muffin pan with cupcake wrappers.
  2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  3. Add in eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
  4. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin and runny).
  5. Pour into prepared cupcake liners or muffin pans, filling about ⅔ full.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  7. Cool 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
  8. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

Frosting

  1. On medium speed, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add in marshmallow fluff and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
  3. Gradually add in sugar, beating on medium speed until fluffy. Make sure not to overbeat the frosting as it will become tough.
  4. Stir in vanilla and mint extract, adding more mint to taste, if desired.
  5. Stir in a few drops of green gel food coloring.
  6. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip.

Ganache

  1. Place chocolate pieces in a heat-safe bowl.
  2. In a small saucepan, heat cream until it comes to just under a boil.
  3. Pour cream into the bowl with the chocolate and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
  4. Stir until smooth. Add mint extract, stirring until combined.
  5. Pour into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

Fondant Hats

  1. Put on food safe disposable gloves and gently knead fondant for a couple seconds until soft.
  2. Add a few drops of blue food coloring and knead until color is mixed in.
  3. On a surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar, roll out fondant to about ¼ inch thickness.
  4. Cut into hat shapes, using cutter and place on a parchment lined plate.
  5. Paint a line of gold where the base of the hat meets the rim of the hat. Let dry while you assemble the cupcakes.

Assembly

  1. Once cupcakes are cool, use an apple corer to cut a hole in the center of each cupcake.
  2. Pipe the ganache into the center of each cupcake, filling it just to the top.
  3. Pipe a swirl of frosting on the top of each cupcake.
  4. Place a fondant hat on top of the frosting swirl.