So creative to make, so cute, so delicious! From the movie Despicable Me, a cake mix and some Twinkies bring those cute little minions to life. Use these kid-worthy cupcakes to transform your child’s birthday dessert into a fun celebration.
Minions are taking over my life, people. All my boys do is recite lines and play out scenes from Despicable Me 2. Over and over and over until the sun goes down and they are tucked tightly into their little beds. They basically only speak to one another in minion-talk these days. It’s a good thing the movie is so cute and that the minions are so darn lovable! I knew Elijah would be super excited about having a minion-themed birthday party this year. He was thrilled about the minion decor and napkins and party hats. When I told him of my plans to make Minion Cupcakes he could hardly contain himself. He insisted on sitting with me while I worked so he could make sure I created Dave, Jerry, Stuart, Kevin and Bob to his very detailed specifications. He told me exactly what style of hair and eye(s) each of them had and how tall each was.
These are SUPER easy to make. I thought they would be way more time-consuming than they turned out to be. If you, too, have a minion-lover, give these a try! They were a huge hit at Elijah’s birthday party. The adults loved them, too!
Elijah is not home right now to help, but I’m pretty sure this is Jerry and Kevin.
I’m not a huge cupcake eater but I have a few recipes under my belt that have turned out delicious, like my Caramel Apple Cupcakes, my Nutella Cupcakes and these cute little Monster Cupcakes!
INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE MINIONS
I love how a soft vanilla cupcake is perfect for a minion dessert for that favorite someone who wants a themed party. These are made without fondant but still turn out looking great.
STEP 1
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Prepare 20 cupcakes using cupcake liners according to the package instructions. Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
STEP 2
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While they are baking, scoop the frosting into a bowl and add a few drops of blue food coloring. Mix well. Continue adding blue drops until you get a hue that matches those cute little minion overalls.
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If you plan to make a purple minion or two, place a few spoonfuls of the frosting into a separate bowl and do the same thing with purple food coloring. I used the purple neon gel coloring and it was a perfect match.
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Frost the cupcakes.
STEP 3 – ASSEMBLING AND DECORATING YOUR DESPICABLE ME MINIONS
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Cut the Twinkies in half as you go.
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Using the black icing or gel, draw a single line around the rounded portion of the minion head about halfway down.
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Alternate between using one and two candy eyes, unless you want more of one than another. They’re all cute. Squirt a little glob of the black gel onto the back side of each eye.
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Gently press the eye(s) onto the center of each black stripe. The excess gel will seep out from around the edges a bit and that is good, as it serves as the outer rim of the goggles.
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Draw a cute little smile onto the minion. Add some hair. You can choose between the center part, the spiky look or the single curl.
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Carefully place the heads onto the tops of the cupcakes, pressing down gently.
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Repeat the same process from above with the goggles/eyes. Since this one needs to be constructed while being upright, I had to hold the eyes in place for a minute so they didn’t slide down.
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For the mouth, create a frown with the gel. Using a knife, cut a candy eyeball (or a Smartie) into uneven pieces. Dab one side with gel and push them in gently above the frown to create the crazy teeth.
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Insert a toothpick into the top of his head and hold onto it while pushing a spatula underneath the minion. Transfer it to the top of a purple-frosted cupcake and carefully remove the spatula (and then the toothpick). Spread extra purple frosting around the base of the minion and spread carefully with a knife to create a seamless look.
RECIPE TIPS
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This recipe is not complicated but there’s an important timing factor. You don’t want to prepare the minion heads too soon in fear so they dry out and become inedible. Now I know that 20 yellow heads can be made in less than an hour (actually more like 40-45 minutes, if you have everything ready to go).
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To save yourself a step, purchase prepared cupcakes and just decorate them prior to the guests arriving.
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Have your house cleaned and your dishes put away so you can spend the final hour before your guests arrive to prepare minion heads!
I can’t believe how huge my fingers look in these photos. Hand modeling is apparently not my thing. But I”m thankful to create these favorite characters for my son’s birthday. They are so fun and cute, aren’t they?!
THE BEST DESSERTS FOR PARTIES
Here are a handful of great party dessert options when you don’t want to create a theme!
BONUS MINION:
For the purple minions, cut a Twinkie at about the 3/4 mark. They should stand a little bit taller than the yellows. Place it on its cut end on a flat work surface. Using a knife, spread the purple frosting around its entire surface, going up and down with the strokes. Place an excess of frosting on the top and swirl it around with the knife, creating the look of crazy hair.
Minion Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake plus ingredients needed on the box
- 1 container white frosting
- 10 Twinkies
- 1 tube blue food coloring
- 20 cupcake liners
- 1 tube black decorating gel
- Candy eyeballs found at Walmart or alternatively use smarties candies and draw an eyeball inside
Instructions
- Prepare 20 cupcakes according to package instructions. While they are baking, scoop the frosting into a bowl and add blue food coloring. Mix well and continue adding drops until you reach a medium blue. Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them.
- Approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour before serving these cupcakes, begin the process of making the minion heads. Cut the Twinkies in half as you go. Using the black gel, draw a single line around the rounded portion of the minion head about halfway down. Alternate between using one and two candy eyes. Squirt a glob of the black gel onto the backside of each eye. Gently press the eye(s) onto the center of each black stripe. Draw a smile onto the minion and add hair (center part, spiky look or single curl).
- Carefully place the heads onto the tops of the cupcakes, pressing down gently. Serve!
Felix
Looks very very nice. Very nice Job ! I made a link of your article to my blog related to the minions word (www.planetminion.com), I hope you are ok with thatCheers
heather
thank you sooo much for your talented info!! I never knew that wilton made candy eyeballs and im loving your purple minion! Believe it or not im making these for my daughters 13th birthday party!
Danielle @ theCHARMITspot
Awwwe! These minion cupcakes are so incredibly cute! I love them! What a creative idea, I love it! Thanks for sharing!
Laavy
Awww these minions are so cute.Love your creativity!!
ticka73
Do you have a picture of the completed project?
Karrie in Abu Dhabi, UAE
I will be the hero in my sons class. thanks for this.