Easy Mermaid Cupcakes

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 Eeeek!! I just can’t get over how crazy cute these Mermaid Cupcakes are!!

Easy Mermaid Cupcakes

Perhaps you’ve seen the gorgeous over-the-top mermaid cupcakes making the rounds on social media over the past year or so. Wouldn’t they be gorgeous for a summer pool party or mermaid-themed birthday party?!

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Good news: they’re not as difficult as you might think to re-create at home!

We used a box cake shortcut to save time on our cupcakes – you can also do this for the frosting, or use our homemade frosting recipe below.

PS – If you want to make gluten free mermaid cupcakes, try using the white cupcake recipe from our Cherry Donut Cupcakes or strawberry-flavored recipe from our Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes.

— Stacey

How to Make Mermaid Cupcakes

A free printable copy of the full mermaid cupcakes recipe is available at the end of the post.

Keep reading for photo step-by-step instructions or  click here to jump straight to the printable recipe. 

How to Make Unicorn Sprinkle Mix

If you can’t find a mermaid or unicorn sprinkle mix in stores, you can easily make your own by combining 1 package each of light green, light Blue, and purple nonpareil’s and/or sprinkle jimmies in a small mixing bowl.

How to Make Fondant Mermaid Tails

For your convenience, I’ve included shop-able ad links to products used to make our mermaid cupcakes recipe; read our disclosure policy here.

What you need:

• Silicone mermaid tail fondant mold (you might want to grab a couple molds to make your tails faster)
• Hot pink fondant
• Cornstarch
• Food safe paint brush
• Gold cake decorating spray 

Lightly powder your hands with cornstarch and knead the pink fondant until it becomes soft and malleable.

Using one of the brushes, dip it into the cornstarch and lightly coat the silicon mold

Tear off a tablespoon amount of fondant and press into the tail mold. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes, then flip over the mold and carefully push out the fondant tail out of the mold.

Once all tails have been molded, spray the top of each tail with gold spray cake spray.

Allow to dry for about an hour.

How to Make Mermaid Frosting

What you need:

• Unsalted sweet cream butter, softened
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Heavy whipping cream
• Pink and blue gel food coloring
• 2 Plastic piping bags & a star tip

Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer on medium speed. You can also use a hand mixer with a large non-slip mixing bowl.

If your frosting still seems powdery or chunky, add another tablespoon of heavy whipping cream and continue to mix until you have creamy stiff peaks.

Split frosting into two bowls.

Add 2-3 drops of pink gel food coloring to one bowl and 2-3 drops of blue gel food coloring to the second bowl. Mix each frosting until you have a bright pink and bright blue.

Scoop the pink frosting into a plastic piping bag and blue frosting into a second piping bag. For the pink frosting, you can simply trim an opening in the piping bag. For the blue frosting, we recommend a star tip.

To Decorate your Mermaid Cupcakes:

Prepare cupcakes according to directions on box (or using one of our gluten free cupcakes recipes).

When cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, pipe a medium size dollop of pink frosting onto the top of each cupcake.

Use a butter knife to spread the frosting to cover the top of cupcakes.

Dip the top of the cupcake into the mermaid sprinkles, allowing excess sprinkles to drop back into bowl. Repeat as needed until most of the frosting is coated in sprinkles.

Pipe a dollop of blue frosting on top of each cupcake, in the center. Gently press a fondant mermaid tail into the frosting so that it is secure.

Grab a Free Printable Copy of our Easy Mermaid Cupcakes Recipe:

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Print

Easy Mermaid Cupcakes

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

These crazy cute Mermaid Cupcakes are the viral party trend of the summer! Here's how to make them (the easy way) at home. 

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12

Calories: 400 kcal

Author: Stacey aka the Soccer Mom

Ingredients

• 12 vanilla cupcakes
• 1 cup mermaid sprinkles

Mermaid Tails Ingredients:

• 1 tub hot pink fondant
• 1 cup of corn starch
• 1 can gold cake decorating spray

Homemade Mermaid Frosting Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted sweet cream butter softened
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-5 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• pink and blue gel food coloring

Instructions

How to Make Fondant Mermaid Tails

1. Lightly powder your hands with cornstarch and knead the pink fondant until it becomes soft and malleable.
2. Using one of the brushes, dip it into the cornstarch and lightly coat the silicon mold
3. Tear off a tablespoon amount of fondant and press into the tail mold. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes, then flip over the mold and carefully push out the fondant tail out of the mold.
4. Once all tails have been molded, spray the top of each tail with gold spray cake spray.
5. Allow to dry for about an hour.

How to Make Mermaid Frosting

1. Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer on medium speed. You can also use a hand mixer with a large non-slip mixing bowl.
2. If your frosting still seems powdery or chunky, add another tablespoon of heavy whipping cream and continue to mix until you have creamy stiff peaks.
3. Split frosting into two bowls.
4. Add 2-3 drops of pink gel food coloring to one bowl and 2-3 drops of blue gel food coloring to the second bowl. Mix each frosting until you have a bright pink and bright blue.
5. Scoop the pink frosting into a plastic piping bag and blue frosting into a second piping bag. For the pink frosting, you can simply trim an opening in the piping bag. For the blue frosting, we recommend a star tip.

Put it All Together:

1. Prepare cupcakes according to directions on box.
2. When cupcakes have cooled to room temperature, pipe a medium size dollop of pink frosting onto the top of each cupcake.
3. Use a butter knife to spread the frosting to cover the top of cupcakes.
4. Dip the top of the cupcake into the mermaid sprinkles, allowing excess sprinkles to drop back into bowl. Repeat as needed until most of the frosting is coated in sprinkles.
5. Pipe a dollop of blue frosting on top of each cupcake, in the center. Gently press a fondant mermaid tail into the frosting so that it is secure.

Recipe Notes

Supplies Used:

• Mermaid tail fondant molds
• Food safe paint brush
• Plastic piping bags (2) with star tip

Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate only; actual values will vary based on the exact ingredients used and amount of recipe prepared.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Mermaid Cupcakes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 400 Calories from Fat 198

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 22g 34%

Saturated Fat 11g 55%

Cholesterol 46mg 15%

Sodium 277mg 12%

Potassium 45mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 49g 16%

Sugars 39g

Protein 2g 4%

Vitamin A 11%

Vitamin C 0.1%

Calcium 6.3%

Iron 3.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

More of our Favorite Mermaid and Unicorn Recipes

Mermaid Freakshake

Edible Unicorn Horns made with Ice Cream Cones

Edible Unicorn Play Dough 

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Last updated on July 7th, 2018 at 08:28 pm