These Lion King cupcakes are perfect for the new release of "The Lion King." If your kids are like mine then you know that this year's birthday theme is going to be all about "The Lion King."
Not only are these super cute for birthday parties, but I think they would be super cute for baby showers, or even for a family movie night
Additionally, these would be a great treat for the classroom after reading the "The Lion King" as a read aloud to your class.
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💖 Why This Recipe Works
- Thematic & Fun: These cupcakes capture the essence of The Lion King, making them perfect for themed parties or family movie nights.
- Simple to Make: With basic ingredients like vanilla cupcakes, butter, powdered sugar, and fondant, these treats are easy to prepare.
- Creative Decorating: Using fondant and icing, you can create lion paw prints and the word "ROAR", adding a playful touch to each cupcake.
🥚Ingredients for Lion King Cupcakes
- 12 vanilla cupcakes
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
- 2-3 small drops yellow gel food coloring
- 3-4 oz. orange fondant
- 3-4 oz. brown fondant
Tools needed:
Offset spatula
1 small heart-shaped cookie cutter
Wilton icing tip #12
Small letter cookie cutters: R, O, and A
Yields: One dozen decorated cupcakes
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🌈 Substitutions and Variations
- Flavor Options: Instead of vanilla cupcakes, consider using chocolate or marble-flavored cupcakes for a richer taste.
- Frosting Colors: Add orange or red gel food coloring to your frosting to give it a vibrant hue reminiscent of the savanna sunset.
- Decorative Enhancements: Incorporate edible paw prints on the cupcakes using brown icing or fondant cutouts to add a playful touch.
- Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free flour blends to accommodate dietary preferences without compromising taste.
🔪How to Make Lion King Cupcakes
Before you begin the decorating process, ensure that your cupcakes are completely cool to the touch.
Using either an electric stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, beat together butter, sugar and milk until smooth. Start at low speed and gradually increase to high.
Once the ingredients are well-combined, add yellow gel food coloring. Beat until tinted.
Use an offset spatula to frost each cupcake.
Roll orange fondant with a rolling pin until it is about ¼ of an inch thick.
Using letter cookie cutters, cut out the word “ROAR” 6 times.
Place the word “ROAR” on 6 cupcakes.
Roll out brown fondant until it’s about ¼ of an inch thick.
Use heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 6 hearts.
Place one heart on one cupcake upside-down.
Use tip of Wilton #12 to cut out 48 small circles.
Place 4 circles above the upside down heart on each cupcake - this will act as the paw.
Serve and enjoy!
Lion King Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 12 vanilla cupcakes
- 1 stick butter softened
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar sifted
- 2-3 tablespoon milk
- 2-3 small drops yellow gel food coloring
- 3-4 oz. orange fondant
- 3-4 oz. brown fondant
Instructions
- Before you begin the decorating process, ensure that your cupcakes are completely cool to the touch.
- Using either an electric stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, beat together butter, sugar and milk until smooth. Start at low speed and gradually increase to high.
- Once the ingredients are well-combined, add yellow gel food coloring. Beat until tinted.
- Use an offset spatula to frost each cupcake.
- Roll orange fondant with a rolling pin until it is about ¼ of an inch thick.
- Using letter cookie cutters, cut out the word “ROAR” 6 times.
- Place the word “ROAR” on 6 cupcakes.
- Roll out brown fondant until it’s about ¼ of an inch thick.
- Use heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 6 hearts.
- Place one heart on one cupcake upside-down.
- Use tip of Wilton #12 to cut out 48 small circles.
- Place 4 circles above the upside down heart on each cupcake - this will act as the paw.
- Serve and enjoy!
If you enjoy these Disney themed cupcakes, you may enjoy some of my other Disney themed cupcakes. Here's a few to check out:
- Disney Themed Olaf Cookies
- Lightning McQueen Disney Treats
- Disney The Little Mermaid Inspired Oreos
- Moana Cookies Heart of Te Fiti
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Bake vanilla cupcakes and cool them completely.
- Frost with a buttercream mix of softened butter, powdered sugar, milk, and yellow gel food coloring.
- Cut out "ROAR" from orange fondant and paw prints from brown fondant, then place them on the cupcakes for a fun Lion King look.
💭 FAQs
Absolutely! Using pre-made cupcakes can save time and still yield delicious results.
Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar to prevent sticking.
Check local baking supply stores or online retailers like Amazon for a variety of cookie cutter shapes.
Definitely! Kids can help with frosting, placing fondant shapes, and adding decorative touches under adult supervision.
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain freshness.
💖 Serving Suggestions
These are my favorite treats to serve with Lion King cupcakes:
- Simba's Fruit Sandwiches: Create sandwiches using whole wheat bread, cream cheese, and sliced bananas, cut into lion shapes for a fun and healthy snack.
- Pumbaa's Bug Grub Brownies: Serve brownies topped with gummy worms to mimic the "bug" delicacies enjoyed by Timon and Pumbaa.
- Rafiki's S'mores: Set up a s'mores station with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers for guests to assemble their own treats, inspired by Rafiki's mystical offerings.
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