Belle Cupcakes

In a world of vanilla cupcakes, be the Belle of the ball.

By Candace Braun Davison, Delish

Get the full story on these cupcakes — and proof they're ridiculously easy to make — here.

Total Time: 0:40

Prep: 0:20

Level: Easy

Yield: 12

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

• 1 box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
• 3 tubs vanilla buttercream frosting (16 oz. each)
• Orange food coloring
• Yellow food coloring
• 1 package marshmallows
• 2 tubes yellow gel frosting

For the Fruit Snack Roses

• 1 box strawberry fruit snacks (like Welch’s strawberry snacks)
• 1 package rainbow belts (like Airheads Xtreme Sour Belts)

Directions

Make the cupcakes:  

Prepare cupcakes according to package’s instructions. Remove from muffin tin and cool completely before taking off cupcake liners (if used).

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Spoon frosting into a large, microwave-safe bowl. Add 2 to 3 drops of orange food coloring and 3 to 4 drops of yellow, stirring until combined. Add color until you get a shade of yellowish gold to match Belle’s dress. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and top with a cooling rack. Place cupcakes upside-down onto the rack, about an inch apart.

Take a marshmallow, swipe one end with a little frosting, and gently place on the center of each upside-down cupcake, forming the base of Belle’s gown.

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Frost the cupcakes: 

Place the remaining frosting in the microwave, heating it for 20 to 25 seconds, then stir. It should be as thin as paint or cake batter. (If it isn’t, pop it in the microwave for 20 more seconds, stirring again afterward.)

Pour frosting on top of each cupcake, pouring directly over the marshmallow and slowly spiraling outward, until the cupcake is coated entirely. If the cupcake shows through the frosting, give it a second coating. (Tip: If you’re running low on frosting, lift the cooling rack and scrape off any frosting that dripped onto the parchment sheet, microwaving it until it’s pourable again.)

Set aside for 10 minutes, so the frosting can set, like the glaze on a donut.

Use gel frosting to draw Belle’s waistline, tracing the area where the marshmallow and the cupcake touch. Beneath that, draw two rows of ruffles on the cupcake itself. Finish by drawing a v-shape on the top of the marshmallow to resemble Belle’s sweetheart neckline.

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Make the roses: 

Set each fruit snack on its side, cutting it in half so it’s half as thick. This exposes the gummy side, so it’ll stick directly to the marshmallow. Stick it on, about halfway up the marshmallow.

Cut the green stripe off of the rainbow belts, creating one1/2” strip for the rose’s stem and a 1/4” piece for the leaf. Dab the stem and leaf with a little frosting, and gently place on the marshmallow, just under the fruit snack “rose.”