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).
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.
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.
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.”
