Have I ever told you how much I love Kermit? (See Rainbow Cookies.)
I grew up watching Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo on Muppet Babies. I was so sad when the show ended when I was elementary school. The Muppets taught me all sorts of life lessons- from how to share toys to not being afraid of the dentist and even the importance of teamwork.
I was so excited when The Muppets movie came out a couple years ago. I didn’t mind that I was surrounded by parents and young children. In fact, it made me happy to know that the Muppets transcend so many generations of kids. I can’t wait for this new Muppets movie that will be in theaters next Friday. Have you see the trailers for Muppets Most Wanted?!
This new movie looks hilarious and exciting, especially because the Muppets get to travel all over Europe! (And I can’t wait to hear the new songs!) If you don’t already know, you get to meet the infamous Constantine, the world’s number one criminal. He impersonates our beloved Kermit, causing Kermit to be put in jail. As a lifelong Kermit fan, I can SPOT Constantine. Can you?!
To celebrate the release of this new movie, I made Kermit and Constantine Muppet Cupcakes! Although these cupcake toppers require a bit of time and patience, the oohs and ahhhs, the smiles and joy that come from the recipients of these awesome cupcakes make it all worth it. And if you don’t have the time, don’t worry. You can still get into the Muppet spirit by making these Kermit and Miss Piggy bags.
To create these super cute Kermit and Constantine cupcake toppers you will need gel paste food coloring in electric pink (for Kermit’s tongue), super red (mouth), forest green (head), and electric green (collar). I prefer AmeriColor but any gel paste food coloring brand will work. Don’t try to use liquid food coloring because the fondant will not absorb it as well.
My favorite fondant is Massa Americana, but I also like to use Fondx and Satin Ice. You don’t need any fancy tools, just a pairing knife and a small palatte knife, or a mini offset spatula. I used a food safe marker in black to draw in Kermit’s eyes.
I’m not much an artist. I can’t draw, but I’m good at tracing. I found this awesome Kermit pumpkin carving template at Spoonful. Adjust the size depending on how big you want your cupcake topper to be. Then simply cut out Kermit’s various parts: eyes, mouth, tongue, head, and collar. I cut out a 3-inch fondant circle to be the platform for Kermit’s head.
Roll out the colored fondant to about 1/8-1/4inch thickness. Place cutout template on top of rolled fondant and use a pairing knife to trace the outline of the template. Work on a cutting board so you don’t mess up your table surface. If the fondant is too soft, you can add a little tylose powder or work in some gum paste.
Use a tiny bit of water to attach the various fondant pieces together. I started with the white circle platform. I attached Kermit’s head, followed by his collar. Next I attached the red mouth, the pink tongue, and his two eyes. Finally, I used a food safe black marker to draw in Kermit’s eyes. Place completed Kermit on a wire rack to dry out.
I like to work in stages. I start by making all the circle platforms, followed by cutting out all the heads, then the collars, etc. For me, it’s much faster and more time efficient to work this way.
For these Kermit cupcakes, I used my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe. Feel free to use your favorite, or simply use a boxed mix to save time.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 3 Tbsp nonfat yogurt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, softened
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix together milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Set both bowls aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs one a time, making sure first egg is incorporated before adding second egg.
- Scrape down bowl. Add half of dry mixture. Continue to mix and stream in half of wet mixture. Add remaining dry mixture, followed by remaining wet mixture. Mix until there are no more streaks of dry mixture.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tin (about 1/4-1/3 cup of batter per muffin). Bake for 18-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, or until cake lightly springs back when touched. Rotate pan halfway through baking. Let cupcakes cool in tin for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool to room temperature.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese using a hand mixer. Alternatively use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Add sifted powdered sugar in three additions. Mix until smooth. Add pinch of salt and vanilla extract. Continue to mix until fluffy and smooth.
- Transfer to piping bag or use a mini offset spatula to decorate cooled cupcakes.
