Bring a little Disney magic to your kitchen with these Stitch cupcakes, filled with blueberry jam and topped with naturally blue buttercream.

These Stitch cupcakes are inspired by a sweet little treat you can pick up at Disneyland Paris. However, this homemade version brings a slice of Disney magic to your own kitchen. Whether you’re planning a themed birthday party, a movie night, or just want something fun to bake with the kids, they’re colourful, playful, and full of character. Stitch has been a longstanding Disney favourite in the household, so these when down perfectly.

The park version is a simple vanilla cupcake with a blackberry frosting. I wanted to change it up to a flavour that is a bit more summery in tone. This version keeps things bright and zesty with a soft lemon sponge, filled with a spoonful of blueberry jam at the centre. They’re topped with a smooth Stitch blue vanilla buttercream that’s naturally coloured. It brings the fun; vibrant Stitch look to life without relying on artificial colouring.

Topped with piped ears or simple decorations, these cupcakes are all about joy and creativity. They’re easy to make, full of flavour, and a little nod to something magical, even if you’re not able to visit the parks in person.

Star Ingredient

Instead of using artificial food colouring, these cupcakes get their vibrant blue colour from blue spirulina powder. It is a natural pigment derived from blue-green algae. It’s bright, bold and perfect for fun designs like this, without the need for adding any strong flavour or synthetic ingredients to your buttercream.

Blue spirulina is incredibly concentrated, so start small with your amounts. Sometimes around half a teaspoon is often enough to start seeing colour build. You can always add more, but it’s harder to take away! It blends well in a variety of foods, but works well in this recipe with the buttercream and fondant. Thereby making it a great choice for colourful baking that still leans toward a natural, conscious approach.

If you’re aiming for a deeper blue or even want to layer colours for details like Stitch’s ears, blue spirulina pairs well with other plant-based powders too. Just remember: a little goes a long way.

I am yet to find a place I can pick this up plastic free. Once I do discover where, I will be sure to add it to my naturally colour you baking resource post.

How to Purchase Ingredients to be Conscious to the Planet

When it comes to home baking, small changes to shopping habits can make a big difference.. These Stitch cupcakes are a great opportunity to be a little more conscious with your shopping, without making things complicated.

Refill shops are a brilliant place to start for dry ingredients like flour and sugars. If you’re lucky enough to have one nearby, bring your own containers or jars and stock up on just what you need. Depending on your local shop, some even do fresh produce like eggs and fruit and veg so you make be able to pick up some other ingredients.

For the lemons, always go for the loose option. Pick the unpackaged option if shopping at supermarkets. Even better, check out farm shops as well as they are likely to have a lot of fruit and vegetables loose to pick from. My favourite way to wrangle my loose lemons, net bags.

Supermarkets are starting to introduce refill trays so you can take along a carton and pick you eggs. This is a similar fashion to want you can do at farmers markets and some farm shops. If needing to pick them in a carton already go for cupboard. They can be repurposed in various ways and easily recyclable.  

Vanilla extract is a pantry staple for bakers. And it lasts a long time, so investing in a good-quality version in glass or aluminium is worthwhile. There are also refill options at some zero waste shops.

Equipment You Will Need

• Freestanding Mixer / Bowl with Handheld Mixer
• Spatula
• Micro zester
• 2 x 12 Hole Cupcake Tin
• Compostable Baking Cases
• Ice Cream Scoop – optional
• Cooling Rack
• Measuring Spoons
• Sharp Knife or Cupcake Corer
• Chopping Board
• Rolling Pin
• 2 Oval Shaped Cutters – one smaller than the other
• Teaspoon
• Piping Bag
• Large Round Nozzle

Tips and Tricks when Making Stitch Cupcakes

Portioning up your Stitch Cupcakes

Ice cream scoops, ice cream scoops, ice cream scoops! This is my favourite way to portion up cupcakes. One scoop is the perfect amount. If you haven’t got one, or one that is a hemisphere shape, you can of course use a normal tablespoon. Aim to fill your cases to ¾ full.

Colouring the Fondant and Buttercream for your Stitch Cupcakes

In the recipe, I have used powders to naturally colour these. That’s as it is a more natural way and more likely able to get without plastic. I also think blue spirula powder creates a more stitch blue colour as well. The blue colour will darker overnight, so keep this in mind when adding in.

However, if you have got gel food colouring left, you always use them. It can be sustainable to use what you have first before making a swap. Otherwise, you are just wasting something for the sake of it.

To get the pinkie purple colour of Stitch’s inner ear, try combine a bit of pink and violet food colouring. Blue food colouring may result in a brighter blue than the powder creates, so you will have a slightly different finish.

Shaping your Stitch Fondant Ears

Oval cutters will create the closet shape to Stitch’s ears. If you haven’t got any, you can create a similar effect with heart shapes. The tops of the heart would be the base of the ear, and may require a bit more curling in. You can also use a heart as the starter, and then with a knife free cut into oval shape and then work from there.

Stitch Cupcakes

Bring a little Disney magic to your kitchen with these Stitch inspired lemon cupcakes, filled with blueberry jam and topped with naturally blue buttercream.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time:22 minutes mins

Keyword: Cupcakes, Disney Inspired Sweet Treat

Servings: 17 Cupcakes

Equipment

• Freestanding Mixer / Bowl with Handheld Mixer
• Spatula
• Micro Zester
• 2 x 12 Hole Cupcake Tin
• Compostable Baking Cases
• Ice Cream Scoop (optional)
• Cooling rack
• Measuring Spoons
• Sharp Knife or Cupcake Corer
• Chopping board
• Rolling Pin
• 2 Oval Shaped Cutters – one smaller than the other
• Teaspoon
• Piping Bag
• Large Round Nozzle

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 200 g Caster Sugar
• 200 g Butter / Plant Based Butter
• Zest of 2 Large Lemons
• 4 Eggs medium/large
• 200 g Self Raising Flour
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Filling

• Blueberry Jam

Buttercream

• 150 g Butter / Plant Based Butter
• 340 Icing Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Teaspoon Blue Spirula Powder

Fondant Ears

• 170 g Fondant Icing
• ½ Teaspoon Blue Spirula Powder
• ¼ Teaspoon Beetroot Powder / Blueberry Powder

Decoration

• Blue Sprinkles or Balls

Instructions

• Take 120g of the fondant and then add the blue spirula powder, and knead until fully incorporated.
• Take the remaining fondant and add in the beetroot/blueberry powder and knead until incorporated.
• Roll out of blue fondant, and then cut out 24 of the larger oval shape.
• Roll out the pinkie, purple fondant out and cut out 24 of the smaller oval shape.
• Place a pink oval on top of a blue one, and then press the rounded end together
• Pair up the ears and then make a cut on the left side of the left ear and on the right side on the right ear.
• Set aside to firm up whilst the cupcakes are made.
• Line the cupcake tins with baking cases.
• Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
• In the bowl of freestanding mixer, add in the caster sugar, butter and zest of 2 lemons.
• Cream together until pale and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowls a couple of times.
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and adding a little bit of the flour after the 3rd and 4th egg.
• Add in the flour along with a tablespoon of lemon juice and then fold through until the flour is fully incorporated.
• Divide the mixture between the cupcake cases so that they are ¾ full.
• Tap the cupcake tins onto the work surface firmly to help distribute any air.
• Bake in the middle of an oven for 22 minutes, until the top springs back when pressed and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Transfer the lemon cupcakes onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Once the cupcakes are cool, corer or cut out the middle of each cupcake.
• Using a teaspoon add blueberry jam to the middle of each cupcake.
• With the sections of cupcake removed, cut off the tops and replace them over the blueberry jam.
• To make buttercream, cream the butter until pale.
• Add in the icing sugar in 2-3 portions beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides regularly.
• Add in the vanilla and then beat for around 5 minutes to get the buttercream as pale as possible.
• Add in the blue spirula powder and beat until fully incorporated.
• Pop the buttercream into a piping bag, and starting from the outside, pipe round and in to create mound.
• Add 4 blue sprinkles to each cupcake.
• Press in a pair of ears into 12 of the cupcakes.

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