These Easy Stranger Things Cupcakes feature an Eggo Minis waffle and a strand of Christmas lights made with royal icing and M&M's candies.
My daughter wanted Stranger Things Cupcakes for her friend birthday party this year. I found inspiration for these on Pinterest and recreated them.
I started with my favorite chocolate cake and made it into cupcakes. Then, I topped them with my favorite Easy Vanilla Buttercream.
To decorate, I added a mini Eggo waffle to represents El's obsession with Eggos. Lastly, I made a string of Christmas lights with black royal icing with colorful M&M's to represent the lights.
These are so easy to make, and my daughter's friends loved them!
Supplies
- your favorite boxed mix or homemade cupcakes, such as chocolate
- your favorite buttercream, such as Easy Vanilla Buttercream
- disposable piping bags
- large star tip, like 1M
- Eggo Minis Waffles
- black royal icing powder
- small round piping tip, like Wilton #5
- plastic tip coupler. optional
- M&M's candies
Frost the Cupcakes
You can make cupcakes from a boxed mix or your favorite homemade recipe. I used the cake recipe from Chocolate Layer Cake, which is very similar to Two Layer Chocolate Cake. They only take about 15-20 minutes to bake.
While the cupcakes were cooling, I made a quadruple batch of Easy Vanilla Buttercream.
To frost the cupcakes, fit a disposable piping bag with a large star tip, like a 1M. Fill the bag with buttercream.
Pipe around the perimeter of a cupcake and then pipe another ring to mound up the buttercream. Repeat with all of the cupcakes.
It's important to decorate them immediately while the buttercream is still soft, rather than refrigerating. Chilling the buttercream will harden it and make it difficult to place the waffles and M&M's.
Decorate the Cupcakes
Toast the waffles in the toaster as you would with any frozen waffles. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then cut them into individual waffles.
I sorted the M&M's to remove the brown M&M's and any that were not perfectly shaped or had pieces missing.
Place 1 waffle into each cupcake, trying to position the best looking side of the waffle facing up. Make sure to push the waffle down into the buttercream so it stands up and is supported by buttercream on both sides.
Mix up some black royal icing powder with warm water to outline consistency. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, like a #5. I use a coupler to keep the tip in place and allow me to change tip sizes if needed.
Pipe a squiggly line across one cupcake to represent the strand of lights, then immediately press M&M's, turned sideways, into the buttercream so they connect to the black strand at the top. Make sure the M&M's are evenly spaced.
Chill the cupcake to set the royal icing and prevent it from bleeding into the buttercream.
Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Storage
Store the assembled cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving to soften the buttercream.
Gluten Free Option
I love this chocolate layer cake recipe made with Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour Blend. I also love King Arthur brand of gluten free cake mixes.
📖 Recipe
Easy Stranger Things Cupcakes
Equipment
- disposable piping bags
- large star tip like 1M
- Small round piping tip like Wilton #5
- Plastic tip coupler optional
Ingredients
- 24 cupcakes (from a cake mix or homemade)
- 4 batches Easy Vanilla Buttercream (see note)
- 6 squares Eggo Minis Waffles (24 mini waffles)
- black royal icing powder
- 96 M&M's
Instructions
Frost the Cupcakes:
- Fit a disposable piping bag with a large star tip, like a 1M. Fill the bag with buttercream.
- Pipe buttercream around the perimeter of a cupcake and then pipe another ring to mound up the buttercream.
- Repeat with all of the cupcakes.
Decorate the Cupcakes:
- Toast the waffles in the toaster. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then cut them into individual waffles.
- Place 1 waffle into each cupcake, trying to position the best looking side of the waffle facing up. Make sure to push the waffle down into the buttercream so it stands up and is supported by buttercream on both sides.
- Mix up some black royal icing powder with warm water to outline consistency. Transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, like a #5.
- Pipe a squiggly line across one cupcake to represent the strand of lights, then immediately press colorful M&M's (not brown), turned sideways, into the buttercream so they connect to the black strand at the top. Make sure the M&M's are evenly spaced.
- Repeat with the remaining cupcakes. Chill the cupcake to set the royal icing and prevent it from bleeding into the buttercream.
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