Belle’s Last Petal Cupcakes

Hi friends!

I’ve got a sweet treat for you today! Over the weekend, I decided to tap into my inner Disney princess to make this lovely Disney-inspired dessert! My good friend Shelby gifted me this fun Disney Princess Baking book for my birthday, and I’ve been dying to try one of the recipes. 

Princess Belle, from Beauty & the Beast, is my all-time favorite. I thought making a treat inspired by her would be a good place to start. The cupcakes themselves are easy to make, but the strawberries roses were a bit tricky. I recommend buying larger strawberries if you can. If they are larger it helps fan the edges out better. I would also suggest an exactor knife. This way, you can make fine cuts. A paring knife will work too, which is what I used. However, be careful not to cut too deep. 

To make these cupcakes, you will need the following ingredients:

INGREDIENTS

For the cupcakes

• 1 and 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temperature)

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 2 tsp grated lemon zest

• 1 large egg

• 3/4 cup sour cream

For the glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)

• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (add more if needed)

• 12 fresh strawberries for decorating

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer beat together the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy and pale (about 3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Then add the sour cream and beat until just combined. Add the remaining flour and beat until just combined. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Give it one final stir. 

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Fill each cup about three-fourths full. Bake in the oven until golden brown (about 18-20 minutes). Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cupcakes to the racks to cool completely. 

In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and lemon juice until smooth and spreadable. You can add more lemon juice as needed to get a good consistency. Spoon the icing on top of each cooled cupcake. Let the icing stand for 1-2 minutes until it sets. 

To make the strawberry roses, hull, and core the strawberries. Set the berry stem end down on a cutting board and, using a paring knife or exactor knife, make a shallow cut near the base of the berry. Using the edge of the knife, press down gently on the cut to fan the petal outward. Repeat, making as many petals around the base of the berry as desired. Cut and fan another row of petals slightly above the first row. Cut and fan a final row of petals near the tip of the berry. Repeat on the rest of the strawberries. Finally, place a strawberry rose on top of each iced cupcake. 

Enjoy! :)

You will see that my roses didn’t exactly turn out as planned, but they sure were tasty! I will be making more recipes from this book soon! If you want to see more posts like this, make sure to leave a comment below and tag me over on Instagram if you make these too! :)

Thanks for reading. 

Love, Brandi