Walt Disney World Funnel Cake Review

Funnel Cake with Powdered Sugar

I had often walked past the Funnel Cake stand in Epcot and smelt the enticing aroma of cooked dough reminding me of doughnuts. But it wasn't doughnuts, it was this, a plate sized squiggly dough concoction. During my last trip to Walt Disney World I had to get a Funnel Cake to share with my boyfriend. We opted for the powdered sugar topped Funnel Cake, but you can have it plain, covered in sugar, drizzled in chocolate or topped with fruit.

Being English I had to research what Funnel cake was, so I have summarised it here for anyone like me who wants to know its origins, from Wikipedia. 'Funnel cake or funny cake is a regional food popular in North America at carnivals, fairs, sporting events, and seaside resorts. Funnel cakes are made by pouring batter into hot cooking oil in a circular pattern and deep frying the overlapping mass until golden-brown. When made at concession stands, a pitcher with an integral funnel spout is employed. Funnel cakes are typically served plain with powdered sugar, or with jam, cinnamon, Nutella, fresh fruit, or other toppings. In North America, funnel cakes were originally associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch region.'

You certainly have to be hungry to polish the entire thing off by your self, but it's the perfect size to share with someone else after a long day walking around the World Showcase. I found the Funnel Cake to be very sweet in a good way but not greasy like I was worried it would be. The powdered sugar on top made it soft and slightly sticky to eat, it made quite a mess, but that makes it fun. It reminded me of freshly made doughnuts bought from the seaside, deep-fried indulgence. Its certainly something I couldn't eat all the time, it's a treat, because when you are on holiday you don't have to count the calories. Its been a year since I went to Walt Disney World, I don't really find myself craving Funnel Cake, because as I said I can go to the seaside for doughnuts and they will taste the same, but there's something about having it sat in Epcot, people watching, that makes it special. I think that's what Walt Disney World does to everything, it makes everything magical. :)

Walt Disney World's Marble Cupcake Review

If you find yourself in Disney's Hollywood Studios and fancy a snack, head on over to the Starring Rolls cafe and choose from their selection of savoury and bakery items. If you want something that's big enough to share and won't disappoint go for the Marble Cupcake. My first reaction when my boyfriend brought this cupcake out of the cafe, was that it was huge and I thought I'm glad he only bought one.

On top of the moist vanilla and chocolate cake are three large swirls of heavy vanilla frosting, it is very sweet and filling, so I suggest you share this cupcake with a friend. In the middle of the frosting swirl is a hidden gem of fudge. The cupcake has been rolled in chocolate sprinkles, not those artificial flavoured plastic sprinkles you buy from the store, but actual chocolate sprinkles. They have a nice flavour that gives you a slight bitter hint while eating through the frosting. The mickey sprinkles on top are a nice touch, they make sure you know you are eating a Disney cupcake and give the cupcake an aesthetic appeal when you are looking in the bakery case.

Cross section view of the Marble Cupcake.

The vanilla cake part of the marble cake was my favourite. It was very soft and had a mellow vanilla flavour that made me want an entire cake made just out of the vanilla cake. I enjoyed the chocolate cake too, it was slightly less sweet than the vanilla cake, which was a nice contrast of flavours when eaten together. I found the flavour of the cake was slightly lost when eaten with the frosting and fudge on top, but this is just because I really loved the vanilla cake. Overall this cake is amazing, one that should only be a treat after a long day walking around the parks, but then again you are on holiday so you shouldn't really count the calories.

Walt Disney World Butterfinger Cupcake Review

My first review on this blog had to be a Walt Disney World cupcake. If you ever go to Walt Disney World in Florida and enter the Hollywood Studios, you might notice a small eatery called the Starring Rolls Cafe on your way to the Hollywood Tower Hotel. The Starring Rolls Cafe is a nice little shop offering a variety of baked goods. Here is one of the best descriptions of the Cafe from the Disney Food Blog, I could spend hours on that blog reading different articles about food in the Disney parks. Ever since reading the description of a butterfinger cupcake I knew I wanted to try one. So on my most recent trip to Walt Disney world with my boyfriend and family, I headed straight to the Starring Rolls Cafe to get one.

Mine and my boyfriend's Butterfinger Cupcake before we started eating it. When we bought the cupcake is 2011 it cost $3.99 plus tax. But as you can see the price is defiantly worth it, its a massive chocolate cupcake, with a mound of frosting on top covered in Buterfinger crumbs.To any non-Americans like myself a Butterfinger is an American candy bar, that tastes like peanut butter, it has a golden crunchy caramel like centre covered with chocolate.

You first dive into the vanilla buttercream on top of the cupcake, this is what is covered in Butterfinger crumbs. It is a very sweet and light buttercream, which cuts through the rich-ness of the chocolate cake. The chocolate cake is moist and very moreish. It wasn't dry at all, maybe this was helped by the vanilla buttercream and sticky fudge buttercream centre. I found the fudge buttercream centre tasty but very dense, it came out of our cupcake in one lump, which was quite hard to separate so we could both have some. Its strong chocolate flavour did complement the vanilla buttercream, and overall didn't take away from the amazing cupcake. I really enjoyed this cupcake, it was even more impressive in person than in the photos I had seen. I couldn't eat more than one in a holiday because I dread to think how many calories are in them, but then I could walk around Epcot twice to burn the calories off. But I might find myself walking into the Boardwalk Bakery and then the problem starts all over again. So if you love cupcakes, chocolate, buttercream and Butterfinger candy bars, this is certainly the cupcake for you.

I was going to take a photograph of a cross section of the cupcake, but when I remembered we had already finished the entire thing. Just shows how good it tasted.

Oreo Cupcakes

The Oreo cupcake is the final cupcake to go with the other five American flavours inspired cupcakes I am making for my boyfriend's birthday. The Oreo cupcake will go with a Pecan Pie cupcake, a Mississippi Mud Pie cupcake, a Boston Cream Pie cupcake a Smore's cupcake and a Key Lime Pie cupcake. The cupcake is flavoured with crushed Oreos and has half an Oreo at the bottom waiting to surprise whoever eats the cupcake. It is topped with cookies and cream buttercream and a mini Oreo, but you can choose whatever decoration you like to finish the cupcake off.

Oreo Cupcake Recipe

Makes 20

20 Oreos

280 grams plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

335 grams caster sugar

110 grams unsalted butter

3 large egg whites at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

215 ml semi-skimmed milk

150 grams of crushed Oreos

1. Preheat the oven to 180'C/350'f/Gas mark 4. Line two cupcake tins with 20 cases.
2. Place half an Oreo, the half with the cream still on it into the cupcake cases, save the other half to smash into crumbs for the cupcake batter.
3. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
4. Using an electric mixer on a medium speed, or a wooden spoon, combine the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.
5. Blend in the egg whites one at a time beating well after each addition.
6. Add the vanilla extract and beat slowly to mix.
7. Beat in half of the dry ingredients.
8. Add the milk and beat until just combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.
9. Crush the left over Oreo halves in a bag with a rolling pin, and pour them into the cupcake batter. Then gently fold them in with a metal spoon until incorporated. Its important to not over mix the batter at this stage.
10. Place into cases until the are 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until springy to the touch or a skewer comes out clean.
11. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before taking them out and putting them on a cooling rack.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

 (For best results use a hand mixer or free standing mixer. If you have neither of these, you may need to beat the mixture a little longer to achieve a thick consistency for piping.)

110 grams butter

1/4 tsp of salt (if using unsalted butter)

250 grams icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp whipping cream 

6 crushed Oreos

1. In a bowl beat the butter until it is smooth, add the salt if you are using it. 
2. Add half of the icing sugar a quarter at a time, beating after each addition. 
3. Add vanilla.
4. Add one tbsp of whipping cream and continue beating. 
5. Add remaining icing sugar a quarter at a time while beating. Add the Oreos and keep beating. Add cream and beat until you achieve the consistency you want for piping.
6. Pipe onto the cupcakes however you want to. Add an Oreo as a decoration, or use a mini Oreo like I did.

The finished box of American Flavours cupcakes.

Smore's Cupcakes

The Smore's cupcake is the fifth cupcake that I made to go in a six cupcake box inspired by American flavours for my boyfriend's birthday. The Smore's cupcake will go with a Pecan Pie Cupcake, a Mississippi Mud Pie cupcake, a Boston Cream Pie cupcake an Oreo cupcake and a Key Lime Pie cupcake. While thinking about different cupcakes I could make to go with the trios inspired by a Walt Disney World dessert me and my boyfriend had, I came across the website for the Stateside Candy Co. I saw I could buy Graham Crackers from them, which is something I have never been able to try living in England. I knew I had to incorporate them into a cupcake so I decided to make a Smore's cupcake. I did eat one or two of the Graham Crackers once I opened the box, they are tasty, almost as good as the cheese-its I'm addicted to when I go to America. I wish I could get them here. The cupcake has a graham cracker crust, there are graham cracker crumbs mixed into the cupcake batter. It has a vanilla buttercream frosting, decorated with half a Graham Cracker, a toasted marshmallow, a square of Lindt chocolate and a few Graham Cracker crumbs.

Smore's Cupcake Recipe

Makes 12

120 grams of Graham Crackers crushed into crumbs

2 1/2 tsp melted butter

1 tsp baking powder

150 grams plain flour

a pinch of salt

180 grams unsalted butter, cubed and soft

150 grams packed light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

150 ml milk

1. Preheat oven to 180'C/375'F/Gas Mark 4. Line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcake cases.
2. Mix 3/4 of the Graham Cracker crumbs with melted butter. Place 1 tsp into each cupcake case.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the remaining Graham Cracker crumbs and mix well.
4. Put cubed butter, sugar and vanilla into a bowl and beat using a hand mixer or a wooden spoon until pale and fluffy.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. 
6. Pour in a third of the dry ingredients and beat slowly to incorporate into the mixture.
7. Add half of the milk and beat well.
8. Add another third of the dry ingredients, beat, then add the last half of the milk and beat again.
9. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until everything is combined.
10. Put the mixture into the cases on top of the Graham Cracker crust.
11. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until springy to the touch.
12. Cool for 5 minutes inside the cupcake tin, then place on a cooling rack.

Buttercream Frosting

(For best results use a hand mixer or free standing mixer. If you have neither of these, you may need to beat the mixture a little longer to achieve a thick consistency for piping.)

110 grams butter

1/4 tsp of salt (if using unsalted butter)

250 grams icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp whipping cream 

1. In a bowl beat the butter until it is smooth, add the salt if you are using it. 
2. Add half of the icing sugar a quarter at a time, beating after each addition. 
3. Add vanilla.
4. Add one tbsp of whipping cream and continue beating. 
5. Add remaining icing sugar a quarter at a time while beating. Add cream and beat until you achieve the consistency you want for piping.
6. Pipe onto the cupcakes however you would like.
7. Toast a marshmallow by putting it on a skewer and holding it over the flame of a gas hob. Or use a blowtorch if you have one, I don't. Leave the marshmallow to cool while you place half a Graham cracker on top of the cupcake, and place a square of any chocolate of your choosing on top too. Finally add the marshmallow and a sprinkling of Graham Cracker crumbs and your Smore's cupcake is ready to go.

The finished box of American Flavours cupcakes.

Pecan Pie Cupcakes

The Pecan Pie cupcake was the fourth American Flavours cupcake that I baked to go inside a cupcake box for my boyfriend's birthday. It is a brown sugar cupcake with chopped toasted pecans inside topped with brown sugar buttercream and a toasted pecan. It will be going with a Mississippi Mud pie cupcake, a Key Lime Pie cupcake, a Boston Cream Pie cupcake, an Oreo cupcake and a Smore's cupcake.

Pecan Pie Cupcakes Recipe

Makes 12

 130 grams plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

165 grams dark brown sugar

110 grams butter softened

2 large eggs

125 ml whole milk at room temperature

85 grams toasted pecans

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 180'C/350'F/Gas mark 4. Line a cupcake tin with 12 cupcakes cases.
2. In a medium bowl sift the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. In a large bowl beat the brown sugar and butter at high speed with a mixer, or with a wooden spoon, until light and fluffy. This shouldn't take longer than five minutes.
4. Slowly beat in the eggs one at a time. 
5. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter and egg mixture, then add half of the milk. Keep beating. Add the remaining half of the flour and the rest of the milk and beat until it is combined.
6. Using a metal spoon fold in the chopped pecans and vanilla.
7. Fill the cupcake cases to 3/4 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 or until golden and springy to the touch.

Brown Sugar Buttercream 

40 grams dark brown sugar

2 tbsp water

1/4 tsp salt

55 grams butter and a separate 2 tbsp of butter

500 grams icing sugar

2-3 tbsp whole milk

1. In a saucepan combine brown sugar, water and salt. Place it on a medium high heat and bring to the boil. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the 2 tbsp of butter. Leave to cool.
2. In a large bowl beat the cooled brown sugar mixture and the remaining butter with an electric mixer at medium speed, or a wooden spoon, until it is creamy.
3. Add the icing sugar slowly beating until it is combined. Then add enough milk to achieve a think consistency for piping.
4. Pipe onto the cupcakes using a large round nozzle to achieve a buttercream swirl. Place a whole toasted pecan on the top for decoration. 

 The finished box of American Flavours cupcakes.

Mississippi Mud Pie Cupcakes

This recipe is inspired by Mississippi mud pie, which was one of the desserts on the American flavours dessert trios my boyfriend and I had at the Wave restaurant in Walt Disney World. I wanted the cupcake to take inspiration from the mud pie but still keep the aesthetic of a cupcake. It is a moist chocolate cake with a layer of bourbon biscuits at the bottom. It has a swirl of chocolate buttercream on top and a spoonful of melted dark chocolate to be the mud on the cupcake, and it is finished with mini marshmallows. It will be going with a Pecan Pie Cupcake, a Key Lime Pie cupcake, a Boston Cream Pie cupcake, an Oreo cupcake and a Smore's cupcake.

Mississippi Mud Pie Cupcakes Recipe

The cake mix is from my Love Food, cupcakes and muffins book that I bought from WH Smith. 

Makes 12

8 tbsp soft butter

100 grams caster sugar

150 grams self raising flour

2 large eggs

2 tbsp cocoa powder

25 grams plain chocolate (70% cocoa) melted 

 50 grams bourbon biscuits

2-3 tbsp butter (to rub into the biscuits)

1.  Preheat your oven to 180'C/350'F/Gas Mark 4. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake cases.
2. Crush the bourbon biscuits in a bag using a rolling pin so they are evenly crushed. Place the crumbs into a bowl and rub the butter into them until most of the biscuit have butter on them. Spoon a little of the mixture into each cupcake case and press down with the spoon to create a base.
3. Put the butter, sugar, flour, eggs and cocoa in a large bowl and using an electric hand whisk or a wooden spoon, beat them together until smooth.
4. Spoon the mixture into the cases filling them 3/4 full. 
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until springy to the touch.

Chocolate Butter Cream and Chocolate Topping

110 grams butter

1/4 tsp salt (if you are using unsalted butter)

200 grams icing sugar

50 grams cocoa powder (sieved)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp whipping cream

1. Beat the butter until it is smooth, add the salt if you are using it.
2. Sieve together the icing sugar and cocoa powder then add a half of the mixture to the butter a quarter at a time. Beating after each addition.
3. Add vanilla extract now to add an extra depth of flavour to your chocolate buttercream. 
4. Add one tablespoon of the cream and continue beating. 
5. Add remaining icing sugar and cocoa powder mixture a quarter at a time, beating slowly.
6. Add cream until you have the right thickness for you to pipe onto the cupcakes. 
7. Using a nozzle of your choice pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes.
8. Melt 200 grams of dark chocolate and slowly drizzle it over the cupcakes, adding any decoration you wish. I used mini marshmallows.

The finished box of American Flavours cupcakes.

Key Lime Pie Cupcakes

This cupcake idea is the second cupcake that will be going into my American Flavours cupcake box for my boyfriend's birthday. It is inspired by a key lime pie, and still keeps this name even though I couldn't source any key limes for my version, because I wanted the American theme to shine through in my cupcake box. It is a lime zest filled sponge with a lime curd filling and a lime zest buttercream. The lime doesn't overpower the flavour it gives the cupcake a light citrus flavour. Excuse the sloppy piping, I am practising my piping skills having just got all the equipment, I hope to be better in the future. The Key Lime Pie cupcake will go with a Pecan Pie Cupcake, a Mississippi Pie cupcake, a Boston Cream Pie cupcake an Oreo cupcake and a Smore's cupcake.

Key Lime Cupcakes Recipe

Makes 12

175 grams self raising flour

175 grams butter

175 grams golden caster sugar

3 eggs

2 limes zested

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp whole milk

50 grams digestive biscuits crushed

1-2 tbsp butter to add to the biscuits

1.  Preheat the oven to 190'C, gas mark 5, 375'F. Place 12 cupcake cakes in a cupcake tin.
2. Crush the digestives using a rolling pin, making sure they are evenly crushed. Rub in the butter until you get a sandy mixture. Add a layer of crushed biscuits to each of the cupcake cases, pressing the mixture down slightly so it forms an even layer. 
3. Whisk the butter and caster sugar together in a larger bowl until it is pale and creamy. 
4. Whisk in the eggs until they have just combined in the mixture. 
5. Add the flour, lime zest, baking powder and milk to the mix and beat slowly until combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into cases and cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden on top and springy to the touch.

Lime Curd Filling

25 grams butter cold and cubed

100 grams golden caster sugar

2 medium eggs beaten

4 limes juiced

Green food colouring (optional to give the curd a bright green colour)

1. In a saucepan cook the butter, sugar, eggs, lime juice and green food colouring (if using) over a low heat. Stir it continuously until it has thickened. Approximately 5 minutes. Do not overheat it or you will cook the eggs.
2. Pour through a sieve into a bowl, cover with cling-film and leave to cool.
3. When the cakes and lime curd are cool cut out a section of the top of the cake, using a melon baller or a spoon, and fill with 2 teaspoons of curd or until the hole is full. Leave this to set inside the cupcake.

Buttercream Frosting

 (For best results use a hand mixer or free standing mixer. If you have neither of these, you may need to beat the mixture a little longer to achieve a thick consistency for piping.)

110 grams butter

1/4 tsp of salt (if using unsalted butter)

250 grams icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

half a lime zested

2-3 tbsp whipping cream

1. In a bowl beat the butter until it is smooth, add the salt if you are using it. 
2. Add half of the icing sugar a quarter at a time, beating after each addition. 
3. Add vanilla and lime zest.
4. Add one tbsp of whipping cream and continue beating. 
5. Add remaining icing sugar a quarter at a time while beating. Add cream and beat until you achieve the consistency you want for piping.
6. Pipe onto the filled cupcakes however you would like. Add extra lime zest on top for decoration.

The finished box of American Flavours cupcakes.

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

 How my cupcake looked after my second try to put in the box for my boyfriend's birthday. It has a swirl of vanilla buttercream on top, and then I covered it in dark chocolate letting it drip down the sides.

Hi. For my first post I wanted to share my Boston Cream pie cupcake recipe. These cupcakes were only a practise of the recipe, I think I might change the fudge cake to chocolate cake to give the cake extra lightness because the fudge cake was quite heavy. I will be baking six different American inspired cupcakes to go in a cupcake box for my boyfriend's birthday. I was inspired by a dessert we had together at the Wave restaurant in Walt Disney World's Contemporary Hotel when we were there on holiday. It was a dessert celebrating American flavours, and that's what I hope to do with my cupcakes for this project, because I know we won't be able to afford to go back to Walt Disney World for a while, having both just graduated from University, so I hope the cupcakes will remind him of the amazing memories we have there. The Boston Cream pie cupcakes will go with a Pecan Pie Cupcake, a Key Lime Pie cupcake, a Mississippi Pie cupcake, an Oreo cupcake and a Smore's cupcake.

Disney's the Wave dessert trios. American Flavours. Key Lime Cube with fresh Citrus Whipped Cream, Mississippi Mud Pie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Boston Cream Pie.

Boston Cream Pie Inspired Cupcakes

Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe (if you want a lighter cake, feel free to use a chocolate cake recipe)

Makes 20 Cupcakes

200ml Water

85 grams butter

85 grams caster sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

3 tbsp milk

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

225 grams plain flour

2 tbsp plain cocoa

1. Preheat Oven to  180'c/350F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Place the water, butter, sugar and syrup in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes turn the heat off and leave to cool.
3. Place the milk and vanilla extract into a bowl. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the milk and stir to dissolve. 
4. Sift the flour and cocoa into a separate bowl and add the cooled syrup mixture. Stir in the milk mixture and beat until smooth, then spoon the batter into paper cases.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until well risen and firm to the touch. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Ganache Topping

200 grams dark chocolate (I used 90% cocoa)

284 ml double cream

2 tbsp golden caster sugar

1. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl.
2. Pour cream into a pan and add the caster sugar.
3. Heat until it is just about to boil, where you can see small bubbles coming to the surface.
4. Take off the heat and add to the chopped chocolate.
5. Stir until the chocolate has melted and is smooth.

American Buttercream Frosting

This recipe yields quite a lot of frosting so if you aren't planning on frosting a lot of cupcakes halve the recipe.

227 grams butter

1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

512 grams icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2-3 tbsp heavy cream

1. Beat the butter in a bowl until it is smooth. Add the salt if it's needed.
2. Add 128 grams of icing sugar then another 128 grams of icing sugar, beating after each.
3. Add vanilla or other flavours you might want to use.
4. Add 1 tbsp of cream and continue beating.
5. Add remaining icing sugar slowly, beating as you add it.
6. Add cream until you have a thick enough consistency for piping. 

Here I have two different ways of presenting my cupcakes. One is inspired by how a Boston cream pie looks, with the cream in the middle and the ganache covering the top and dripping down the sides. The other is a traditional cupcake design, with the buttercream frosting on top and the ganache dripped over the top. Both ways work as cupcakes, so I bet there are many other ways the Boston cream pie cupcake could be presented.

The finished box of American Flavours cupcakes.