Elphaba Wicked Cupcakes

Name: Elphaba Wicked Cupcakes
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 200 g Black candy melts; 12 Oreo Halves (with the filling scraped off (or you can use Oreo thins)); 12 Mini Ice cream cones ((or cut the ends off of full-sized cones using a serrated knife)); 190 g Softened butter; 190 g Caster sugar; 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract; 3 Medium Eggs; 190 g Self-raising flour; Black gel food colouring ((as much as needed to get your desired shade)); 120 g Softened butter; 500 g Icing sugar; 3 Tablespoons Milk; 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract; Lime green food colouring

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Bring theatre magic home with these Elphaba Wicked cupcakes! Soft, fluffy, black movie-inspired cupcakes topped with electric green frosting and homemade candy witch hats. These are perfect for Wicked-themed parties and Halloween events, and they're sure to be a hit with everyone who tries them!

elphaba wicked cupcakes on a white surface

Calling all theatre lovers, these Elphaba-themed Wicked cupcakes are for you! After how much I LOVED Wicked the movie, I thought this post could use a little update, ready for Wicked 2 coming out this winter! They are bold and vibrant, topped with homemade candy witch hats, and both kids and adults will love them!

In the post below, you'll find detailed ingredient and equipment notes, top tips, step-by-step photos and lots more. I hope you find it helpful! If you're a more experienced baker and prefer the bullet-pointed version of the recipe, you can find this in the recipe card at the end of the post. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Butter: To make it easy to mix, soften your butter by leaving it out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before you start baking. If you're pinched for time, you can also pop it in the microwave for about 10 seconds- just be careful you don't melt it!
Caster sugar: Also known as superfine sugar, this helps to improve the texture of the sponge.
Vanilla extract: For extra flavour. Feel free to swap this for any other flavour extract that you like.
Eggs: 3 medium ones. These will act as a binder while helping to keep the cupcakes moist.
Self-raising flour: To make nice, tall cupcakes. Self-raising flour already has baking powder added to it, so there's no need to add it separately.
Food colouring: In black and electric green. Gel food colouring is best for colouring cake mix and frosting- it will give you a more vibrant colour without altering the consistency as much as liquid colours do. I used Colour Splash colouring in 'Lime' and 'Black'.
Icing sugar: To make our green frosting.
Milk: This helps to loosen the frosting and also the cake batter if needed.
Waffle ice cream cones: Using mini ice cream cones is easiest but if you can't find them, you can cut the ends off of regular-sized cones like I did. Make sure to use a serrated knife in a gentle sawing motion to prevent breakage.
Oreos: You can either split 6 Oreos to make 12 halves or you can use 12 Oreo thins.
Black candy melts: To coat the witch hats in. I did originally coat them in chocolate but the brown colour didn't quite match the Wicked vibe, so use candy melts if you can get them!

Equipment

Cupcake tin: One that will hold 12 cupcake cases.
Cupcake cases: Use black or green cases if you want to go all-in on the Wicked theme.
Mixing bowls: One for the cake mix and another for the frosting.
Utensils: A wooden spoon for mixing the batter, a couple of teaspoons for measuring, a serrated knife to cut the cones and a toothpick to test the cupcakes.
Piping bag and star nozzle: Piping the frosting on will make these cupcakes look extra special but if you don't have a piping bag handy, you can just spread the frosting on with a spoon instead.
Heatproof bowl: To melt the candy melts for the witch hats.
Wire rack: To cool the cupcakes on and prevent soggy bottoms!
Baking tray and baking paper: To leave the witch hats on to set.

3 elphaba wicked cupcakes with witch hats on top

Edible Elphaba hats

The black edible witch hats are inspired by Elphaba Thropp and they really make these Wicked movie cupcakes look the part! Here's how to make them:

Line a tray with baking paper ready for the hats to sit on.
Melt 200g of black candy melts in a heatproof bowl.
Dip an Oreo half (or Oreo thin) into the candy melts until completely covered then place it on your lined tray. Dip a mini ice cream cone into the candy melts then place it directly on top of the Oreo half while it's still wet. Repeat until you have 12 witch hats.
Leave them to set, and then they're ready to be used as your cupcake toppers!

How to Make Elphaba Wicked Cupcakes

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 160°C (140°C for fan ovens) and line a 12-cup cupcake tin with black or green cupcake cases.

Step 2: In a large bowl, beat 190g of softened butter and 190g of caster sugar together. Once that's pale and fluffy, stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Step 3: Measure out 190g of self-raising flour and 3 medium eggs. Add them to the bowl, a little bit at a time, until all used up. You should now have a thick batter.

Step 4: Stir some black food colouring into the cake mix, adding more as needed until you get your desired shade.

Step 5: Divide the batter between your cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick through the middle comes out clean.

Step 6: After around 5 minutes or so, transfer the cakes to a wire rack and leave them to cool completely.

Now let's prepare the Elphaba cupcake frosting!

Step 7: Add 120g of softened butter to a medium-sized bowl. Measure out 500g of icing sugar, then slowly mix it into the butter along with 3 tablespoons of milk. Add it in a little bit at a time to prevent it from flying everywhere!

Step 8: Mix 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and some lime green food colouring into the frosting.

Step 9: Transfer your frosting to a piping bag fitted with any piping nozzle that you like then pipe a swirl onto each cupcake.

piping good witch green frosting onto the cakes

Step 10: Top each cupcake with an Elphaba hat and enjoy!

Top Tips

To help the cupcakes rise upwards rather than outwards, I recommend using a deep-holed tin.
If you want to save the hassle of making your own witch hat decorations, you can use ready-made ones or you can pipe a hat shape onto the Oreo halves with black buttercream.
Swap out a few tablespoons of flour for black cocoa powder if you prefer to avoid using black food colouring.

FAQs

How long will these Elphaba Wicked cupcakes last?

You can make these cupcakes up to 5 days in advance if you keep them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Can they be frozen?

Yes, you can freeze your cupcakes before or after they've been frosted, for up to 3 months. The witch hats are best added just before serving. Keep the cakes in airtight containers and do not refreeze.

More Halloween cupcakes:

I hope you like these Elphaba Wicked cupcakes! If you make them at home, please let me know what you think by leaving a rating and/or comment below. Enjoy!