These Mermaid Cupcakes are the perfect little treat for any mermaid-themed party! It couldn’t get any sweeter than ultra-moist cupcakes, fluffy buttercream, and the cutest chocolate mermaid tails. 

Mermaid Cupcakes

Do you prefer cake or cupcakes for your parties? Don’t get me wrong, mermaid cakes are great, but these mermaid cupcakes have me so excited about cupcakes right now!

The key to these mermaid tail cupcakes is the pudding mix right inside the cake. It makes them so moist and adds so much flavor! And the creamy buttercream on top is literally just icing on the cake.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a mermaid cupcake without some mermaid fun, so these cupcakes are topped with colorful ocean-like sprinkles and one of my homemade chocolate mermaid cake toppers.  

Blowing out candles on a big cake is great, but if you want a mermaid-themed treat with far less work, these mermaid cupcakes are a great option! 

More mermaid recipes you’ll love 

• DIY Chocolate Mermaid Cake Topper 
• Mermaid Lemonade Mocktail Recipe
• Mermaid Rice Krispy Treats

Mermaid Tail Cupcakes

These mermaid cupcakes are the greatest miniature version of my mermaid tail cake! They’re a quick treat but still look gorgeous at a mermaid party’s table.

Ingredients

• 1 box white or vanilla cake mix
• 1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 cup water
• 3 large eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
• 3-4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Teal, blue, pink, or purple gel food coloring

The Following Tools Will Be Helpful When Making These!

• Baking cups
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Piping bags
• Electric blue food coloring 
• 12 count cupcake pan

How to Make Mermaid Cupcakes

Don’t forget to download the full printable recipe below so you can print it out and use it whenever you feel like making this delicious recipe!

• To make your mermaid cupcakes, first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line your cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
• Make your cupcake batter by adding the cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs, and oil to a large mixing bowl and mixing until combined.
• Fill each of the cupcake liners with batter until they are about ¾ of the way full. 
• Bake the cupcakes for about 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
• When the cupcakes are baked, allow them to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.
• Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them cool completely on a wire cooling rack. 
• To make your frosting, place your butter in your mixing bowl and beat on high for a few minutes. 
• Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla and mix for 2 minutes until fluffy.
• Add the heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency and mix for 5-10 minutes until fluffy.
• Place the frosting in a piping bag and cut a medium-sized hole in the tip.
• Pour the sprinkles into a shallow bowl. 
• Pipe a thick circle of frosting around the top of a cupcake and while the frosting is still fresh, dip the cupcake into the sprinkles to coat the frosting.
• Add a small circle of frosting to the center of the cupcake and use it as glue to stick a chocolate tail on top.
• Finish off with more sprinkles if desired and enjoy!

Tips Tricks and FAQs 

• You’ll want to keep your buttercream pretty thick so that when you are dipping it in the sprinkles it stays put! To make sure it’s the right consistency, add your cream slowly and don’t feel like you have to add it all. 
• Make sure you keep your oven closed while you bake your cupcakes! It’s tempting to keep opening the oven to check on them, but it’s best to just use your oven light and quickly check the doneness if needed. Letting in the cool air can cause your cupcakes to sink which not only doesn’t look nice but also makes dense cupcakes.
• If you don’t have any cream, you can easily substitute milk, half and half, or even coffee creamer in the frosting. Just keep in mind that you want to have a thick buttercream, so you may need to add more or less depending on how thick the liquid you choose to use is. 

Storage

Store your mermaid cupcakes in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3-4 days! If you don’t have a cupcake pan with an attachable lid, this might be your excuse to grab one for easy storing!

More Easy Recipes

•  The Easiest Unicorn Cupcakes
• Carrot Patch Cupcakes
• Mouthwatering Banana Cream Cupcakes

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