Circus Popcorn Cupcakes and Circus Party Ideas

These adorable Circus Popcorn Cupcakes are perfect for a circus themed birthday party or for when you are looking for impressive easy desserts.

For my twins 5th birthday, we threw a circus birthday party. All the guests had a blast with carnival games, circus food and even a clown! These cupcakes were the hit of the party!

Circus Popcorn Cupcakes - Guests will think they are boxes of popcorn!

One of the big hits at our party were these Circus Popcorn Cupcakes. To make them, you will need:

Cupcakes
Frosting
Mini marshmallows
Yellow food coloring
New, small paintbrush
Popcorn cupcake wrappers (I found a free printable for some adorable ones on In Place of Her Crown)

Start off with your favorite cupcake recipe. It can even be from a box, no shame there! Frost the cupcakes with vanilla or cream cheese frosting.

Twist the mini marshmallows so that they look more like a piece of popcorn. This is so easy, a child can do it!

Place the marshmallow "popcorn" on the cupcake so that it looks like a tub of popcorn. You will want to cover all the frosting with the "popcorn."

Mix a few drops of yellow food coloring with some water. This will be the "butter" for your popcorn.

Using a new, small paintbrush, paint the marshmallows with the yellow food coloring/water mixture. You will want to leave some white spots on the mini marshmallows so it looks more like real popcorn.

Slip the cupcakes in a popcorn cupcake wrapper and put them on display. These cupcakes were the hit of our circus themed party! So many people thought they were really little boxes of popcorn!

FAQs For Circus Popcorn Cupcakes

How should I store these cupcakes?

I usually keep these cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature if I’m serving them the same day. If you need to make them a day ahead, you can store them in the container and they’ll stay fresh. The marshmallows might get a little firmer the longer they sit, but they still taste good. If you want them extra soft, store the container at room temp, not in the fridge.

How many mini marshmallows do you use per cupcake?

I usually use about 30 to 35 mini marshmallows for each cupcake. That gives you good coverage and really makes it look like a tub of popcorn. If you have some extra, you can always snack on them or save them for another treat.