This is going to be a very short tutorial, but hopefully helpful to some of you! Today I'm telling you How to Make Mickey Mouse Ears for a Cake.
Every time I post a Mickey or Minnie cake that has ears, somebody asks about the ears. So I thought I'd finally snap a few pics and tell you how to make them.
**Please note that you will have to make these a day or two ahead of time so they can dry hard!**
You'll need the following:
- Black fondant - I prefer Satin Ice Black Vanilla Fondant
- Tylose
- Round Cookie Cutter
- Rolling Pin (this is my new favorite rolling pin - I rarely use any of my others these days!)
- Black candy melts or Black Candy writer
- Craft sticks
- knife or toothpick to spread the chocolate
I didn't think to take out my camera when I started these ears, so these first couple of steps don't have pictures.
A day or two before you need them, mix together black fondant and tylose. I add 1-2 teaspoons per pound. Knead it together thoroughly, then roll out the fondant and cut out the ears. I think I usually make mine about 2.5" but you'll want to cut them so they're proportionate to your Mickey head!
Then dust a cookie sheet with tylose, lay them out and let them dry at least 24 hours. You want them to be hard so you can pick them up and they're not flexible at all.
You could also dust with cornstarch and probably get it off the back more easily. The upside is the tylose helps them dry on top and bottom but it also seems to stick and can't be dusted off as you'll see in this next pic.
Once the ears are dry and hard, flip them over to the back side.
Decide where you'll want to put the stick and cover the area with melted candy melts or chocolate. I love to use candy writers for this because you can just squeeze it where you want it.
Place the stick in the wet chocolate. I don't put the stick all the way across the back of the ear but I like for it to go at least halfway - maybe a little more.
Put some more chocolate or candy melts over the back of the stick.
Spread it out to cover the stick. Then stick it in the frig for about 10 minutes so the chocolate will harden and then they're ready to use!
Push the sticks into the cake and that's it! Mickey Mouse (or Minnie Mouse) ears!
Do you have any questions about making these? Leave me a comment!
More Mickey Mouse Cakes:
Kelly
Cute cake! Just wondering where you purchased the cutters for the font.
Rose
I didn't - I made them by hand. I used my extruder to make tiny ropes of fondant then I looked at the Disney font online and copied it!
Kelly
Oh wow! Great job! I'm even more impressed now.....lol
Lynea
I have made a couple cakes with mouse ears, for both of them I used chocolate instead of fondant. I used powder coloring to make brown chocolate black (I can now just BUY black chocolate, but couldn't find it the first time) and used my 4" round cake pans as the molds for the ears. Like you, I "glued" sticks on the back with chocolate. Worked like a charm!
Rose
Great idea!
Joellyn
Hi there! If the Mickey Mouse ears/head were created out of dummy foam (rather than real cake), would dowels be needed to be inserted into the actual cake (bottom layer).
Rose
If the cake is going to be moved/transported at all, you'll need to attach it somehow!
Lela Luster
For a quick, inexpensive way to do the ears, buy a 99 cent square of black craft foam cut the ears and hot glue skewers to the back.
jasmin
Thank you so much for the tip!
jonel
how far in advance can these be made? do they get dry, ugly, cracked or discolored after a certain time frame?
Rose Atwater
I've never made them more than a few days in advance, but I think if you kept them in a dark, dry, cool place, they'd last for quite awhile.
Sarah
How do you make the feet?
Rose Atwater
Rice Krispie Treats covered in fondant.
Jean
How do you make the base of the head?
Rose Atwater
It was cake baked in half-ball pan!
Moe
Thanks for the tutorial. In your final product, the ears look really nice, black and smooth. How did you get the tylose off so that the ears are black?
Rose Atwater
Thanks! I use a dry brush to get off as much as possible, then I dip my brush in shortening and brush that over them again to get rid of any leftover white residue!
Moe
Great! Thank you for the quick response. I have a mini mouse cake due on Saturday and I want to try your method. I hope it comes out as pretty as yours.
Moe
Rose, thank you so much for the step by step tutorial. I made a mini mouse cake this weekend and the ears were perfect. I can't wait to try more of your helpful tutorials.
Rose Atwater
Oh, that's awesome to hear! I'm so glad it worked out for you 🙂
michelle
Like melted shortening or room temp white shortening?
Rose Atwater
Room temp!
Amanda
I am planning to make matching Minnie and Mickey cakes next week. I had assumed I'd need to make dummy cakes for the half balls because I was worried the ears would be too heavy and tear the cake. Have you ever had problems with the ears tearing through the cake? What kind of cake did you bake as the half ball?
Rose
I haven't ever had a problem with the cake tearing - I bake it whatever flavor the rest of the cake is.
Rachellw
Did you cover the back side of the ears with another fondant/Tylose cutout
Rose
Not usually but you certainly could if you wanted the backs to be really clean and neat.
Ashlie
URGENT:I'm having trouble finding tylose powder. Are there any substitutes as I'm very pressed for time in making this Mickey Mouse cake for my son's party.
Rose
You can get Wiltom Gumtex at most Walmart stores or hobby stores and it works the same!
Sara
How mich fondant do you need to make the ears anf cover the half sphere?
Thanks
Rose
I never weigh or measure my fondant - I'm sorry.
Donna
Rose, when you make the Minnie Mouse "hat", do you put a cardboard base? If so, how do you get the popsicle sticks through the board? Do you cut a slot in the cardboard before putting your cake "hat" ?
Rose
I do put a cardboard base, but I don't make the sticks that hold the ears long enough to go through the board.
Stefanie
Can you take a wooden skewer and insert it into the ears before drying so you don't have to "glue" the craft stick behind the ear?
Rose
Generally the fondant is not thick enough to do that.
Ifeoma
Thank u your page is so helpful to me
Rose
You're welcome 🙂
Alice green
Great job thanks for putting that info out there it helps the new bakers do great with their creations
Patricia Karczewski
Where did you get your extruder? Does the tylose in the fondant make it sturdier? sometimes my fondant gets soft when it touches the icing and doesn't standup
Rose
I got it on Amazon here. Tylose make fondant dry hard so it's more like gum paste.
Jean
What gum Arabic and can you use that
Victoria
Hello, just wondering if you cover the back of the ears so the stick doesnt show or not? Also can corn starch be used in place of tyloose to harden ears and bows?
Rose
No, Tylose will not harden like Tylose does. I do not cover the back of the ears, but you could certainly add another layer of fondant on back if you want to clean it up a bit.