Cute cupcakes for a cute show. My recreation of these My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes are complete with a soft Japanese-inspired chiffon sponge, meringue cloud toppings that My Melody described as she was dreaming up this sweet treat, and magic sprinkles added by Mr. Heart. You can’t get much cuter than this. Let’s whip up some cloud cupcakes!
Contents
The Bake
My Melody & Kuromi has just dropped on Netflix so yes, I’ve already watched every episode and yes, I absolutely had to recreate a sweet treat from the show!
This adorable visually soft TV series has a whole collection of treats that are at the front and centre of the story, so I’m genuinely debating whether to recreate them all in a My Melody & Kuromi series of posts…
For now, let’s start with one of My Melody’s own creations: her cloud cupcakes!
My Melody very helpfully described these cupcakes in some detail during a specific idea conception scene, but a full recipe was left to be desired. Naturally, that’s where I picked up the gauntlet.
After sending them out to everyone for taste testing, the words “light” and “fluffy” were used by fellow community members of Mariland to describe these cloud cupcakes.
With that in mind, I opted for a Japanese chiffon sponge over a classic Western sponge. Chiffon cakes are famously light and fluffy.
Plus, My Melody and Kuromi are both characters created by the Japanese company, Sanrio.
The recipe for the chiffon cupcakes is adapted from this lovely strawberry chiffon cake on Teak and Thyme. This specific type of sponge makes these My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes a double meringue deal!
The cloud toppings are made from a baked meringue, as described by My Melody.
So, naturally, for my recreation of these My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes, I made meringue clouds to sit on top of each cupcake.
Meringue frightens a lot of people as it can be very temperamental, but once you know the tips and tricks (see my Top Tips section below), you’ll set yourself up for a much better chance of success, and it becomes a really fun process!
To recreate the cloud decorations of these My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes, I opted for French meringue.
It’s the type of meringue that I make the most, that’s for sure. My favourite recipe for meringue is Kim-Joy’s, as I’ve always been successful with it and know a level of cuteness will be achieved.
It’s a different recipe to my usual pavlova, but they are very similar.
Your meringue doesn’t need to be absolutely perfect! So long as it’s glossy, smooth, and pipable, you’ll be good to go.
To finish these My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes, we need some magic sprinkles from Mr. Heart!
Most supermarkets and online baking shops will offer sprinkle mixtures that are made up of different shapes like classic stick-like ones, balls, and hearts.
If you can’t find a mixture, aim to get some form of hearts (I used chocolate ones) and classic sprinkles at the least. The more colourful, the better, but definitely aim for pink!
Top Tips
- Chiffon sponge really is the lightest, fluffiest kind of cake. However, if preferred, you can make the cupcakes with equal parts ingredients. My Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows cupcakes can be used in place (replace the spices with 1 tsp vanilla extract). Alternatively, if you want smaller cupcakes, feel free to use my The Powerpuff Girls cupcakes recipe and omit the jam.
- To make sure your meringue whisks up to stiff peaks, be sure to clean all of your equipment (whisk, bowls, etc) with lemon juice or white wine vinegar to get rid of any grease. Then make sure everything is dry, as added moisture can prevent your meringue whipping properly.
- The key to a sturdy meringue is to add the sugar gradually, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking for around 30 seconds in between each tbsp. This allows the meringue to incorporate the sugar properly.
- We’re aiming for meringue clouds that are crisp on the outside and marshmallow-y on the inside, just as My Melody describes. To achieve this, the baking time is set at 45 minutes and no longer, then the meringues are left to continue drying out in the oven in residual heat. The idea is not to cook the meringues, just lightly bake and mostly dry out around the outside!
- I haven’t included conversions of the ingredient weights because weighing your ingredients for these My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes means you achieve the best possible texture!
- The best kind of cupcake cases to use are ones that can stand alone on a baking tray (i.e. foil or cardboard), rather than the ones that need to be placed in a 12-hole tray. My Melody used striped cases, but I wanted to pay homage to the strawberry theme, so I went with strawberry pattern ones instead – they are SO cute!
These My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes are so light, so fluffy, and oh-so-cute. They make a great sweet treat for a Sanrio fan, a My Melody & Kuromi themed party, or even for a cute picnic. Enjoy!
Happy baking, happy eating!
The Recipe
Ingredients
Cloud meringue toppings:
- 140g caster [superfine] sugar
- 80g egg whites (use yolks for another dish)
- Pinch of cream of tartar optional
My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes:
- 3 large eggs separated into yolks and whites
- 60g caster sugar
- Pinch of cream of tartar
- 30ml milk
- 25g flavourless oil i.e. vegetable
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 50g plain [cake] flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
Decoration:
- Pastel colour icing pens
- Multi-coloured sprinkles
- White chocolate heart toppings (if no hearts are in sprinkles)
Makes: 12
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour total
Drying out time (meringue clouds): 2 – 3 hours
Decorating time: 10 minutes
Method
Cloud meringue:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C [400°F] fan. Pour the caster sugar out onto a lined baking tray and bake for 5 minutes, until warm but not caramelised.
- Once the sugar is warm, turn the oven down to 100°C [212°F]. Leave the oven door open for a bit to allow it to cool down to the lower temperature.
- Pass the sugar through a sieve and into a bowl. Push the sugar gently to do this, then weigh out any pieces that are too hard to pass through. These are the caramelised pieces. Discard these caramelised pieces and replace with fresh caster sugar.
- Wipe down your mixing bowl, whisk and two smaller bowls with lemon juice or white wine vinegar to remove any grease or moisture. Do not skip this otherwise you risk your meringue not reaching stiff peaks!
- Using the smaller bowls, separate the whites of the eggs from the yolks, measuring out 80g of the whites. This doesn’t have to be exactly 80g (no eggs are exact!). Refrigerate the yolks in an airtight container and use in another dish.
- Pour the egg whites into the large mixing bowl and whisk using a standing mixer or electric hand whisk on a high speed until the whites hit soft peaks and are foam-like.
- Once soft peaks are achieved, continue whisking and add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, leaving a gap of around 30 seconds in between adding each tbsp to allow the sugar to fully incorporate into the egg whites. Do this until all the sugar is incorporated and your meringue is glossy, smooth, and has hit stiff peaks. Be patient with this as it is key for a successful meringue!
Piping:
- Add the cream of tartar now and whisk in briefly if using.
- Using a spoon or spatula, add the meringue to a piping bag with a wide tip.
- Pipe the meringue in blobs: 4-5 for the base, then 2 – 3 on top to create cute clouds. Pipe 12 clouds: 1 per cupcake.
- Your oven should be down to 100°C [212°F] now, so bake the meringue clouds for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, turn the oven off completely and leave the meringues in the oven for 2 – 3 hours to dry out and cool completely. Do not take them out of the oven as you risk collapse.
My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes:
- Around 2 ½ hours into the drying process of your meringues, begin making your chiffon cupcakes.
- Separate your eggs into two bowls. Both elements will be used. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are pale and foam-like, just as before.
- Add 100g caster sugar gradually, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking for 30 seconds between each tbsp to allow the sugar to incorporate fully. Do this until all the sugar is incorporated. Your meringue should be glossy, light, and holds stiff peaks. Add the cream of tartar and whisk in briefly. Set aside for now.
- Make sure that your meringue clouds are now out of the oven – they will have had around 3 hours to dry, which is plenty of time. Preheat your oven to 180°C [350°F] or 160°C fan.
- In another large mixing bowl, add the yolks, vanilla extract, milk, and oil. Pour in the remaining 20g sugar and whisk everything together until fully incorporated.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the yolk mixture and fold in with a spatula. Squish any large lumps of flour with the spatula.
- Add ⅓ the meringue into the yolk mixture and fold in gently until no streaks remain. Add the rest of the meringue into the yolk mixture and fold it all in gently until fully incorporated and no streaks or lumps remain. Be patient with this so that you don’t knock all the air out of your meringue.
Baking:
- Place 12 sturdy (can stand on their own) cupcake cases on a baking tray and fill equally with the cake mixture. Fill each one no more than ⅔ of the way to leave room for rising.
- Once your oven is up to temperature, bake the cupcakes on the middle shelf for 18 – 20 minutes, until golden brown on the top and the surfaces bounce back when gently pressed on.
- Once baked, leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Decoration:
- When your cakes are completely cool, it’s time to decorate!
- Secure the meringue clouds down to the tops of the cupcakes using some icing from any of the icing pens, or with something like jam.
- Top the clouds with lines of icing using the icing pens to recreate the large sprinkles, then finish with the other sprinkles – just be mindful that they won’t stick to the meringue, but will sit in some of the rivets. Stick a couple of hearts to some icing to complete your My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes.
These My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes are incredibly light and fluffy, just as My Melody’s friends all said. Though best enjoyed on the day, they will last for 4+ days in an airtight container. Just be mindful that the meringue may soften over time. Enjoy!
The TV Show
I’ve been wanting to create something inspired by the Sanrio characters, so when My Melody & Kuromi (2025) came into being, I took the opportunity to delve in.
My Melody and Kuromi are both part of the Hello Kitty crew, all of whom have their own distinct aesthetics and personalities. The series was created to celebrate the 50th anniversary of My Melody and the 20th anniversary of Kuromi.
My Melody and Kuromi happen to be distinctly opposite in both of these traits, which makes for some fun viewing in their show!
Both characters are residents of the lovely place known as Mariland.
While My Melody’s cake shop is gaining in popularity and proving to be a successfully adorable venture, Kuromi’s sweet shop across the bridge is struggling.
When renowned patissier, Chef Pistachio, comes to town to judge a baking contest, both My Melody and Kuromi compete for the top prize, completely unaware that their whole world is under threat.
At the director’s helm for My Melody & Kuromi was Tomoki Misato.
The series was written by Shûko Nemoto, and stars Rei Sakuma; Junko Takeuchi, and more, providing their vocal talents to help bring these adorable characters to life.
What I really enjoyed about the series is the wonderfully soft visuals. The felt-like aesthetic was achieved through stop motion animation, which I always admire.
It gives the series an even more whimsical feel, helped by the pastel colour palette and adorable secondary characters.
Not to mention the sets like the cloud kingdom…
It reminds me of the Nintendo game, Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Did anyone else play that? What an era.
The style of storytelling in My Melody & Kuromi allowed room for an interesting balance between cutesy and dark.
The threat element of the story is actually kind of intense, which adds different dimensions and textures to the story. It’s not as fluffy as it seems! The plot itself reflects the characteristics (and layers) of its two leading characters.
There are also moments of humour that are absolutely tailored to grown up viewers. The humour is often dry and sharp, adding unexpected and yet well-timed occasions of comedic relief.
Overall, My Melody & Kuromi is a deceptively intense and dark story packaged in a pastel-coloured felt wrapping. It’s cute, it’s deep, it’s funny.
I’d expect nothing less from a Sanrio-inspired piece.
Recipe Card
My Melody & Kuromi Cloud Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cloud meringue toppings:
- 140 g caster [superfine] sugar
- 80 g egg whites use yolks for another dish
- Pinch of cream of tartar optional
My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes:
- 3 large eggs separated into yolks and whites
- 60 g caster sugar
- Pinch of cream of tartar
- 30 ml milk
- 25 g flavourless oil i.e. vegetable
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 50 g plain [cake] flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
Decoration:
- Pastel colour icing pens
- Multi-coloured sprinkles
- White chocolate heart toppings if no hearts are in sprinkles
Instructions
Cloud meringue:
- Preheat your oven to 200°C [400°F] fan. Pour the caster sugar out onto a lined baking tray and bake for 5 minutes, until warm but not caramelised.
- Once the sugar is warm, turn the oven down to 100°C [212°F]. Leave the oven door open for a bit to allow it to cool down to the lower temperature.
- Pass the sugar through a sieve and into a bowl. Push the sugar gently to do this, then weigh out any pieces that are too hard to pass through. These are the caramelised pieces. Discard these caramelised pieces and replace with fresh caster sugar.
- Wipe down your mixing bowl, whisk and two smaller bowls with lemon juice or white wine vinegar to remove any grease or moisture. Do not skip this otherwise you risk your meringue not reaching stiff peaks!
- Using the smaller bowls, separate the whites of the eggs from the yolks, measuring out 80g of the whites. This doesn’t have to be exactly 80g (no eggs are exact!). Refrigerate the yolks in an airtight container and use in another dish.
- Pour the egg whites into the large mixing bowl and whisk using a standing mixer or electric hand whisk on a high speed until the whites hit soft peaks and are foam-like.
- Once soft peaks are achieved, continue whisking and add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, leaving a gap of around 30 seconds in between adding each tbsp to allow the sugar to fully incorporate into the egg whites. Do this until all the sugar is incorporated and your meringue is glossy, smooth, and has hit stiff peaks. Be patient with this as it is key for a successful meringue!
Piping:
- Add the cream of tartar now and whisk in briefly if using.
- Using a spoon or spatula, add the meringue to a piping bag with a wide tip.
- Pipe the meringue in blobs: 4-5 for the base, then 2 – 3 on top to create cute clouds. Pipe 12 clouds: 1 per cupcake.
- Your oven should be down to 100°C [212°F] now, so bake the meringue clouds for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, turn the oven off completely and leave the meringues in the oven for 2 – 3 hours to dry out and cool completely. Do not take them out of the oven as you risk collapse.
My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes:
- Around 2 ½ hours into the drying process of your meringues, begin making your chiffon cupcakes.
- Separate your eggs into two bowls. Both elements will be used. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are pale and foam-like, just as before.
- Add 100g caster sugar gradually, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking for 30 seconds between each tbsp to allow the sugar to incorporate fully. Do this until all the sugar is incorporated. Your meringue should be glossy, light, and holds stiff peaks. Add the cream of tartar and whisk in briefly. Set aside for now.
- Make sure that your meringue clouds are now out of the oven – they will have had around 3 hours to dry, which is plenty of time. Preheat your oven to 180°C [350°F] or 160°C fan.
- In another large mixing bowl, add the yolks, vanilla extract, milk, and oil. Pour in the remaining 20g sugar and whisk everything together until fully incorporated.
- Sift the flour and baking powder into the yolk mixture and fold in with a spatula. Squish any large lumps of flour with the spatula.
- Add ⅓ the meringue into the yolk mixture and fold in gently until no streaks remain. Add the rest of the meringue into the yolk mixture and fold it all in gently until fully incorporated and no streaks or lumps remain. Be patient with this so that you don’t knock all the air out of your meringue.
Baking:
- Place 12 sturdy (can stand on their own) cupcake cases on a baking tray and fill equally with the cake mixture. Fill each one no more than ⅔ of the way to leave room for rising.
- Once your oven is up to temperature, bake the cupcakes on the middle shelf for 18 – 20 minutes, until golden brown on the top and the surfaces bounce back when gently pressed on.
- Once baked, leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
Decoration:
- When your cakes are completely cool, it’s time to decorate!
- Secure the meringue clouds down to the tops of the cupcakes using some icing from any of the icing pens, or with something like jam.
- Top the clouds with lines of icing using the icing pens to recreate the large sprinkles, then finish with the other sprinkles – just be mindful that they won’t stick to the meringue, but will sit in some of the rivets. Stick a couple of hearts to some icing to complete your My Melody & Kuromi cupcakes.
Notes
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