Editor’s Note: The Cheshire Cake Cups have been discontinued as of late Summer 2015. We’ll update you if/when they’ll return (because there will be shouts of rejoicing.)
Today we’re heading to the Magic Kingdom’s Cheshire Café. Let’s stop by this whimsical spot in Fantasyland and see what’s new… this one’s for you, Alice in Wonderland fans!
Cheshire Cafe Sign
Cheshire Cafe
Even die-hard Alice fans may have overlooked this spot previously. Offerings have always been pleasant with light snacks, refreshing drinks and slushes, but no standout signature items.
Cheshire Cafe Menu
But that’s changing with the arrival of Gourmet Cake Cups!
Gourmet Cake Cups
Guests have their choice between the Mad Hatter Mocha Cake Cup or the Cheshire Cupcake Cake Cup (yes, that’s the full name, inspired by all things topsy-turvy in Wonderland, I assume)!
What’s a “cake cup,” exactly? Well, it’s like a parfait made of cake and frosting. So, it’s like a cupcake, but it’s… not ;). I’m happy to say that this is one of those occurrences when the true-life appearance far exceeds the picture on the sign. Here is the sign…
Gourmet Cake Cups Sign
But THIS is the real deal.
Themed Cake Cups
Pretty cool, huh? I don’t know about you, but I’m always happy to see more of the Alice in Wonderland characters represented in Disney World. And they’re adding cake to this?! NOW we’re talkin’!
Cheshire Cupcake
Cheshire Cupcake Cake Cup
We’ll start with the Cheshire Cupcake. Close-ups of that awesome topper to come, but first, let’s talk abouttaste! You can get a better idea about this treat by looking at the back:
Back of Cheshire Cupcake Cake Cup
There is no getting around it. This is ONE. SERIOUS. PILE. OF. VANILLA.
It’s a mountain of light vanilla frosting on top of (and interspersed between) vanilla cake… Funfetti, actually — the perfect choice for fans of this quirky cat!
Cheshire Cupcake with mountain of frosting and sprinkles
Funfetti
Bring your sweet tooth along for this one… you’re gonna need it!
You may have noticed the Halloween sprinkles on top, but I checked with the Cast Member and she assured that this is not a Halloween-specific treat (they’re just using these particular sprinkles throughout the autumn season).
Topping this cake cup is this wonderful image of the Cheshire Cat, raising his eyebrows (quite literally!).
Closeup of Cheshire Cat
Sure, it’s awesome. But is it edible?
Edible Cat
Yep!
Mad Hatter Mocha Gourmet Cake Cup
Chocolate lovers will be more intrigued by the Mad Hatter Mocha.
Mad Hatter
This cake cup has a strong coffee taste delivered by the frosting layers -— much stronger than the hint of mocha that I’d anticipated. The flavor of the frosting was sweetened by the presence of dark chocolate chips and white chocolate “straws.”
Mad Hatter Mocha
What I enjoyed most about the mocha frosting was the consistency. Unlike the vanilla cake frosting, this was almost mousse-like, which lent a terrific lightness to such a rich treat with the layers of chocolate cake.
Mocha Frosting
Again, the real gem here is the topper featuring everyone’s favorite Hatter.
Mad Hatter
Sure, maybe he’s a little crazy! But remember… “We’re all mad here.” 😉
We’re all mad here
So you may as well join in the fun!
Which Gourmet Cake Cup would you try first? Tell us in the comments below!
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Can’t wait to try this in December!!!
This looks great! I love snacks that not only look yummy but are creative as well!!
OH MY GOD THE FROSTING. THE FROSTING. IT IS EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED IN A CAKE-TYPE FOOD ITEM. SHORT OF A CUP OF FROSTING. WHICH IT PRACTICALLY IS. LOVE.
Um… Cheshire Cupcake Cake Cup, please! 😀
You asked whether the Cheshire Cat topper was edible. Then you show a photo of the topper with a piece bitten out and a caption that said nothing but “Yep!” I laughed because my first thought was “just because she took a bite out of the thing, doesn’t technically make it edible.” So I’m assuming it’s white chocolate, and not just thin plastic that’s able to be bitten in half, correct?
You don’t really need to respond to my joking comment, but that really was something that made me chuckle with the way you answered your own question.
I wonder, do they sell these for breakfast?
Stefanie — Enjoy :)!! Hope you have a great trip!
Gretchen — I know! I was so impressed with the presentation of this one!
Jenn — You are totally right… that IS what it practically is :)!!
Jeff — Ha! Glad you got a kick out of that! To be 100% honest I wasn’t completely sure until I tried it myself! I *think* it’s a very light and sheer fondant frosting as opposed to white chocolate, but I should say that while it’s got a light bit of sugary flavor, it’s not the best tasting part and still primarily serves as decoration. I just took the one bite to test it and went right back to the full-on frosting ;)!
Can I use a snack credit from the Dining Plan for the Chesire Cupcake cup?
OMG! My sister is going to freak when she sees this!
Ha, ha, those pictures on the sign are pretty laughable. It kind of looks like a blurry pic someone took with their phone. It reminds me of those horrible pictures at Fairfax Fare of the cross-sections of hot dogs. 🙂
It’s just the opposite of what we’re used to with food advertising….You know how tall and mouth-watering the big mac looks in the photos and then you open the cardboard container and it’s like “is that it?” Apparently Disney wants to lower your expectations in hopes of blowing you away! Ha ha ha.
I hope they’ll try more flavor varieties in different locations. It’s like a mobile cupcake (with extra frosting!).
As someone who has been known to cut the bottom off a cupcake and plunk it atop the frosting to even out the frosting-to-cake-per-bite ratio, I ADORE this idea!
Awesome !! Will totally be getting one in November !! Yay !!
Yum! They both look adorable. I’d be getting the Mocha Mad Hatter. I’ll have to put that on my list of things to try the next time I go back.
I think I’m in love.
Oh my–chocolate and coffee together–perfect! I love the Alice in Wonderland characters! What a delightfully delicious idea. 🙂
How amazing do these look?!?! I get there Sunday and now can’t wait to try one of these!
Perhaps Disney should just make a cup o frosting…that is pure marketing genius right there!
Hi, Jen! Yes, the Cake Cups can be purchased using a snack credit on the Dining Plan :). Enjoy!!
Wow, they look like they’re, like, a bazillion calories each??? LOL But, it’s WDW so calories magically don’t count, do they? I would definitely try the Mocha, Wendy, since my fave cupcake so far has been the cappuccino cupcake from DHS. And, I know right where that little snack stand is, too. A lot of guests completely overlook it, which could be very good for all of us!
Vanilla one
Hahaha!!! The Mad Hatter. who serves tea at a tea party, has a MOCHA caked cup?? LOL
Looks delicious!! 😀
We just ate the Vanilla Cheshire Cat one today! It was AMAZING!!!!!!! I wish I would have been able to bring a few home with me!
Wish they would make a chocolate that did not have mocha/coffee flavoring. Ugh. I do not like even a slightest hint of coffee flavoring and am not a fan of vanilla. Guess I’ll be skipping this one.
Do you know if it’s just during Halloween or are they here to stay?
Me lika!
I will be trying this in 24 days while my family and I are there for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party on October 25th.
Yummy!! Had the vanilla one yesterday and it was delicious!! It really is practically a cup of frosting, it was hard to reach the cake at first. Not that I minded, haha! Oh, and I’m thinking mine just had rainbow colored sprinkles on top, I don’t recall Halloween themed ones. I agree, the decorative picture on top is probably some kind of fondant… it was a little sweet, but kind of chewy and not very tasty, so I tossed it with my otherwise scraped clean cup. 🙂
Love it! Fantastic idea – much easier to eat.
Wow! Two of my favorite combinations together in one cupcake….coffee and chocolate. That Mad Hatter cupcake has my name on it!
My husband saw these on th Disney food blog so we are at Magic Kimgdom today to get some (here from San Diego, California). Well, they are NOT here! We are at the Cheshire Cafe and the ladies are looking at us like we are crazy. They said, ‘We used to have them but they are gone.’ What the heck?
Marcie Templin — WHA?!?!? This is the worst news ever!!!!!! 🙁 Maybe they’re just gone for a few days until they get supplies back in. Fingers crossed!
I’m happy to say that they were there when I stopped by Cheshire Cafe today! The cake cups still haven’t made it to the permanent sign (it’s still the cardboard stand-up), but I’m hopeful for one day… 🙂
YES! Back again for Thanksgiving week and they are here! Yeah! We get a second chance!
Marcie — WOOT :)!!
This is on the TOP of my ‘must eat’ list for my visit in 25 DAYS!!! Can anyone confirm if they’re still available??!!???!!!
Hi, Wendy! As of my last visit, the cake cups hadn’t yet been added to the permanent snack sign so I don’t think they are guaranteed yet, but I tried them first in late September and they’ve been there on every visit since (my most recent being a couple of weeks ago), so I think the odds are in your favor :).
Wendy — I agree with…Wendy (haha!). I had a friend who had them just yesterday. Enjoy!
Totally getting the vanilla cake cup next week… I wonder if they’d give me the Mad Hatter topper instead… I’m mad for the Hatter but not too keen on the mocha (at least in a cup of cake). I’m excited! These are still on the menu, right? The Disney app doesn’t list them as an option.
Amberly — It’s been there on every menu walk we’ve done since last year. We hear they remove it from time to time, but haven’t ever seen it gone.
Awesome, thanks! 🙂 Can’t wait to try it!
Just got back from Disney last week and this was a must stop for me! It was definitely the best snack I had all week! They had two different flavors though. One called White Chocolate Rabbit (was DELICIOUS!!) and one called Queen of Hearts Stawberry Shortcake!
Juuust a question about the icing. Color me persnickety, but what KIND of icing is it? My grandparents own a candy store and stock two kinds of icing to sell. There’s a buttercream, which when made properly is butter, sugar, whipping cream, and flavoring. And then there’s bettercreme, which is like.. a thicker version of whipped cream, and not as sweet.
I prefer the ‘gritty’ kind of icing, or the buttercream, but a lot of cakes, like store bought or Dairy Queen cakes use the whipped kind. I didn’t want to spend like.. $5 on something I wouldn’t like. So I figured it didn’t hurt to ask! Thank you!! 🙂
Stevie — Icing/Frosting is a delicate matter! This is usually the gritty, lardy kind, but can change at any moment (you never know with Disney).
Visited there may 11-17 and they weren’t serving it the days I were there 🙁
We were there Aug. 13-18 and they were serving only the mocha and the strawberry shortcake ones. Very disappointed, as I’d been dying to try the vanilla and can’t stand strawberries or mocha.
I tried the vanilla ones last year and I think they were the best desert at Disney. This year they had disappeared. Please come back! They are fantastic!
Why, oh why would Disney get rid of these, they were the best food item at the MK….PLEASE BRING THEM BACK!!!!!!!!
These look great.
Do you have the recipe for the Cheshire Cat cake cup?
Could you please post the recipe here?
I would greatly appreciate it.