It’s time to CHOOSE YOUR SIDE… by choosing your cupcake! Star Wars Weekends have returned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and that means that the Darth Vader Cupcake has made his return as well.
But this time, he’s got a little competition… introducing the Yoda Cupcake, new to Star Wars Weekends this year!
Darth Vader and Yoda Cupcakes
Before you can dig in, you’ve got to know where to find them. Fortunately, upon entering Hollywood Studios you can pick up a Star Wars Weekends Guide letting you know where to find everything from specialty snacks, to character greetings, to merchandise (as well as the general schedule for the weekend).
Star Wars Weekends guide
Star Wars Weekends snacks and locations
You’ll notice you can find the Darth Vader cupcake in just about every Quick Service location (think Studio Catering Co., Pizza Planet, and ABC Commissary, to name a few). But the Yoda Cupcake can only be found alongside Vader in three spots: Starring Rolls Cafe, Backlot Express, and a new spot this year: the Ackbar Snack Bar located inside Darth’s Mall (the Weekends’ prime merchandise location)!!!
Ackbar Snack Bar
Admiral Ackbar takes a sip
Ackbar Snack Bar
Ackbar Snack Bar menu
By all means, go to Darth’s Mall, find Ackbar Snack Bar, and gaze upon it in all its glory… then head to Backlot Express or Starring Rolls to get your cupcakes a bit cheaper — they’re $5.75 at Ackbar’s, but they’re $5.19 at the Quick Service spots. (You can use your Disney Dining Plan snack credits for one of these cupcakes anywhere. )
By the way, Ackbar in the photo above is drinking from a Stormtrooper Stein, found at Quick Service locations throughout the park. Awesome.
Stormtrooper Stein
Stormtrooper Stein
But back to the cupcakes! Let’s start with the new guy… the Yoda Cupcake.
Yoda cupcake
This chocolate cupcake is topped with a Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream frosting (i.e. Nutella) and sprinkled liberally with toffee chocolate candy crunch. Yoda himself is made of white chocolate.
Master Yoda
As I’ve learned from many a Mickey-shaped snack throughout the years, I go for the ears first.
Yoda sans ears
Sorry, little dude. I still got nothin’ but love for ya.
Anyhoo… I’d mentioned a liberal sprinkle of toffee crunch. That’s to be found in two places: first, on the back of the cupcake.
Candy Crunch on yoda cupcake
And second, in the HUGE amount of sprinkles that land in my cupcake wrapper! It’s like second dessert… Score!
The base is pure chocolate cake with no filler. The Hazelnut Buttercream frosting is light and airy, and really does have a distinct hazelnut flavor that makes it unique among other cupcakes I’ve enjoyed previously. Paired with the candy crunch, it’s really enjoyable.
Inside of Yoda cupcake
The Darth Vader Cupcake is the same one that’s been available the past two years (Vader cupcakes were offered in previous years as well, but he received a makeover in 2012). Its full official name is the Darth Vader Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake.
Darth Vader cupcake
The generous dark chocolate curls and sprinkles surround Darth Vader’s helmet, also made of chocolate.
Topping closeup
The base here is the same as the Yoda cupcake: simple chocolate cake. The peanut butter is found entirely in the frosting, and – just like in previous years – they nailed it. This frosting is just so good, and its salty peanut butter flavor perfectly complements the abundant amounts of chocolate all over the cupcake.
Peanut Butter frosting
You’ll see it in signs all over Star Wars Weekends: CHOOSE YOUR SIDE.
When it comes to these cupcakes, I’ve made my choice… and it’s THE DARK SIDE. While I certainly enjoyed the Yoda cupcake, that peanut butter frosting just can’t be beat. My inner Jedi is just going to have to make peace with that… and three or four more of those Darth Vader cupcakes should just about do the trick 😉 .
Find out about more about Star Wars Weekends and other must-do events at Disney World in our DFB Guide!
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Such fond memories of the Darth Vader cupcake! My husband and I received a complimentary one from a cast member while loitering at Backlot Express a few years ago. We had gotten engaged the night before and were proudly wearing our buttons. Gotta love that Disney magic. I remember looking at it thinking it would be your average dry cupcake, just bigger. Boy was I wrong! I’m a real sucker for anything peanut butter so I went gaga for it and never looked back.
It worked in their favor after all… I got hooked on them gigantic cupcakes. I’m a frosting girl. To me, a mound of frosting on a cupcake is just as important as the meat to bun ratio.
One year, I even enjoyed a cupcake breakfast with an awesome friend… I believe we tried 4 cupcakes that morning from Starring Rolls! Such great memories! Wish I could relive them this year but I’ve got a newborn in the house. But maybe by the time we go even he can have the PB cupcake and mom will take pictures with his messy face!
LOL! I love the picture of Yoda without ears .:-)
I got my Yoda and Darth Vader cupcakes at a different spot from those listed — the Hollywood Coke Stand on the right as you enter (or the left as you exit) the park. I got Yoda on the first Saturday (Darth Vader was sold out) and on Sunday I got Vader. Both were good, but loved Yoda a smidge more, I did.
One word of warning for those who have not ventured in to Darth’s Mall before, there is no seating around Ackbar’s Snack Bars and these cupcakes are BIG.
It’s very difficult to stand, balance the cupcake on the flimsy Disney paper plates and not end up wearing at least some of the delicious frosting on your shirt due to the sheer volume of people bustling around that area.
It’s a trap
I’m pretty sure the Darth Vader cupcake would make me sick after a few bites.. all that rich chocolate would be great but I’d have to share with someone.. I feel like I can taste the sweetness just looking at the pics. I’d probably choose the Yoda cupcake.. I do love me some nutella! Great review!
I want to see Ackbar as a permanent location with a full bar, and appetizers….calamari anyone?
FYI- Although it clearly shows on the sign at the Starring Rolls that the Star Wars cupcakes count as a snack, the counter person said they do not because they are over $5. I asked her why the sign says they are a snack and she replied that must be an error.
Peanutbutter vs. hazelnut. That’s a pRetty each choice in favor of Vader.
I just have to tell this…In late May of 2013 my family and I went to Disney World.
We just happened to be there over one of the Star Wars Weekends. When eating at the ABC Commissary, the Darth Vader cupcake was used as the dessert on our Dining Plan. To this day, my 7 year old (who was just shy of 6 at the time), will bring those cupcakes up out of the blue! How memorable is that!