- Easy
- 20–30 minutes
- No glue
- about 3.6 × 4.1 in (9.2 × 10.4 cm)
Swirled pink frosting, pastel rainbow sprinkles, and a pleated blue liner with rosy cheeks make this cupcake paper squishy look fresh from a kawaii bakery. Download the free printable PDF in US Letter or A4 to get 3 versions: a ready-to-make color sheet, a coloring page, and a blank template for your own frosting flavors. Pair it with a confetti cake squishy or a blueberry muffin squishy to craft a whole dessert display!
What you need
How to make it, step by step
1Print the template
Print your cupcake template at 100% scale on plain printer paper (make sure “fit to page” is turned off). Check the scale line in the top corner—it should measure exactly 2 inches (50 mm on A4). If you picked the coloring page, color the frosting, sprinkles, and pleated liner now, then let any marker ink dry completely before moving on.
2Tape the pieces
Lay strips of wide clear packing tape over the front and back cupcake pieces only, not the entire sheet. Smooth each strip from the center of the frosting and liner outward without pulling or stretching, because stretched tape will wrinkle later. This shiny layer makes the paper strong, shiny, and extra squishy.
3Cut out both pieces
Cut out the front and back cupcake shapes along the solid outer line, keeping the narrow white border intact. Take your time curving around the top frosting peak, the wavy icing swirls, and the scalloped bottom edge of the blue wrapper.
4Add a tape border to the back
Place the back piece printed side down onto strips of tape, sticky side facing up. Trim the tape about 1 cm (½ inch) past the paper edge all the way around, then snip into that tape border every 2 cm (1 inch) right up to the paper. These little sticky flaps will hug the curved frosting and liner edges cleanly.
5Join front and back
Line up the front piece on top of the back with the white sides facing each other. Fold the tape flaps over the front edge one by one and press them down firmly around the wrapper and icing swirls. Leave a 3.5 cm (1½ inch) gap open on the side—the pink line in the picture shows the exact spot for stuffing.
6Stuff it
Tear plastic bags, cotton, or fiberfill into small pieces and push them inside through the side gap. Fill the far corners first—tucking bits right up into the pointed frosting tip and down into the bottom of the blue liner—and stop once the cupcake feels soft and puffy so the seams don’t pop.
7Close the gap
Fold the last tape flaps over the stuffing gap and tape it shut with an extra strip of regular clear tape. Run your finger firmly along the entire cupcake outline—especially the wavy frosting dips—to press the tape down well.
8Squish!
Done! Give your cupcake a big squeeze and watch the frosting and liner puff right back up. Want a slow-rising squishy? Prick one tiny pinhole in the back so the air escapes gently.
Free Cupcake Squishy Template
- Color
- Coloring page
- Blank, design your own
- Step-by-step guide
One free PDF: the template in three versions (pages 1–3) and the step-by-step guide (pages 4–5). Print the template at 100% on plain printer paper.
Tips for the perfect squish
- Markers smeared on the frosting. Always let marker ink on the sprinkles and pink icing dry completely before adding packing tape. Printer ink on the color version is ready to tape right away.
- The cupcake feels too hard. It is packed with too much stuffing. Gently open the side gap, take some filling out until the cupcake feels soft, and tape it shut again.
- Tape wrinkles across the face. Pulling packing tape tight makes it bunch up over the kawaii cheeks and sprinkles. Use shorter strips and lay them on smoothly without pulling.
- A side seam splits open. The dip between the pink icing and the blue liner gets lots of pressure when you squeeze. Put a new short strip of clear tape across the edge, overlapping the old ones.
Questions
How do you make a paper squishy cake or cupcake without glue?
Glue won’t stick to the slick tape-covered paper, so your seams would open when squeezed. Instead, a snipped tape border folded over the edge holds the 3D cake shape together securely.
What kind of paper works best for this cake paper squishy template?
Plain printer paper (80–100 gsm / 20–24 lb) works best. Cardstock makes the cupcake stiff and it won’t squish as nicely.
What can I stuff my cupcake paper squishy with?
Tear up plastic grocery bags for a light and crinkly feel, or use cotton balls and fiberfill for a soft pillow. You can also use small pieces of memory foam for a slow-rising squishy.
Can I make this 3D paper squishy template bigger?
Yes! Print the template page at a larger scale, such as 120%, with both the front and back together on the same sheet so they match. At 100%, the finished cupcake measures about 3.6 × 4.1 in (9.2 × 10.4 cm).
Can I make these with a class or a party group?
Yes. Print one sheet per person and cut the tape strips in advance. Plan about 30 minutes so kids can color the frosting and sprinkles on the coloring page while you help with taping.
More paper squishies to make
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