Fruit Cupcake

Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
8 oz can of crushed pineapple in juice

Prepare cake as directed replacing water with juice from crushed pineapple.  If not enough to replace, add additional water to make up the difference.  Mix and add the crushed pineapple.

Bake as directed.

Filling
1 4 serving size cook and serve vanilla pudding
4 oz cool whip
1 jar marshmellow fluff

Prepare vanilla pudding.  Allow to cool.  Once cooled add the cool whip and marshmellow fluff, stiring with a spatula to combine.  Set aside and refrigerate.

Decorating
1 can mandarin orange segments - drain liquid and pat segments dry with a paper towel
3 kiwis - sliced to produce 24 slices
blueberries

Once cupcakes have cooled take out the center/middle (approximately 1 teaspoon).  Fill with the pudding mixture.  Top with a slice of kiwi, one orange segment and blueberries.  Refrigerate until serving.

Note: Cupcakes can be made the day before, however, fruit should not be added until a few hours before serving.

"Clancy the Caterpillar" Cupcakes

This is hands down one of my favorite "kid birthday" cupcake themes.  My mom made this for me when I was in elementary school and it was always a success (although, I have to admit, a bit of a pain to transport).  It's easy, can be for a boy or girl, and no matter how many guests you plan to have, it can be made to be as long or short as needed.

"Clancy the Caterpillar" Cupcakes

Basic cupcake (any flavor, these happen to be strawberry and yellow cake) in matching wrappers.  By using solid colors it will make the design look less busy.

Frost with basic vanilla buttercream dyed with any color of food coloring.  Decorate using the decorating tip of your choice - I like the star tip because it looks fancy.

Wrap a cake board with wrapping paper and plastic wrap.  I like to use green in order to stick with the theme.  Press and Seal plastic wrap works well as a topper (less folding and sticking to itself).

Creating Clancy...


What you'll need
- Two M&Ms
- Shoestring licorice (or pull & peel)
- Gum drops
- Toothpick


On the first cupcake, use M&Ms for the eyes and either frosting or a piece of licorice for the mouth. 


Using a toothpick, make small holes in the side of each cupcake wrapper of the "body".


Cut licorice into pieces long enough to insert into the cupcake and hit the cake board.  About 2 inches

Match up gumdrops so that each cupcake will have a matching set of "shoes".  Using a toothpick, make a hole in the top of the gumdrop.  Insert a pice of licorice into each gumdrop.  Then insert the other end into the cupcakes. 

Arrange on the wrapped cakeboard. 

To make it a little more creative - arrange the gumdrops around the cake board and use frosting dyed green to make some grass. 

Mint Cookie Cupcake

Mint chocolate happens to be one of my favorite flavors of pretty much everything - ice cream, cookies, and now.. cupcakes!

Cake

I'm a fan of the recipe on the Hershey's Cocoa Powder box and then adding to it.

Preheat oven to 350.

Dry Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda                         
1 tsp salt
1 cup crushed chocolate mint cookies

Wet Ingredients
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla.  Beat with electric mixer on medium speed.  Stir in boiling water. 

Evenly distribute batter into approximately 30 cupcake liners.  Bake for 23-27 minutes.


Frosting/Decorating

Mint Buttercream

1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine
1 pound powdered sugar (~4 cups)
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

Using electric mixer, beat margarine until fluffy, alternately add powdered sugar and milk.  Add peppermint extract.  Add additional powdered sugar/milk until desired consistency is reached.

Frost cupcakes - I cut a whole in a plastic baggy and squeezed it onto the cupcake, swirling from the outside edge towards the center

Chocolate Ganache and Cookie Crumbs

1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Place chocolate chips in a bowl.  Heat heavy cream in a separate container (either in a sauce pan on the stove or microwave - I prefer stove top) to boiling.  Pour heavy cream into chocolate chips and stir with a whisk until mixture is smooth.

Set aside ganache in order for it to cool slightly.

Crush up oreos (about 20).  I use a food processor to make fine crumbs.  Place in a bowl.

Dip cupcakes into chocolate ganache until frosting is covered then dip into cookie crumbs.

Flower Cake

Sometimes you just need a pretty cake.  This one was inspired by my love affair with warm weather and spring flowers.

Basic yellow cake with chocolate buttercream frosting and decorated with colored vanilla buttercream

Twix Cupcake

Candy bars are tasty, so why not a cupcake inspired by one?

Cake

Yellow cake mix - prepare as instructed adding 1/4 cup caramel sundae syrup to the batter. 

Frosting

Caramel Chocolate Frosting (I use the Hershey's Cocoa Powder recipe as my guide)

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup caramel sundae syrup

Melt butter.  Stir in cocoa.  Alternately add 1-2 cups of the powdered sugar and enough milk to make frosting relatively thin.  Add vanilla and caramel.  Mix thoroughly and alternately add the rest of the powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency is reached. 

Decorating

Using Wilton tip #1M frost cupcakes swirling frosting inward from outside edge.  Top with chopped Twix bar pieces and drizzle with caramel sundae syrup.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Inspired by the drink, this recipe was sent to me by a friend who found it on Pinterest (thank you www.smittenkitchen.com) and then I modified a few modifications
Makes 24 cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350.  Line muffin pan (s) with liners.

Guiness Chocolate Cake

Part 1 Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness
3/4 cup cocoa powder

Part 2 Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt

Part 3 Ingredients
2 eggs
2/3 cups sour cream

In a medium size sauce pan, bring butter and Guinness to a simmer.  Once simmering, stir in cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.  Once smooth, remove from heat and allow to cool while completing next steps.

Combine Part 2 Ingredients in a bowl.  Be sure to stir in order to mix all parts for even distribution of ingredients.

In a separate large mixer bowl, using an electric mixer (stand mixer works great for this recipe - use the burnished flat beater instead of the wire whip) blend Part 3 ingredients. 

Once Part 3 ingredients are blended, add Part 1 ingredients until just combined.  Add Part 2 ingredients (dry ingredients) one cupful at a time and continue to stir on low speed until blended.  Once ingredients are blended, use a rubber spatula to fold batter until completely combined.

Evenly distribute batter into cupcake liners.  Bake for approximately 18 minutes.  To test if done, tap the top of the cupcake.  If the cake springs back, the cupcake is finished baking, if it leaves an indent, continue to bake and recheck at 1-2 minute intervals until finished.

Once cupcakes have finished baking, set aside and cool completely on wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache Filling

Ingredients
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
3-4 tbs Bailey's Irish Cream

Place chocolate chips in a small bowl.

In a small sauce pan (or you can microwave) heat heavy cream until boiling.  Pour boiling cream into chocolate chips and stir.  Once all chocolate chips have melted, add the Baileys stiring until combined.  Allow ganache to cool until it is a thick liquid.

Filling Cupcakes: Use Wilton tip #230 to fill cupcakes with ganache.  Another option to fill these is to use a spoon to scoop out some of the center of the cupcake from the top and then spoon in the ganache.  If you "core" the cupcakes you will have more filling on the inside.  The decorate tip allows for only a small amount of ganache in each cupcake.

Frosting

Ingredients
1 stick butter or margarine
5-6 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar
6-8 tbs Baileys Irish Whiskey

Using an electric mixer, beat butter until fluffy.  Alternately add sugar and Bileys.  I normally add a cup of powdered sugar, blend, and then add a tablespoon of Baileys.  Add sugar/Bailey's until desired consistency is reached.

Decorating

Using Wilton drop flower tip #2D, start from the outside edge of the cupcake and swirl the frosting to the center.  Dust with cocoa powder.

Peanut Butter Mud Cupcakes

Cake

1 box chocolate cake mix.  Note: if you are going to make the cake from scratch make sure it's not a dense cake, otherwise you will not be able to fill these as easily.

Peanut Butter Filling

1 box cook and serve vanilla pudding (4 serving size)

Prepare per directions.  Once pudding comes to a boil, add 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter.  Allow to cool.

Filling Cupcakes: Once chocolate cupcakes and pudding have cooled use Wilton tip #230 to fill chocolate cupcakes.  Another option to fill these is to use a spoon to scoop out some of the center of the cupcake from the top and then scoop in pudding.

Frosting

Peanut Butter - Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1 cup peanut butter
2-3 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk.

Using a mixer, combine butter and peanut butter.  Once blended, alternately add powdered sugar and milk,  starting with the powdered sugar.  Add powdered sugar and milk until desired consistency and flavor are reached.

Using Wilton tip #22, decorate the top of the tops of the cupcakes using a drop technique - place tip on top of cupcake, do a short squeeze and pull the decorating bag away.  Start in the center of the cupcake and frost around until you get to the edges.  Top with crushed oreos.