Graduation, head of the class cupcakes

I made these last year at my sisters graduation. (from USU)  I don't have anybody graduating this year, but maybe you do!!

 

Ingredients:

baked vanilla cupcakes

vanilla frosting

yellow, red and blue food coloring

chocolate frosting

1/4 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder\
fruit loops or o cereal - i used cheerios

yellow gum

chocolate sprinkles

White decorating sugar

mini chocolate and peanut butter cups, unwrapped

chocolate covered thin mints

blue mini candy (mini m&ms)

Decorate your cupcakes, make tan frosting for the heads and use the gum and sprinkles and chocolate frosting for hair. use cheerios for ears.  Place the mint on top of the peanut butter cup for the hat with a m&m and frosting for the tassel. For a bald head use the sugar on top of a frosted tan head.

be creative and make your own hair styles!!

Cupcakes: Pistachio, Dark Chocolate

I loved it!!Who doesn't love a good cupcake. I have found two recipes that I loved and will be making again.

Pistachio Cupcakes from Real Mom Kitchen

Cupcake:

• 1 box white cake mix
• 1 (3.5 oz) package instant pistachio pudding
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup club soda

Frosting:

• 1 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk (I used skim)
• 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
• 1 (3.5 oz) package instant pistachio pudding
• 4-6 drops green food coloring
• 1/4 cup chopped pistachios, optional

1. In a large bowl, beat together all of the cupcake ingredients with a mixer. Mix on low for 30 seconds then increase speed and beat for 2 minutes. Beware that the club soda with cause the ingredients to puff while adding them to the bowl.
2. Place batter in muffin tins that have been lined with liners. You only need to line 21 muffin tins. Fill tins about 2/3 of the way full with batter.
3. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes until golden. Allow cupcakes to cool.
4. Once cupcakes have cooled you can make the frosting. In a large bowl, whip together the milk, whipping cream, and powdered sugar until soft peaks form. I did this in my kitchen aid.
5. Then beat in the package of pistachio pudding and food coloring until combined and firm peaks form. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Sprinkle each cupcake with a little of the chopped pistachios if desired. Makes 21 cupcakes.

Here is the original recipe that I found at how sweet it is.
i will mark in red what I changed! If i were to make these again I think that I would follow the recipe above for the cake part, just change everything to chocolate.
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes i doubled it

1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder used regular coca powder

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup homemade fudge sauce (recipe below) didn't make the fudge sauce I had left over fudge frosting in a can, i just microwaved that until it was runny enough to pour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain. Add milk, cream, butter and vanilla, and mix until combined. Stir in sour cream. Sift dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Mix until batter is smooth, then swirl in fudge sauce. Line a muffin tin with liners and using a 1/4 cup measure, add batter to each cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Let cool before frosting.


Peanut Butter Buttercream
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup peanut butter didn't measure this but used more

3-4 cups of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 tablespoons of milk since i used more pb I used more milk

pinch of salt
Cream butter and peanut butter together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add powdered sugar with mixer on low speed and gradually add milk and vanilla extract. Mix until frosting is smooth. If too thick, add more milk; if too thin, add more sugar. Frost cupcakes as desired.


Dark Chocolate Fudge Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark cocoa powder
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 cup boiling water or scalding milk
1 tablespoon of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Combine sugar, cocoa, salt, and flour in a bowl or pot over a double boiler. Bring water or milk to a boil. Gradually add hot liquid to sugar mixture. Stir constantly until mixture thickens.
Once it has reached the desired thickness, remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Drizzle over cupcakes and store the rest of the sauce in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Got this off of girlwhoateeverything!

• 1 butter recipe yellow cake mix (and ingredients package calls for)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened mine was salted
• 6 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons flour
• 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips, plus more for decorating didn't use mini
• 1 container Betty Crocker chocolate frosting
• (optional) 1/4 package of Pillsbury refrigerated cookie dough for cookie garnishes

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners. Make cupcake batter according to directions then stir in 1 cup of regular chocolate chips. Bake cupcakes according to package directions. Let cool.
• While cupcakes are baking make the cookie dough filling. Combine butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium speed until fluffy for about 2 minutes. Mix in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Beat until combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until slightly firm.
• When cupcakes are cool, cut out a cylinder shape in the top of the cupcakes about an inch deep. Fill hole with about a Tablespoon of cookie dough filling. I like to fill mine a little on generous side and use about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of filling.
• Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I like to put the frosting in a plastic storage bag and snip off a nickel sized hole in one of the corners to pipe the frosting on in a cone shape.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Recipe yields 28 standard cupcakes

Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 c. cake flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 teaspoon for dusting*

• 1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 3/4 c. sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for dusting*

• 4 large eggs, room temperature

• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 c. milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Sift together both flours, baking powder, salt and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of milk, and beating until combined after each.

3. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 2 days at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

4. To finish, combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (Ateco No. 809 or Wilton No. 1A)*, pipe frosting on each cupcake: Hold bag over cupcake with tip just above top, and squeeze to create a dome of frosting, then release pressure and pull up to form a peak. Using a small, fine sieve, dust peaks with cinnamon-sugar. Cupcakes are best eaten the day they are frosted; keep at room temperature until ready to serve.*

7 minute frosting (or 10-12 min):

• 2 large egg whites

• 1 1/2 c. sugar

• 2 t. light corn syrup

• 1/4 t. cream of tartar*

• 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, cream of tartar, and 5 tbsp. of cool water in a heat proof bowl set over the top of a pan of boiling water.

2. Using handheld mixer, beat on low 4 mins. Beat on high 3 mins until soft peaks form. Remove from heat, add vanilla and beat for additional 3-5 mins...therefore 10-12 min frosting. Decorate cupcakes immediately