Category Archives: Cupcakes

Berry Bomb Cupcakes

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Ruthanne

These delicious cupcakes are topped with a dome of raspberry cream and a touch of black raspberry jam- a perfectly pink Valentine’s Day treat!

I love berries over vanilla cake- it reminds me of summer and makes me smile. I got a little creative with the presentation, but I think that makes them just perfect as a Valentine– don’t you?

These are incredibly delicious and fun to make. They use a fun (and inexpensive) silicone mold that I got here and have used before on my Peanut Butter Bomb Brownies. I just love how beautiful the dome of white chocolate looks atop these cupcakes! There are so many possibilities for fillings….!

Want to know how we made these cute little desserts? Here you go: (Printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed white cake mix (with water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
1 large jar of black raspberry preserves
1 can of strawberry frosting
2 packets of Dream Whip
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon of raspberry extract
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
Pink food color gel (to desired shade)
2 bags of Wiltons candy melts in bright white.

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix according to package and divide into 24-28 cupcake liners placed in a muffin tin. Fill only about 1/2 full so that they bake up flat and not mounded up and over edges. Bake according to package.
Make Berry Bomb filling by combining Dream Whip, milk, extract, and powdered sugar in a mixing bowl and blending together with mixer until stiff peaks form. Add coloring to desired shade of pink.
Melt Wiltons candy melts and use a brush to “paint” the melts into the inside of the silicone mold. Do two layers and then freeze until hard (5 minutes).
Place filling into a large zip-top bag and clip a corner. Pipe filling into hardened cups- about 3/4 full- and then top with a little jam.
Use a knife to spread jam flat and freeze another 5-10 minutes.
Carefully remove berry bombs from mold and place, round side down and sticky jam side up, on a wax-papered plate. Keep these cool until all bombs are made.

Open strawberry frosting and warm in the microwave for about 15 seconds- just until it softens a bit when stirred,
Spoon frosting over tops of cupcakes, allowing it to spread to edges.
Gently set a bomb on top of cupcake, pressing it into the soft frosting (I used wax paper to touch chocolate to prevent fingerprints)
Allow frosting to firm up and hold the bomb in place.
Drizzle with a little red or pink melted candy melts if desired. Keep refrigerated until serving.
Enjoy!!!!!!!

My thoughts: These are a fun and refreshing twist on a berry-topped cupcake. The bombs take a little time to make- since you have to to do them in batches of 6. I recommend you start making them when you start the cupcakes. You can be in and out of the freezer while you are baking and save a little time. My other thought- serve these with a fork!!! When you bite into them and that white candy shell breaks it is too much to hold onto. I promise. Use forks 🙂 I hope you enjoy making and eating these as much as I did!! ~r

Other Valentines Day treats to try (click on a photo to see the recipe)

12 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged berry cupcake, best, black raspberry, chocolate bomb, cupcake, cupcakes, dessert, raspberry, raspberry cream, recipe, strawberry, Valentines day cupcake, white chocolate. Bookmark the permalink.

NYE Ball Drop Cupcakes!

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Ruthanne

Delicious chocolate cupcakes topped with whipped chocolate buttercream and a white chocolate truffle all dressed up for New Year’s Eve! Happy New Year to you!

These fun little cupcakes are an easy and fun way to ring in the New Year. I used Lindt White Chocolate Truffles for the NYE ball, and my very yummiest chocolate buttercream. Aren’t they cute???

Ball Drop Cupcakes4

Here is how we put these fun little party desserts together:

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed chocolate cake mix (or your favorite recipe) plus eggs, water and oil to make according to package.
2 sticks of salted butter, softened
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
3 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
24 Lindt white chocolate truffles
24 decorative picks (I got mine at Target)
24 New Year picks (I got mine at CK products)
Gold food coloring dust (I got mine at CK products)

DIRECTIONS:

Unwrap 24 Lindt truffles and put a decorative pick all the way through each one.
Use a clean (food only) paint brush and some water to paint the truffle gold using the coloring dust. Hold the truffle by the pick and mix dust with water until it forms a thick paste and can be painted onto the truffle. This may take two coats to smooth it out.
Allow painted truffle to dry on a plate or some parchment paper.

Ball Drop Cupcakes1 Ball Drop Cupcakes2

Make cake mix according to box instructions and divide evenly among 24 cupcake liners placed in a cupcake tin.
Bake according to box, and cool completely.
Make frosting by adding softened butter, powdered sugar and cocoa together in a large mixing bowl and beating on high until light and fluffy.
Place frosting in a large zip-top bag fitted with a decorating tip, and pipe frosting on each cooled cupcake.
Decorate with a truffle and with NYE cupcake picks.
Enjoy! (and remind everyone to NOT eat the picks!) 🙂

My thoughts: These are fun and yummy treats!!! It takes a little time to paint the truffles, but they are such a creamy and yummy addition to this cupcake!

So, Happy 2016 to each of you!!! Enjoy!!! ~r

Other fun New Year’s dessert ideas: (click on the photo to see the recipe)

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Posted in Candy, Cupcakes and tagged Ball drop cupcake, best, chocolate, chocolate buttercream, cocoa, confetti, cupcake, gold ball, gold food coloring, Lindt truffle, New years cupcake, New years eve, new years eve cupcake, New years eve dessert, New years eve party, New years eve recipe, NYE cupcake, recipe, sparkles, stars. Bookmark the permalink.

Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

Posted on November 23, 2015 by Ruthanne

Pumpkin Cupcakes4

These cute little bites of pumpkin and sweet cream cheese frosting are a perfect Fall treat! Top them with a little Hershey Kiss acorn, and they are a sweet place setting for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Cupcakes1

If you have followed this blog for very long, you know that I hate pumpkin. I cave in to autumn recipes though and sometimes create pumpkin treats for you all. I rely on others to tell me how they taste, and these got RAVE reviews from my taste-testing friends.

They are an adaptation of my mom’s delicious Pumpkin Roll, but in cute and bite-size portions!

And then there are those cute little acorns- easy and fun to make for your fall celebrations.

Pumpkin Cupcakes3

Here’s how we created all of this yummy-ness! (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS: (makes about 38-40 mini cupcakes)

Cupcakes:

2/3 cup pumpkin
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda

Frosting: (halve this if you don’t like piles of frosting as shown in my photos!)

8 oz (1 package) cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup of butter (softened)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup white chocolate chips (melted)

Acorns:

40 Hershey kisses
40 mini Nilla Wafers
about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together all of the cupcake ingredients, adding the flour, cinnamon and soda last. Blend well.
Spoon into mini cupcake liners, filling each about 3/4 full.
Bake for 14-16 minutes
Cool completely and frost.

Frosting:

On medium speed, beat together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt until creamy.
Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.
Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between, until smooth.
Add melted white chocolate to icing and beat on low until completely combined.
Place in a zip-top bag fitted with a decorating tip and pipe frosting on top of cooled mini cupcakes.
Add leaf sprinkles and acorn (if desired)

Acorns:

Count out about 40 chocolate chips, Nilla Wafers and (unwrapped!) Hershey kisses.
Melt remaining chocolate chips
Set Nilla Wafers flat side up on a plate.
Spread a small amount of melted chocolate on the bottom of a Hershey kiss and set it (melted chocolate side down) on a Nilla Wafer. Repeat until all kisses are placed and refrigerate until hardened together.
Use a toothpick to put a small amount of melted chocolate on a chocolate chip and carefully hold to the top of the Nilla Wafer until it hardens and stays (when the Nilla Wafer is cold from the fridge, this happens in seconds).
Use to decorate your table and your cupcakes!!!

Pumpkin Cupcakes2

My thoughts: Cute, easy and (according to my friends!) delicious! I hope you get a chance to try these little bites of fall happiness! Enjoy!! ~r

Pumpkin CUpcakes5

Other really fun and cute fall treats: (click on a photo to see the recipe!)

8 Comments

Posted in Cupcakes and tagged acorn, acorn candy, acorn cupcake toppers, cream cheese frosting, cupcake, cupcakes, dessert, fall, fun, leaf sprinkles, mini cupcakes, pumpkin cupcakes, thanksgiving. Bookmark the permalink.

Spider Egg Cupcakes

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Ruthanne

These delicious little chocolate cupcakes are topped with terrifyingly cute little spiders, webs and egg sacs. A perfect Halloween treat!

There is nothing worse than finding spiders hatching somewhere in or around your house. Spiders are bad. Baby hatching spiders? Way worse. That’s what makes these fun little cupcakes so terrifying! That little egg sac? A Lindt white chocolate truffle. The spiders? Drizzled chocolate and mini M&Ms. Easy, fun and so cute that you almost start liking spiders! Almost.

Aren’t they fun??? All by themselves, on cookies, on cupcakes… so many ways you could use these.

Here’s the recipe: (printable version)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
One tub of white frosting
1/4 cup of Wilton’s candy melts in dark chocolate
1 cup of Wilton’s candy melts in white chocolate
One bag of mini M&M’s (usually found by the chocolate chips)
Orange food coloring
Purple food coloring
24 Lindt white chocolate truffles

DIRECTIONS:

Make spiders and egg sacs 1st, to give them time to harden up.
Melt the Wiltons dark chocolate candy melts in the microwave in 3o second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Clip a corner off a small zip top bag, and place a small round decorating tip in the corner.
Spoon melted chocolate into bag, and pipe spider “legs” onto parchment paper, topping each set with a brown mini M&M. Pipe spider legs directly on each Lindt Chocolate and add the M&M on top. You’ll need 24 Lindt truffles and 24 extra spiders. I made about 40, and I was glad I did because some of their legs fell off as I pulled them off the parchment paper.
Allow these to harden completely (you can put this in the fridge to speed this process up if needed)

Make cake mix according to package and bake in 24 cupcake liners placed in muffin tins. Cool completely.
Divide the frosting into two parts. Soften it a little bit (10 seconds or so) in the microwave, and color it with purple and orange food coloring.
(Optional) Cut a small, (the size of the Lindt Truffle) and shallow hole into the top of each cupcake. I did this so that the truffle would settle a little “into” the cupcake rather than just perching on top. It makes frosting these a little messy with crumbs, but I liked the way it looked a little better.
Dip the top of each cupcake into frosting, covering the top (and inside the little “dent” on top) completely.
Place a spider “egg sac” on top of each cupcake.
Melt Wiltons White Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between until completely melted and smooth.
Place in a zip-top bag, clip a corner and drizzle liberally over the top of each cupcake in a web-like pattern.
Before the Candy melts firm up, place a couple of spiders on top.
Allow frosting and candy melts to firm up.
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These are fun, easy and just a tiny bit creepy. A perfect October treat. The spiders take a little time and patience, but they can be made ahead of time and won’t hold you up when you go to make the cupcakes. I hope you have as much fun as I did with these! Enjoy!! ~r

Other creepy and fun October treats you might enjoy: (click on a photo to see the recipe)

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Posted in Candy, Cupcakes and tagged best, chocolate, cupcakes, dessert, easy, fall, Halloween, halloween cupcakes, kids, lindt chocolate, October, recipe, spider cupcakes, spider dessert, spider egg. Bookmark the permalink.

Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Posted on July 8, 2015 by Ruthanne

Filled with cream and topped with rich chocolate, these cupcakes capture all the delicious flavor of a Boston Cream Pie in a single-serving form! Easy and soooo yummy!

I’ve never understood why they call it a pie, when it is SO obviously a cake, but Boston Cream Pie is one of my favorite desserts. There’s something about that filling that makes it so moist and flavorful!

These little creations are as easy as can be because they use a cake mix and instant pudding. Easy and delicious!!

Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed yellow cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
One packet of Jell-O White Chocolate Instant Pudding (plus milk to make according to package)
One cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 Tablespoons of butter
Cool Whip, or Butter Cream frosting (1 stick of (softened)butter with 3/4 cups of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla)
24 red Sixlets candies (as desired for decoration)

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix according to package and divide into 24 cupcake liners placed in tins. Bake according to package, and cool.
Make pudding according to package and spoon into a large zip-top bag. Refrigerate until use.
Make chocolate sauce by melting chocolate chips and butter together in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between, until melted and smooth.
If you are making butter cream for the top (this gives you a swirl on top that is more firm for transporting than Cool Whip): Beat together the butter cream ingredients until they are light and fluffy.
Place either Cool Whip or butter cream in a zip-top bag fitted with a decorative tip.
To assemble: use a cupcake corer (or a knife) to remove a core out of the center of each cooled cupcake.
Cut the tip off the bag containing the pudding and pipe a dollop of pudding into the center of each cupcake.

Trim the “core” a little bit (makes room for the pudding) and place the top of the core back on, covering the pudding with cake.
Carefully spoon the warm chocolate over the top of each cupcake, gently pushing it toward the sides, but not over the sides.
Allow chocolate to cool. It will firm up.
Once it is completely cool, pipe Cool Whip or butter cream in a little swirl on top.
Decorate using sixlets (or any other sprinkles or decorations you like!)
Enjoy!

My thoughts: These really are delicious… I try to only “taste” my treats and give the rest away, but you better believe I finished this little cupcake…with a cup of coffee. Yum! I hope you get a chance to try them too! ~r

Here are some other fun uses for pudding! Click on a photo to see the recipe.

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Posted in Cakes, Cupcakes and tagged best cupcakes, boston cream pie cupcakes, buttercream frosting, chocolate, chocolate glaze, cupcake, cupcakes, dessert, easy dessert, easy filled cupcakes, filled cupcake, pudding, recipe, white chocolate pudding. Bookmark the permalink.

Fourth of July Dessert Ideas!

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Ruthanne

Bomb Pop Cupcakes!

Oh my, I love the fourth of July! I love the picnics, and pool parties, and cookouts, and fireworks…and the time with family!

My parents have always (like always, for as long as I can remember!) had a giant pool party for the fourth and invited our entire extended family for burgers and brats and volleyball and sunshine….and for a competitive display of our best “at home” fireworks we could find, later in the evening. I have so many fun memories of chasing fireflies and waving sparklers with my cousins (that are all grown with kids of their own now!). This year is different. For starters, mom isn’t here to orchestrate the complexities of the celebration. The house is in boxes and bags- ready to show to whomever might be interested in buying, and the pool and yard are immaculately kept. Pool toys and floats are all deflated and either sold or put away. Sometimes I sit on the back porch and watch the fireflies and remember all the laughter and fun.

I know that these times are not forever over. This year is different, but once dad settles into his new place there will be other celebrations and family times over the fourth. This year though…my heart wasn’t in the “create something new and fun” place. So instead, I thought you might enjoy a collection of some of my previous red-white-and-blue recipes. You can click on the photo or the title, to be taken to the recipe.

American Flag Oreo Pops

Patriotic Polka Dot Cake!!!

Flip Flop Cookies for the Fourth!

Patriotic Tie-Dye Cake!

Stars and Stripes Brownies!

Red White and Blue Bundt Cake!

And if you are grilling out for the Fourth, you might need these…

BBQ Grill Cupcakes!

Grilled Burger Cupcakes!

However you celebrate this summer, I hope you have fun making memories with your friends and family~ and I hope you enjoy trying fun, new recipes that become a part of your family traditions! ~r

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Posted in Brownies, Cake Pops, Cakes, Cookies, Cupcakes, Seasonal dessert and tagged brownies, bundt cake, cake, chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, dessert, dessert collection, Fourth of July cake, fourth of july cookies, fourth of july cupcake, fourth of July recipes, fun, kids, oreo pops, patriotic recipes, recipe collection, red white and blue, red white and blue dessert, stars, summer. Bookmark the permalink.

Fishing Pond Cupcakes

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Ruthanne

These delicious chocolate cupcakes are filled with a blue frosting “pond” and salty goldfish crackers! A perfect treat for the fish (or fishing!) lovers in your life!

We have a fishing theme on Easybaked these past few weeks. Last week I shared my fishing bobbers and this week a cute little fishing pond! I cannot underestimate the yummy sweet and salty combination of these cupcakes! Those goldfish are a perfect little bite of salt- and simply adorable! These are cute for Father’s day or Birthdays~ and you can even add a few little flower sprinkles for the girls in your life that adore their goldfish!

These are easy-peasy to make, they use a boxed cake mix and a tub of frosting (although, if you are an over-achiever you certainly could do both from scratch!)

Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed chocolate cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
Two tubs of white frosting
About 2 cups of green sugar crystals
One bag of Goldfish Baby crackers (they are smaller than the original crackers)
Green and blue food coloring gels

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix according to package and bake in 24 cupcake liners set in a baking tin. Cool completely.
Open one tub of frosting, spoon it into a bowl, heat it for about 15 seconds in the microwave to soften it a little and color it green with food color.
Open the second tub of frosting spoon it into a bowl, heat it for about 15 seconds in the microwave to soften it a little and color it blue with food color. Spoon it into a zip-top bag and set aside.
Pour green sugar into a small bowl.
To assemble: Cut a pond-shaped circle hole into the top of each cupcake using a small knife and pull out the core.
Dip the top of the cupcake into the green frosting and then into the green sugar, coating it completely.
Cut a corner off the bag holding the blue frosting and pipe it into the pond opening on the top of the cupcake.
Add a couple of goldfish and flower sprinkles if desired –and enjoy!!!

My thoughts: How fun!!! I hope you get a chance to make these cute little cupcakes for your next “fishy” get-together ~ maybe this weekend at the lake cottage??? ~Enjoy!!!

Need some other fun summer ideas? We have lots of them! Click on a photo to see the recipe:

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged baby goldfish crackers, best, chocolate, cupcakes, Father's Day, fish cupcakes, fishing pond cupcakes, frosting, fun, goldfish crackers, lake vacation recipe, recipe, summer. Bookmark the permalink.

Fishing Bobber Cupcakes!

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Ruthanne

If your dad loves fishing, these fun bobbers on waves of blue buttercream frosting will make him smile!

A perfect Father’s Day treat!

The idea for this recipe began last year before Father’s Day. I was pondering the idea of cutting a hole in the top of a cupcake and finding (or making) an edible golf ball to set inside of it. One morning the lightbulb came on: Lindt White Chocolate Truffles! They were perfect, and as I unwrapped all that yummy chocolate I brainstormed for other ideas.

One of those ideas was another Father’s Day treat- fishing bobbers! I filed the idea away until this year came around and then gave it a go. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to dip the truffle in warm chocolate without it melting, and if it would actually look like a bobber– but I love them! My dad loved them too.

Here’s how we made these yummy treats for dad: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed cake mix (plus water, oil and eggs to make according to package)
Blue food coloring gel
2 sticks (one cup) of salted butter
2 sticks (one cup) of unsalted butter
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of clear vanilla flavoring
24 Lindt white chocolate truffles
One bag of Wilton candy melts in red

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix according to package.
Divide out about 1/3 of batter and color it blue
Swirl the 2 colors together (don’t mix too much!) and scoop into 24 cupcake liners placed in a baking tin.
Bake according to package and cool cupcakes completely
Make frosting by placing butters, powdered sugar and vanilla into a large bowl and beating on high until light and fluffy.
Divide frosting in half and color one half blue. Swirl together the blue and white frosting and place into a large zip-top bag, fitted with a decorating tip.
Pipe frosting on top of cupcakes.
To make toppers: Unwrap all Lindt truffles.
Melt red candy melts in a bowl in the microwave for 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
Allow candy melts to cool a little before dipping.
Use a small skewer or fork to dip each truffle into red candy melts, covering the bottom half in red. Place these on clean parchment paper to cool and harden.

Place remaining melted red chocolate into a small zip-top bag. Clip a corner and carefully pipe a small circle of red on the top of each “bobber”, covering the hole made by the skewer used for dipping.
Once “bobbers” are completely cooled and hardened, place them on the top of each cupcake and enjoy!!!

My thoughts: I really have the most incredible dad. He is funny (hilarious!) and smart and brave. He loves golf (last year’s cupcakes) and he loves fishing (this year’s cupcakes)~ he goes to Canada every summer to fish for GIANT Walleye and Pike and then he fries them up for us all when he gets back- and they are delicious! He does roll his eyes when I say that I like bobber fishing best….but in any case, these are for you dad! I love you!!!!!!!

Need more ideas for your Father’s Day celebration? Try some of these! (click on a photo to see the recipe)

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged best, chocolate truffles, cupcakes, dessert, desserts for dad, edible fishing bobber, Father's Day, Fathers Day cupcakes, fishing bobber cupcakes, fishing cupcakes, fishing dessert, fun, lindt chocolate, lindt white chocolate, recipe, summer, white chocolate. Bookmark the permalink.

Pecan Praline Cupcakes

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Ruthanne

If you love pralines, you will love these pecan praline cupcakes with delicious homemade pralines on top!

Two desserts in one!

I’m a huge fan of pecan pralines. Our family has often traveled to the southeast part of the US and there’s just nothing better than a still-warm praline in Charleston or Savannah… YUM! I’ve always wanted to try making homemade pralines, but I’ve never had a good recipe. Last month, we visited family friends, Dave and MaryAnne, and Dave told us he has the BEST pecan praline recipe. He whipped some up for us and oh my…. He shared his recipe and I had the idea to carry some of those flavors over into cupcakes.

Really, these two desserts stand alone, but are especially fun together!

Let’s start with those pralines (printable recipe):

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of sugar
1 1/4 cups of hot water
1 1/4 cups of chopped pecans
24-36 pecan halves
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 teaspoon of maple extract

DIRECTIONS:

Use oil or butter to coat a mini muffin tin well.
Place all ingredients (except the whole pecans) into a large saucepan and heat over stove, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 234F degrees.
Remove from heat and stir for 5-8 minutes until the candy loses it’s glossy look and gets more cloudy and granular.
Spoon (carefully!!!) into well- greased muffin tin.
Press a pecan half into the top of each praline and allow to cool.
When cooled, tip onto clean surface and ENJOY!

Now for those cupcakes…..! (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoons of vanilla
2 teaspoons of maple flavoring
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup of chopped pecans (as desired)

Praline Buttercream frosting:

1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 sticks (one cup) butter
5 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS: (start the frosting first, as it needs to cool before beating)

Cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with 24-30 cupcake liners
In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together the sugar and butter for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add eggs once at a time until incorporated and then mix in vanilla and maple flavoring.
In a different large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add flour mixture to the sugar and butter, alternating with the cream.
Stir in pecans.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 15-18 min. Be careful to not over-bake.
Cool in pan for a few minutes before removing to finish cooling on the counter.

Frosting:

In a small sauce pan, heat brown sugar, cream and 2 tablespoons of butter on medium heat, stirring often, until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat together the cooled brown sugar mixture with remaining butter until smooth.
Add powdered sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy.
Place in a zip-top bag fitted with a decorator’s tip, and pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
Top with a praline- or even a pecan half instead.
Enjoy!!

My thoughts: These are perfectly wonderful together in one beautiful dessert, or they can be made as individual recipes. Either way, if you love pecan pralines, you will love these yummy treats! Enjoy! ~r

Other fun cupcake recipes from Easybaked (click on the photo to see the recipe):

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Posted in Cupcakes and tagged best, brown sugar, brownsugar frosting, cupcakes, dessert, fun cupcakes, pecan cupcakes, pecan praline cupcakes, pecan pralines, pecans, praline frosting, pralines, recipe, sweet, unique cupcakes. Bookmark the permalink.

Banana Split Cupcakes!

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Ruthanne

Do you like banana split sundaes? If so, you will love these little cupcake treats- tasty and oh, so cute!!

I love going out for ice cream- not the soft-serve window kind, but the sit-down in a cute parlor with a million combinations of ice creams and toppings to decide from kind. I usually skip the banana split, because I’m not a huge fan of bananas unless they are in bread (or, in this case a cupcake!). Banana splits are the gold-standard of ice cream though- they have that sundae “look” to them. They are pretty.

I wanted to capture the look, and flavor of a sundae in these cupcakes and I love how they turned out! YUM!!!!

A few months ago I made Root Beer Float Cupcakes using scoops of Cool Whip as ice cream. They were so easy and cute and DELICIOUS, that I used the same idea here~ with banana cupcakes and a yummy strawberry ice-cream-topping filling!

Want to try them? Here’s how we made them: (printable recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

One boxed banana cake mix (I used Duncan Hines), plus water, oil and eggs to make according to box.
1 stick (1/2 cup) of salted butter (softened)
1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of strawberry flavoring
2 tubs of Cool Whip (frozen)
One jar of strawberry ice cream topping
One bottle of chocolate “shell” ice cream topping
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
Sprinkles and spoons (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Make cake mix according to package and bake in 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins.
Make frosting by combining butters, powdered sugar and strawberry flavoring in a large bowl and beating on high until light and fluffy. Place in a zip-top bag, fitted with a decorating tip.
When cupcakes are cool, remove a core from the center using a knife or a cupcake corer. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of strawberry ice cream topping into the middle (you could use pineapple here too, if you wanted) Place “top” of core back on cupcake.
Use a cookie scoop or a small ice cream scoop to scoop frozen Cool Whip onto the top of one cupcake. Immediately pipe frosting around the edges of the scoop to hold it in place. Keep cupcakes chilled as soon as they are frosted, and keep your second tub of Cool Whip in the freezer until ready to use.
Once all cupcakes are frosted, drizzle them with chocolate shell- this makes a little bit of a mess, but I just dropped them into a second cupcake liner to catch the drips 🙂

Immediately sprinkle with nuts and decorations.
Keep cupcakes refrigerated until serving.
Enjoy!!!

My thoughts: These are a little more time consuming that your average cupcake– but look at how fun they are!! The flavors and textures are just perfect too- that cold Cool Whip and those crunchy nuts with the banana cupcakes… YUM! I really hope you get a chance to try these little treats! ~r