Patriotic Dessert

Happy 4th of July weekend!

We had a potluck/cookout for work today and there was a red, white and blue theme to the dishes that we were to bring, so I thought it would be fun to make these cupcakes! {Since I made these for Halloween, I figured R, W, & B ones would be just as easy}
Cupcake
Ingredients
Box Cake Mix {I know enter gasp here... I'm not on cup cake wars yet }
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

Mix batter according to directions, and add additional ingridents as well.

Separate batter into equal portions into 3 bowls

Add your food coloring

Fill the cupcake liners up 1/2 way, layering, Red batter, white batter and then blue

Bake according to box directions.

Allow cupcakes to cool.
I like to make my own icing, and here is the recipe that I use


Frosting
Ingredients

2 lbs powdered sugar
2 cups shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp butter extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup of milk

Mix all ingredients together with a mixer

I put the icing in a piping bag, and pipe out the icing prior to serving.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! And don't forget the real reason behind the 4th, and remember those who are still standing up for our freedom over seas!

Happy 4th!

Cupcake Redemption - Candy Corn Cupcake

Is it seriously October 1st??? Its finally starting to feel like fall here in Ohio - and I'm loving it!

Well remember yesterday when I had my baking fail because I broiled instead of baked?

Well today I redeemed myself and BAKED the cupcakes, and I think they turned out quite cute!
[see the yellow on the bottom and orange in the middle - with the white on top??]
No they don't really taste like candy corn - they are just yellow, orange and white - like a candy corn

Ingredients in the cupcake
1 box of cake mix [the recipe called for white, i used yellow]
1 cup of sour cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
food coloring [yellow and orange]

Combine cake mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, milk and eggs in large bowl. Mix according to the package directions
Divide batter evenly into 2 separate bowls
Color half of the batter with food coloring - one with orange and one with yellow [even though i used yellow cake - i still added yellow food coloring to make it more vibrant]
and in true kush fashion while I asked her to take pictures of the cupcake process - she had to get one in of herself as well

Place cupcake liners into cupcake tins. Fill each cupcake liner with 1/4 cup of yellow batter

and top with orange batter so cupcake liner is 1/2 full
And bake according to package directions
Cool cupcakes completely

Butter cream Icing
2 lbs powdered sugar
2 cups shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp butter extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup of milk

I didn't think I had enough shortening [after i found out i needed 2 cups] so I headed over to my local drug mart - and the only size they had was this
i don't think that i will EVER need to buy shortening again in the rest of my life... i might as well work it into my will now... orrrr i could just have a give-a-way for a Costco sized can of crisco.. just kidding!

mix all the wet ingredients together in a stand mixer, continue to add powdered sugar until its the consistency that you would like [you can always add more milk or more powered sugar if it is too thick or too runny]

because mine is so thick - i couldn't use a piping bag, so I used the edge of a ziploc that I had cut off to pipe the cupcake frosting

right before you serve your cupcakes add a candy corn to the top
and enjoy