05 June 2012

ICEE Cupcakes {and other fun Softball treats}

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Softball season is officially over. It's kind of sad, really, because Jordan loved it so much.

I will not miss having to get dinner ready for her at 4:00 and packing it up in a cooler for Mel and I. Nor will I miss the post-school night-game whining.

I will miss watching Jordan learn how to catch. And watching her hit, without a tee, for entire games.

Last weekend I volunteered to host the end-of-the-year softball party. For 12 first-graders, their parents, and siblings.

Yes, I'm certifiably insane.

But I love doing it. Even when I was going crazy on Friday trying to get the house clean and do last minute prep and make eight dozen mini cupcakes, when I was growling "why do I do this???" at my husband, I still was having fun.

For the cupcakes, I decided to go with a "softball snack shack" theme. You know, that crap you buy while you're bored out of your mind watching your kid play. Popcorn, hot cocoa, Icees, candy.

I made mini cupcakes out of two box mixes, one yellow cake and one chocolate. FYI, that makes a lot of minis. I had no idea how many it would make. Be prepared. Probably 3-4 dozen per box.

{Just because I majored in math, you didn't expect me just know that a mix making 24 regular sized cupcakes would make a whole lot of mini ones, right?}

I made one large batch of homemade buttercream and divided it into four portions to make the four flavors of cupcake.

These ICEE cupcakes were the biggest hit. The frosting is made with cherry jell-o. Joan at Chocolate, Chocolate, and More used Jell-O in cupcakes awhile back and when brainstorming ideas, I came up with these.



The straws are from Target. I may have * accidentally* brought home a couple extra with my diet Pepsi fountain drink. Cut them in fourths and they are the perfect size for mini cupcakes.


Here is a link to the printable ICEE logo. I printed them on regular paper and attached them to a paper liner with double stick tape. Using those cute little paper cups would be great too, but I didn't have any.


For some reason being at any sporting event reminds me of pink popcorn. You know, the kind that comes in a chewy brick? I have no idea why sports reminds me of this. I did not play sports as a child and I did not attend sporting events. I got my pink popcorn at the park after riding the train. But anyway, I always think of it. These were really pretty cupcakes too. (But make a note, the popcorn got stale overnight. Best to make it the day of.)


The Hot Chocolate ones were my favorite. I put hot cocoa in the mix and topped them with hot fudge sauce. To. Die. For.


And last, but not least, Bubblegum Cupcakes. I used one of those Duncan Hines flavor packets and topped them with bubblegum. Not my favorite flavor, but the kids loved them.

I must say, if you're making cupcakes for a crowd, make minis. People eat more when food is miniature. I had no cupcakes left. The kids ate way too many, but hey, then I didn't. :)

Enjoy, and thanks for reading!


ICEE, Popcorn, Bubblegum, & Hot Cocoa Cupcakes {Softball Inspired}

by Crazy for Crust

Ingredients

8 dozen mini cupcakes (2 box mixes)


Frosting Base
  • 4 sticks room temperature butter
  • 8 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla
For the Cherry ICEE Cupcakes
  • 1 pack cherry Jell-O mix
  • 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice (optional)
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar (if it seems too wet)
  • Red straws
  • ICEE label
  • Cream or milk, a teaspoon or two as needed for consistency*
For the Popcorn Cupcakes
  • 3 cups popped popcorn, kernels removed
  • 4 squares white almond bark
  • Food coloring and candy coloring
For the Hot Chocolate Cupcakes
  • 1 pack hot cocoa mix
  • 1/4 cup hot fudge, melted
For the Bubblegum Cupcakes
  • 1 pack Duncan Hines Frosting Creations, bubblegum flavor
  • 24 bubblegum balls
Instructions
  1. Make your base frosting: beat butter until fluffy in a very large bowl. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix well between additions. Beat in vanilla. Separate into 4 separate bowls.
  2. Make the Cherry ICEE Cupcakes: Add cherry Jell-O powder, maraschino cherry juice, and additional powdered sugar (if needed) to 1/4 of the base buttercream. Squeeze onto the top of 2 dozen mini cupcakes in on large mound. Cut each red straw in fourths and stick into icing. If your frosting seems gritty at first, try adding a little cream or milk and mixing, adding more powdered sugar if needed to thicken.
  3. Make the Popcorn Cupcakes: melt almond bark according to package directions. Tint with candy coloring and mix with popcorn. Let harden. Tint 1/4 of base buttercream desired color and frost 2 dozen mini cupcakes. Press popcorn into the top of each cupcake. Note: popcorn gets stale overnight, prepare right before serving.
  4. Make the Hot Cocoa Cupcakes: Stir hot cocoa mix into 1/4 base buttercream. Pipe onto 2 dozen mini cupcakes. Melt hot fudge and place in a ziploc sandwich bag with the tip of a corner cut off. Drizzle onto cupcakes.
  5. Make the Bubblegum Cupcakes: Stir bubblegum flavor into 1/4 base buttercream. Pipe onto cupcakes and top with a bubblegum ball.
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***Update: I made the ICEE cupcakes again, by themselves. I needed enough frosting for 30 minis, so I used 1 1/2 sticks of butter, about 3 cups of powdered sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla, the cherry jell-o and maraschino cherry juice. If you need something to help with consistency or grittiness, you can add a little cream or milk to thin it out (and, more powdered sugar, if needed). I've updated the recipe above.***



I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!
Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in TrainingTrick or Treat Tuesday at Inside BruCrew Life, Cast Party Wednesday at Lady Behind the Curtain, Sweet Treats Thursday at Something Swanky, Chic-and-Crafty at the Frugal Girls, Tastetastic Thursday at A Little Nosh, Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli-n-sons, I'm Lovin' it Fridays at TidyMom, Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies, A Well-Seasoned LifeStrut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!

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84 Comments:

At June 5, 2012 at 6:03 PM , Blogger cupsbykim said...

These are great!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:14 PM , Anonymous Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl said...

Okay, I'm LOVING this stuff! We just officially got underway for our first t-ball season. My husband is coaching, and we already talked about hosting a "end of season" party in July. I must be nuts, but I'm thrilled to see I'm not the only one. =)

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:28 PM , Blogger Veronica LaChance said...

Oh my gosh these are some cute cupcakes! Behind all the hoopla of making homemade treats for crowds (kids specifically) it's great to see its still cherished! Love your ideas :)

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:32 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

It's so much fun to plan these things. Have fun!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:33 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks Veronica!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:33 PM , Blogger Brandon said...

Those Icee cupcakes are all sorts of awesome

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:34 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thank you! :)

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:38 PM , Blogger Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel said...

BUBBLEGUM!!!! OMG, I die. Loooove (but I didn't need to tell you that ;)) The ICEE cupcakes are so stinkin' cute! And the icing looks identical to ICEEs... crazy good stuff right there!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:43 PM , Blogger Michael said...

How cute are all those cupcakes? Love it!!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:44 PM , Blogger Kara Renee said...

"Yes, I'm certifiably insane." Hahah best part! I literally want to make every single one of these. Oh no!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 6:52 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks! I knew you'd like the bubblegum. :) I thought of you the entire time.

 
At June 5, 2012 at 7:03 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Ha, thank you! :)

 
At June 5, 2012 at 7:07 PM , Blogger allisamazing said...

Loved the variety of cupcakes. They are all so cute and look delicious!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 7:14 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I cannot wait till those Duncan Heinz flavored packs come to Canada! How much fun are they! They all look delish! I'd probably go bubble gum, chocolate, icee, popcorn. And then hit the floor and do 100 crunches.

 
At June 5, 2012 at 7:47 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 7:54 PM , Blogger Karyn said...

Mmmmm! Icee!! The frosting looks incredibly thick and incredibly tasty!
Thanks for the tip on the candied popcorn. Those look fun as well!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 8:15 PM , Blogger Back for Seconds said...

These are all so stnkin cute! You are one creative lady!

 
At June 5, 2012 at 8:55 PM , Blogger Kristin said...

I agree with the "mini" theory. I made mini cupcakes last 4th of July and people wouldn't stop eating them!
The Target/straw thing took some planning ahead. Way to go :)

 
At June 5, 2012 at 9:00 PM , Anonymous Kristi @ My San Francisco Kitchen said...

So creative! I used to love these <3

 
At June 5, 2012 at 9:49 PM , Blogger Trisha said...

BEautiful assortment of cupcakes!

I'm hosting a giveaway over at my blog and would love for you to stop by and participate.

http://www.myhobbielobbie.com/2012/05/my-200th-blog-post-and-my-1st-ever.html

Looking forward to seeing you there.

 
At June 5, 2012 at 10:39 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

These are so great!!! Icees one of my boys favorite treats in the whole world!!! I can't wait to make these next season!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 4:29 AM , Blogger Shirley@bells-bakery said...

These all look amazing! ha ha "When growling at my husband" I think every person is the same when trying to organise a get together,our poor OHs LOL

 
At June 6, 2012 at 5:27 AM , Anonymous tanya said...

I love these cupcakes!!!! As a baseball mom, I know exactly what you are talking about, they can be loooong!!! Love the Icee cupcake idea!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 6:39 AM , Anonymous Beth @ Hungry Happenings said...

Each of your cupcakes looks great. I am so impressed with how much the frosting on the Icee cupcake looks like the texture of an actual Icee. Great job!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 6:41 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Oh...I love these...especially the Icee cupcakes! So cute!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 6:42 AM , Blogger Erin said...

Holy crud! These are awesome!!! You're a good Mom =o)

Question on the icee frosting (because I'm a moron) - you mixed the jello powder, cherry juice and powdered sugar and that's it?

I'm totally making these! Thanks!!!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 6:43 AM , Blogger Susan said...

Your post is like a version of Cupcake Wars! These are so cute and I know my grands would love those ICEE ones. XOXO

 
At June 6, 2012 at 7:52 AM , Anonymous Sue @ Cakeballs, cookies and more said...

they all sound great but I would love the hot chocolate ones, that was the only thing I would get at the hockey arena on the early mornings. That was before when I would actually go to practice, now I just go to games and don't buy anything. Okay maybe the occasional french fry, but that would not make a good cupcake. Or would it.....

 
At June 6, 2012 at 8:40 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

I are you some kind of super mom genius that everyone is always jealous of because I think you have to be amazing!! Great ideas just ooze out over here! Do you have more hours in your day than me?! HA! I love these cuppies!!!! All of them!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 9:02 AM , Blogger Carrie B said...

You are such a fun mom! These are the cutest!!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 10:46 AM , Blogger Ellen @ BakeItWithBooze said...

I really would like to try that hot chocolate mix in the frosting. I think it would make a great addition to a cocktail themed cc. These look SO darn cute!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 12:34 PM , Blogger Susan @ Oh My! Creative said...

I pinned the Icee cupcakes...so adorable! Perfect for summer!

I would love if you would post and share them with my readers! Join the Community and share any of your creative project!

Susan @ Oh My! Creative

 
At June 6, 2012 at 1:33 PM , Blogger Sugar Swings said...

these are amazeballs (btw amazeballs is my new fav word)

 
At June 6, 2012 at 1:39 PM , Blogger The Goewert Family said...

Thanks for the great ideas. I am thinking of doing an end of the softball season for our girls too. This would be perfect:)

 
At June 6, 2012 at 1:40 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 4:06 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

These are all so amazing! I pinned it. Thanks so much for sharing at Whimsy Wednesdays.

 
At June 6, 2012 at 4:28 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

seriously creative ideas! i am envisioning red and blue icee cupcakes for the fourth of july:)

 
At June 6, 2012 at 8:24 PM , Blogger Amber *SaltTree Creative* said...

fan-freaking-tastic! pinning for sure! I have a link party going on now and would love for you to share this!
http://www.salttree.net/2012/06/open-call-tuesdays-7-giveaway.html
I'm looking forward to coming back with a cup of tea in hand to check out your site more in depth :) Cheers!

 
At June 6, 2012 at 10:41 PM , Blogger CuteEverything.com said...

You are officially amazing! I just marvel at your creations! LOVE them, I so wish I'd been at the softball party. Pinning the ICEE ones!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 5:37 AM , Blogger MissyB_in_NJ said...

these look great!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 6:29 AM , Blogger Ambreen (Simply Sweet n Savory) said...

Wow, great work. These cupcakes are so cute!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:03 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Aw, thanks so much, and for the pin too!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:03 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Oooh, great idea! :)

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:05 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Definitely! Thanks so much for reading!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:06 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

SO amazing. Maybe with Godiva??? Or Baileys???

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:06 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

LOL! I've got to do something while exercising. My mind wanders. :) Thanks Trish!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:07 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

I have to make the chocolate ones again, and give them more of a feature. They were fab. I think that would get me through an early ice day too!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:09 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks Beth!! :)

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:10 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:10 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

I know. He knows now just to nod and agree and get out of my way at that point, ha!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 7:11 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thank you!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 8:11 AM , Blogger Melanie @ bear rabbit bear said...

Are the ice cupcakes the mini ones or regular size? Thanks for linking up today!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 8:48 AM , Blogger erica said...

Oh these are awesome! I was going to make cookies for summer parties this year and now I am thinking I should just go back to cupcakes. xo

 
At June 7, 2012 at 8:56 AM , Blogger Dip It In Chocolate said...

Ok the Icee idea is adorable and the hot chocolate idea is brilliant!

Did you find the duncan hines flavoring packet to smell/taste "chemical-ish"? (I swear I'm not a crazy health freak that thinks everything has chemicals and fats in it but I was so grossed out when I tried the cotton candy!) I guess I'll stick with my SUPER HEALTHY candy flavoring oils.

 
At June 7, 2012 at 9:01 AM , Blogger Desi said...

Too flippin cute! These are absolutely adorable! Love the icee labels :) You are so so so creative!

 
At June 7, 2012 at 9:08 AM , Blogger Sara said...

what a great spread of cupcakes, all look delicious!

 
At June 8, 2012 at 5:08 AM , Blogger Kim~madeinaday said...

Oh I love those icee cupcakes!! Soo cute!! Found you on Kitchen Fun! I would love it if you would link up and my linky party!! http://madeinaday.com
Kim@madeinaday

 
At June 8, 2012 at 7:01 AM , Blogger Live Laugh Rowe said...

Oh my gosh! I love ICEES. How awesome are these cupcakes!?!? You ROCK.

 
At June 8, 2012 at 7:35 AM , Blogger Annie said...

You are so creative and all the cupcakes look so yummy! I could see the icee cupcakes appeal to the first-graders, but I am sure adults would love them too!

 
At June 8, 2012 at 8:25 AM , Blogger Winnie said...

These are sooooooooooo creative
They all look so delicious and tempting, that I cannot make up my mind which I like better
I absolutely LOVE this post

 
At June 8, 2012 at 3:57 PM , Anonymous Macaroni and Cheesecake said...

These are so cute and creative!

 
At June 9, 2012 at 3:12 AM , Blogger Jocelyn said...

I can totally see those Icee cupcakes in a cute cupcake book!!! They are so stinking cute! I steal Starbucks straws all the time and I am always so nervous that some one is going to bust me for it:-)

 
At June 9, 2012 at 10:11 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Well, it didn't taste chemical, it tasted just like gum, but that's not my fav. The kids loved them!

 
At June 9, 2012 at 10:25 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks so much!

 
At June 9, 2012 at 10:25 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks Winnie! That's sweet :)

 
At June 9, 2012 at 10:26 AM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Thanks!

 
At June 9, 2012 at 12:08 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dorothy thanks so much for linking up at Heavenly Sunday, I so love these icee cupcakes I will certaintly be making these for our annual pool party! Thanks again

 
At June 10, 2012 at 5:18 AM , Blogger Jennifer said...

These are the most fun cupcakes! I love them! My kids would go nuts over the ICEE cupcake! Jell-o is a brilliant addition to get a custom flavor! Thanks for the great inspiration!

 
At June 10, 2012 at 10:44 AM , Blogger Our Pinteresting Family said...

Those are awesome! I love ICEE's so much they remind me of being a kid! The other cupcakes look amazing too. Megan

 
At June 10, 2012 at 3:46 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Dorothy, these are all such wonderful ideas, I love the Hot Chocolate one and of course the Icee, and it looks just like one! You're gonna laugh so hard when you read my post tomorrow, I promise it's completely a coincidence! Or birds of a feather...
You'll see.

 
At June 10, 2012 at 8:06 PM , Anonymous Dawn @ DJ's Sugar Shack said...

I love all of these! I made cupcakes a few weeks ago with cherry jello for a kids birthday party. They were a big hit! Thanks for sharing at Whatcha' Whipped Up!

 
At June 11, 2012 at 11:12 AM , Blogger keri @ shaken together said...

You had me at ICEE. Cannot WAIT to make these!! Thanks for tempting me at the {what's shakin' link party}!!

 
At June 11, 2012 at 11:55 AM , Blogger Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

ICEEs are like my favorite thing in the whole world! I love this!

 
At June 11, 2012 at 5:39 PM , Blogger Erika Kane said...

Help! I made the Icee frosting and it came out super gritty. What could I have done wrong and what can I do to fix it without starting over?

 
At June 11, 2012 at 6:32 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

 
At June 11, 2012 at 6:33 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

I hope you enjoy it! :)

 
At June 11, 2012 at 6:48 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Try adding some milk or cream, a teaspoon or two (more if needed) and mixing it in. That might help the jell-o dissolve a bit. You might need to add some powdered sugar to thicken if the milk thins it too much. I'm so sorry it was gritty! Possibly the jello needs time to dissolve a bit. Good luck and thanks for letting me know! (I tried to email you but couldn't find an address.)

 
At June 12, 2012 at 9:28 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

I love all of these treats, they looks so good. I think I would like the hot chocolate cupcakes the best too. Thanks for sharing at Showcase Your Talent Thursday!

 
At June 12, 2012 at 6:04 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Oh my gosh these cupcakes are to die for! They look amazing, I'm a new follower would love if you follow back to check out my blog at www.iheartpears.blogspot.com

 
At June 13, 2012 at 4:19 PM , Blogger Trish - Mom On Timeout said...

So freakin cute! I'm featuring tonight! Thanks so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout!

 
At June 15, 2012 at 10:21 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sooo cute! Can you buy this as a kit somewhere?

 
At June 17, 2012 at 4:24 PM , Blogger Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said...

Unfortunately no, but it's super easy to do yourself! The printable is above and the red straws were "borrowed" from Target. :)

 
At June 18, 2012 at 5:46 PM , Blogger Sabrina Poehl said...

These cupcakes are so cute! I love your ideas! Cupcakes are my favorite things, and I think I need to make some of these in the very near future :)

 
At July 13, 2012 at 5:39 PM , Anonymous Micha @ Cookin' Mimi said...

These are too cute. I'm sharing these tomorrow on my Facebook page as part of cupcake week because more people should see them.

 

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