PB & Nutella Sandwich Cakes

So, school starts next week. {Yay!}

I love so many things about the start of a new school year.

I love that twinge in my belly...the newness. Everyone says Spring is the rebirth...but for me I feel like I start anew every September. And, even though I have not personally attended classes or taught for seven years now, I still get that renewed feeling.

I love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils.  Actually, I love the school supply section in general. Pens, pencils, erasers, folders, notebooks, oh my! And everything is on sale for practically $1!

{Unless you buy 30 things. Then you've just spent $30. With $30 I could have gotten a pedicure.}

I love the  early mornings. We don't have to re-train Jordan to get up early. I'm lucky if she stays in bed until 6:00 am on a Saturday, let alone on a school day. The early out of the house means I can run outdoors (no childcare needed) in cooler weather.

I love the thought that, because school is here that means that eventually it will be Fall and it won't be 108 degrees anymore.

What I don't love about the school year? Making lunch.

Is anyone with me on this? I mean, it's hard enough to get variety in my kids' diet without having to pack it in a box with an ice pack that will inevitably melt before recess, rendering the contents luke-warm and melty by lunch.

If I left it to Jordan she would eat salami every single day. But only because I won't let her have fried chicken.

I'm constantly trying to come up with new lunchbox ideas. But when your kid won't eat anything but salami, that gets difficult.

However, I think she'd eat this sandwich, no problem.

I saw the idea for this sandwich in Food Network Magazine. That "bread" is actually cake.

Kinda genius, actually.

It's a cupcake without the icing mess.

Because the icing is the sandwich filling.

The Food Network version was a big cake. I wanted to make actual sandwich size mini cakes. So I baked half a box of white cake mix and baked it in a 9" square pan. I cut the square into four pieces and cut off the edges and the top and bottom (because no crust is allowed in my house). Do you all have that problem? I stuff a sandwich with crust in the lunch box and it comes home looking like a deformed rainbow.

Then you tort the four small cakes, so they look like bread. I know, my torting skills need work. But that crooked piece doesn't matter. Just turn it upside down, no one will ever know.

You could use jelly for the rest of your sandwich. That's not how we roll in this house.

We roll Nutella-style.

Sandwich these babies up, wrap 'em in plastic and chill until they've firmed up. It's like April Fool's Day in August.

A sandwich Jordan will eat. And a new reason to love the new school year: making cute school-themed food.

What do you love about back-to-school?

~Read More~

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes

The Fourth of July is coming up soon, which means it's summer, which means it's travel season.

I love to travel. I love to stay in hotels. And I've totally passed on that love to Jordan.

We don't camp. Well, Jordan and Mel probably would. To be more specific, I don't camp. That's really a whole post all on it's own, but the gist of it is, if I'm on vaca, I don't want to work to set up my room. I don't want to cook. I don't want to be dirty. I want to sleep on a comfy bed.

So we stay in hotels.

Another problem I have? I like to be comfortable. And comfortable, to me, is not shoving the three of us into one room. Where's the fun in that? I want to put Jordan to bed and go sit in a different place, drink wine, and watch TV alone with my husband.  So we like to stay in suite hotels, whenever possible. I've become a genius at reading room descriptions. {"Suite" does not necessarily mean separate bedroom.}


I have damaged my child so much that, when we moved from a two bedroom suite at one hotel to a resort with a one bedroom suite in Phoenix, she cried because the "sofa bed wouldn't be comfortable enough."


Yes. I know that her future husband is going to have to be a special kind of man. (Or woman. Because right now she wants to marry her BFF, so you never know.)

Anyway, it's hard to find the perfect hotel room this time of year. So I've put together a list of things I would put in the hotel I would build if I won the lotto. Is that weird?


*Every room would be a suite, one or two bedroom, with the bathroom in between the living area and sleeping area. Not in the living area, causing the middle of the night tippy-toe dance around the sleeping child to deal with mommy bladder.


*Only real hair dryers would be supplied. With diffusers. Can I get an amen?


*Kids would eat free. All day. And everyone gets free breakfast. {And no, granola bars and stale pastry do not qualify as "breakfast."}


*There would be a water slide at the pool.


*And free drinks with umbrellas.


*And free massages.


*And free childcare.


Wait a minute...this list is beginning to sound like I'm travelling without my kid.


Hmmmm...


Oh, wait, I forgot one.

~Read More~

ICEE Cupcakes {and other fun Softball treats}

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.


~Read More~

Chocolate Cake Ball Stuffed Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Hey, before I tell you about these awesomeamazingyouwon'tbelievethem cupcakes, I wanted to let you know that I was a guest poster today over at Something Swanky! I'm talking about using Curves in PicMonkey and another little helpful commenting/HTML tip. Go check it out!

And now, on with your show...

I work out every day. I mean I stuff Almond Joy candy bars in crescent rolls for breakfast. I kind of need to exercise.

Usually I go to the gym, where I embarrass myself in a Core class or I read 50 Shades of Grey on the elliptical and try not to blush.

{Side note: have you read that book? Oh my. It's...intense. And I don't quite understand why everyone is so thrilled about a book where a girl chooses to be in an abusive relationship? If it wasn't for the good...stories...I'd probably have stopped reading. Just kidding... I'm so excited I'll be discussing this at a book club. That night should be interesting. There better be lots of cocktails.}

I've been really enjoying running, which is a lot for me to say because my running is a lot like Phoebe's. {If you have no idea what that means, well...can we even move on from there?}

I can't do it more than a couple times a week, as I have an old lady body with old lady knees and ankles and a bad lower back thanks to being pregnant with Jordan. (I swear, it's all been downhill since I had a kid. What the heck is up with that?)

{Speaking of kids ruining your body, when I'm at the gym and see the clique of 12-pack ab moms at the pool in their teeny tiny bikinis with three kids apiece, I want to cry. Or maybe go and poke them and look for their alien not-from-Earth marks. Because, seriously, how is that possible?}

I really enjoy running outdoors, although my geriatric knees don't allow it as much as on a treadmill. Nevertheless, I strap on my running shoes a few times a week and head out, jamming to I'm Sexy and I Know It.

And every single time right when I get sweaty and out of breath and I feel like I'm ready to die because I'm running a 12 minute mile, an old dude passes me.

The same old guy. Every time. He's gotta be in his 80s. All hunched over and running.

Faster than me.

It's humbling.

But then I remind myself, he's probably an alien too. And then I feel better.

Also something that makes me feel better?

Doing this:

~Read More~

Red, White, and Blue Cupcake Tops

Happy Memorial Day! Whatcha all up too?

Wait, what? You're not reading blogs on your day off?

Well then, you're missing out on probably the easiest Memorial Day treat ever.

To be perfectly honest, I never usually make red, white, and blue treats for Memorial Day. I never thought about it, really, until we went to a BBQ last year thrown by a military family.

Then I kinda got it. I'm slow that way.

Anyway, this is a super simple idea to dress up your dessert table tomorrow. In case you haven't set your menu down to the last morsel.

{I mean, not everyone is as anal as I am. I don't think.}

~Read More~

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

A lot of things go good in pairs:

Peanut butter and chocolate

Peanut butter and marshmallow fluff

Chocolate and coconut

Pie and ice cream

Clam chowder and sourdough

Margaritas and Mexican food

Coffee and Dorothy

The Real Housewives (of anywhere) and alcohol {for me, not for them}

A bath and a good book

The Soup and Friday night

Cupcakes and cheesecake

~Read More~

Flower Pot Cupcakes

Okay. So I think I've talked about how much I loved New Kids on the Block when I was a kid.

Loved people. Like not just in a  "sure I love that band" way, but LOVED them. My room was covered in posters. I have no idea what other songs were released during their reign because I never listened to any of them.

I was going to marry Joey McIntyre. For reals.

He was going to drive up in his limo to my middle school and pick me up and never let me go. He would propose on the day of my high school graduation and we would get married and have babies.

I'm not making any of this up. I'm sure my mom still has all the notebooks I wrote our life story in somewhere in her attic.

Anyway, back to the present. The other day a fellow-NKOTB lover friend of mine emailed me the link to this Groupon.

First, I was super excited. Until I saw the price. Ten grand? For a trip to Hershey? Um, I'm sorry. I want to see the boys again, sure {who doesn't?}, but for that kinda money I better get to swim in a chocolate pool like in Willy Wonka.

And then I got a little sad for my boy Joey and his band. I mean, let's be honest. Do the New Kids really have new fans? As in, teenagers or young twenty-somethings who gush all day long about how good they are?

No, I didn't think so.

All their fans are thirty-something moms whose highlight of a trip to Hershey would be sitting in the airplane because then their phones would be off and no one could reach them for the length of the flight.

What's that going to look like, that meet 'n greet? Sort of like school pick-up, but with music and bling?

Anyway that really has nothing to do with these cupcakes. Except that my husband could go return my Mother's Day present and buy me a supercool Groupon instead.

The idea for these cupcakes came about when Jordan and I were at the American Girl lunch. They served chocolate mousse in flower pots with a fake daisy. I remember thinking, a fake daisy? Really? It would've been much better as a cookie.

So that's what I did.

But I got lazy. {Hey, if your husband kids make these for you for Mother's Day, it'll be perfect, right?}

I used a tube of cookie dough. And a can of icing. But I made you chocolate dirt icing. And when you see what it was made with, you'll forgive me.

Have you seen this stuff yet? It's amazing. I made chocolate frosting with it.

To. Die. For.

To make my cupcakes look like they were in pots, I made cupcake wrappers out of terracotta colored paper. {This is the template I used.}

I wish I'd taken pictures of making the flowers. But I didn't. Forgive me?

I'll take you to a great concert.

Flower Pot Cupcakes

by Crazy for Crust

Keywords: cupcake

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes & Decoration

• Chocolate Cupcakes, baked and cooled
• Chocolate Frosting
• White Frosting (canned or your favorite recipe)
• Food coloring
• Oreos, crushed
• Sugar Cookies, from your favorite recipe or store bought dough, cut in flower or round shapes, baked and cooled
• White chocolate chips
• M&Ms or Skittles
• Popsicle sticks

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 4 ounces (1/2 tub) Philadelphia Indulgence Milk Chocolate Spread
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 ½ - 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

To Make the Frosting

1. Beat spread and butter together with a hand mixer until fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and mix until blended. Spread on cupcakes. (Frosts about 4-6 cupcakes, depending on how much frosting you use.)

Assemble the Cupcakes

1. To make the cookie sticks, melt the white chocolate chips in a small bowl. Dip a Popsicle stick in the melted chips and press against the back of the cookie. Place face down on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet and chill until hardened.
2. To make the flowers, tint your white frosting the desired color(s). Place in a sealable sandwich bag and snip of a small tip of the corner. Pipe the frosting onto the cookie in a flower shape, filling in the petals. Place an M&M or other small candy in the center of the flower. Chill to harden frosting.
3. To make the pots, first frosting the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting. Place the Oreo cookie crumbs on a plate and dip each frosted cupcake in the cookie crumbs to resemble dirt.
4. Once the cookie icing hardens, place the sticks in the cupcakes and serve.

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Thanks for reading!

I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!

Tea Party Tuesdays at Sweetology, Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in Training, Trick 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 Life, Strut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!

Avocado Frosting

Wait. Don't click away. Stay. I promise. You won't be sorry.

Okay. I know you're all "What??!" right now. Avocado Frosting? Is she nuts?

{Quite possibly I am, but this isn't why.}

Seriously, I know it's weird. Avocados are for chips and tacos and margarita night. Not cupcakes.

Until now.

You all know how picky I am, right? I mean, I don't eat condiments. Fruit makes me gag. I eat burritos inside out. Seriously, I have issues.

But recently I discovered I love avocados. A lot. Like, I could bathe in them and eat them every single meal of every single day and be happy.

And now? I can have them with dessert.

So...still with me? Good. Thanks. :)

Cinco de Mayo is Saturday. I wanted to do some sort of post themed for it. I couldn't make up my mind. Then I remembered this post by Jocelyn. And thought, hmmm. Avocados. What else can I do with them?

A quick search led me to this post by Jessica and I remembered that it intrigued me the first time I saw it.

So I made it.

And it's delicious.

Hear me, naysayers? Avocado frosting is delicious. This, from the pickiest person ever. It's good. It's fruity. It almost tastes like citrus. Pairs awesome with a chocolate cupcake.

Want another endorsement? My husband was eager to try it. He ate half a cupcake. That I made. He ate one of my desserts.

Did your head just explode? Because mine kind of did.

Mel doesn't eat my desserts. He looks at them, tells me how good they look, and then goes for his fat-free ice cream and WW brownie. He never eats anything I make unless it's carrot cake related.

BUT HE ATE THIS FROSTING. And he liked it too (and he is picky...although he won't admit it.)

{Hi honey! Just talking here...about nothing. No worries. Totally not about you...}

So...yeah. It's weird. But in a good way. Seriously. Try it. I mean, if I'll eat it, you know it has to be good.

Thanks for reading!

Avocado Frosting

by Crazy for Crust

(Recipe from How Sweet It Is)

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar (plus a little more if needed)
• Pinch salt

Note: this recipe will frost about 5-6 cupcakes. Double for a larger batch.

Instructions

Using a mixer, beat avocado and butter until combined and no lumps remain. Beat in vanilla and salt. Add powdered sugar slowly and mix until combined. (Depending on how wet your avocado is you may need to add up to an additional ½ cup powdered sugar.) Spread on cupcakes and store in refrigerator. (Frosting is soft and will spread on cupcakes.)

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**Updated: these cupcakes were in my fridge for about four days before they disappeared. They did not turn brown!**

I link up to all of these fabulous parties each week!

Tea Party Tuesdays at Sweetology, Talent Show Tuesday at Chef in Training, Trick 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 Life, Strut your Stuff Saturday at Six Sisters' Stuff, and all of these too!

Pot o' Gold Cupcakes

Wouldn't it be cool if there really was a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow? And you could hunt it down, like with geotracking or whatever it's called?

A pot of gold. I wonder how much it would be worth? I mean, gold must be worth tons these days. Otherwise why would all those people be having those parties where you rifle through your jewlery box and come away with money, like pirates or something?

If I had a pot of gold, I'd buy a new car. Or pay off my house. Or buy a unicorn.

Because a unicorn is way more stylish than a Jetta Sportwagon. In silver. Preferably with a sunroof. It's definitely way more stylish than a Toyota Hylander.

Anyway.

I never used to think leprechauns were real. I always just figured they were made up, the stuff of stories and legends. Then I started reading books like Twilight and Sookie Stackhouse. And I learned that not only do vampires exist (although there is some debate over whether they explode in the sunlight or that's just the glare from their sparkle) but so do werewolves. And dragons. And fairies.

And leprechauns.

So if leprechauns exist, then so must pots o' gold, right? I really need to find me a leprechaun who can give me his gold. But that would probably necessitate me to go out in nature. Hmmm...

Maybe I'll just buy a lotto ticket instead? Probably better odds.

I know pot o' gold cupcakes aren't new. They've been all over the place, and they are so super cute. But the other day I had some cupcakes. And I had some leftover green buttercream. So what's a girl to do?

I dipped the cupcakes in chocolate, tops and bottoms. You have to let them dry on one side before doing the other.

Then I made gold. My own gold. But it won't buy me a unicorn.

It will, however, buy me more time at the gym. I used gold color mist and Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme drops. You can use any sort of candy, like Trish did. And yes, it smells like spray paint. But it's edible!

Then I flipped the cupcake upside down, frosted it, and topped it with gold.

Way easier than winning the lotto. Or catching a leprechaun.

Pot o' Gold Cupcakes

by Crazy for Crust

Keywords: st. patrick's day cupcake

6019921

Ingredients

• Cupcakes, baked and cooled with the liners removed
• Chocolate candy melts or almond bark
• Hershey's Cookies 'n Creme Drops or other similar sized white round candy
• Wilton Color Mist in Gold, or other comparable spray
• Buttercream frosting, your favorite recipe or from a can (I tinted mine a light green)

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate according to package directions. I used about 1/2 cup for the two cupcakes. I also added some vegetable oil to thin the chocolate a bit.
2. Dip the bottom half of the unwrapped cupcake in the chocolate, using a spoon to bring it all the way up the sides of the cupcake. Tap off excess chocolate and place cupcake on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Let harden (chilling helps speed this step).
3. Dip the top of the cupcake in the melted chocolate, again using the spoon to make sure it is completely covered, no cake showing. Place back on the cookie sheet and let harden.
4. Place as many of the Hershey's Drops on a paper plate as you need. Spray with the gold spray and chill until set. Turn over and repeat, so the entire candy is covered.
5. Turn the cupcake upside down, so the thinner part is on top. Frost with the buttercream (I used a 1M tip). Top with the gold coins.
6. Fool your kids into thinking you really found gold!

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What would you do with a pot o' gold?

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These are the fabulous parties I link to each week:

Monday: Mingle Monday (Add a Pinch), Joy of Desserts, Creative Monday (Clairejustineoxox), Mix it Up Monday (Flour Me With Love), Things that make you say mmmm Monday (Cooking with Karyn), Mop it Up Mondays (I should be mopping the floors), Show me what you got (Our Delightful Home), Share a Recipe Monday (Couponing 'n Cooking). Tuesday: 2 Maids a Baking (2 Maids a Milking), Tea Party Tuesdays (Sweetology), Mushki Loves My Stuff (Mushki Loves), Totally Tasty Tuesdays (Mandy's Recipe Box), Talent Show Tuesday (Chef in Training), Trick or Treat Tuesday (Inside BruCrew Life), Let's Do Brunch (My Sweet & Savory), Love on High Heat. Wednesday: Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party (Mrs. Fox's Sweets), Cast Party Wednesday (Lady Behind the Curtain), Famous Linkz Par-tay (Made-Famous-By), Bakes with Bizzy (Bizzy Bakes), From Dream to Reality (DIY Dreamer), Whip it Up Wednesday (Crockpot Ladies), Whimsy Wednesday (The NY Melrose Family).  Thursday: Sweet Treats Thursday (Something Swanky), Chic-and-Crafty (Frugal Girls), Turning the Table Thursdays (Around My Family Table), Tasty Thursday (The How-To Mommy), Tastetastic Thursday (A little nosh), Sweet Temptations (Talking Dollars and Cents), Taking a Timeout Thursday (Mom on Timeout), Things I've Done Thursday (BearRabbitBear), (RHW Recipe Round-Up) The Real Housewives of Riverton, BFF Open House (The Answer is Chocolate), Recipe Round Up (Eat, Pray, Read, Love). Friday: Sweet Tooth Friday (Alli-n-son), I'm Lovin' it Fridays (TidyMom), Friday Favorites (Simply Sweet Home), Latest & Greatest Friday (Days of Chalk and Chocolate), Bacon Time, Fusion Friday (Jane Deere Blog), Foodie Friday (Not Your Ordinary Recipes), Dwell on Joy, Fun Finds Friday (Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons), Sugar and Spice, Friday Food Fight (Run DMT), Fabulous Friday (My Crowded Kitchen). Saturday: Country Mom Cooks, Sweets for a Saturday (Sweet as Sugar Cookies), Seasonal Inspiration (Crumbs and Chaos), You inspire me (Polka Dot Pretties). Sunday: A Well-Seasoned Life,Sharing Sundays (Everyday Sisters), Strut your Stuff Saturday (Six Sisters' Stuff), Recipe Party (The Sweet Spot), Seasonal/Occasional Linkys: Moms Crazy Cooking, Southern Mom Cooks, Cheap Crafty Momma, Susie QT, Springtime Holiday Link Party (Michelle Paige)

Cupcake Topped Rainbow Cupcakes

Kind of a mouthful for a title, isn't it?

Will you indulge me while I wax poetic for a moment?

My daughter turned seven yesterday. Seven. As in, three years from being double digits. Halfway to being in High School. Just over ten years from now? I'll be kissing her good-bye as she leaves for college (unless I can convince her to live at home forever and allow me to still put pigtails in her hair and dress her in separates from Carter's).

Seven years ago I was given a precious gift. One I cherish every single day. I know I bitch about her a lot because, in all fairness, she does drive me crazy, but I still can't believe I get to be her mom. She's truly our little miracle (and boy, does she know it).

I get a little sad thinking about how fast it all goes. How fast I want it to go when I'm in the middle of it, because ohmygodIcan'tstanditonemoresecond. But then I blinked and she's a kid. How did that happen?

So, Happy Birthday to my sweet baby. 'Cuz no matter how much you scream at me "I AM NOT A BABY!!!" you still are, to me.

Okay, let me clear my throat, wipe my eyes, and we can move on.  Let's talk cupcakes, shall we?

This cupcake topper idea comes from one of my favorite blogs to stalk read, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.  She used  Reese's. I wanted rainbow colors. And I was going to do just solid candy, but Jordan had other ideas. She wanted cake balls.

I used my candy cup mold (from Michael's). I wanted them to be somewhat flat, so I only used about 1/4 teaspoon of cake ball. This is a great way to use up some of those cupcakes stored in your freezer. Fill the candy mold with a little candy, top with a cake ball, and then add more candy. Level it off, tap to settle, and freeze until hardened. Repeat to get all the rainbow colors. (I used some colored candy melts, some white candy melts and Wilton candy color. You can use whatever you have.)

I'm sure you've seen these cupcakes before. They were in Family Fun Magazine a few years ago for St. Patrick's Day. They take a lot of steps, but are totally cool.

You start with cake mix (I used two). Divide it equally into 6 bowls and color each with food coloring.

Then layer them into your cupcake liners. I used quart-sized Ziploc bags to make the piping and clean-up easier. FYI, one cake mix will not make 24 cupcakes using this method, as it normally does. It'll make about 18 or so.

I frosted the cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting. Place your mini cupcake cake ball on top and frost it with more frosting. A cupcake topper for a cupcake!

I had a little left over of each color, so I took my silicone muffin pan and made one of each color (see bottom right picture). That will get turned into the cake.

The finished cupcakes are brilliant in color. If you don't mind the whole eating food coloring thing. No one at this party seemed to mind, which was good. Because everything had food coloring in it.

With those extra cupcakes, I made Jordan her own "little" cake. The "7" is a fruit roll-up, cut with a cookie cutter.  And the inside of the cake?

A rainbow! I surprised her with the cake and she loved it. (I had to use a lollipop stick as a dowel.)

These cupcakes (and the cake, too) would be great for St. Patrick's day. I love how that day is not just green, but all things rainbow.

Thanks for reading!

Cupcake Topped Rainbow Cupcakes

by Crazy for Crust (Idea from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen)

Ingredients

For the Rainbow Cupcakes

• 2 boxes white cake mix, prepared with eggs, oil, and water called for
• Food coloring: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple (you can use the regular grocery store kind and mix the colors, but gel food coloring works best for vibrant colors)
• A double batch of Marshmallow Frosting, or your favorite white frosting

For the Cupcake Toppers

• Candy Melts in rainbow colors OR white candy melts with candy coloring
• Cake pop mixture (I used a few cupcakes I had in the freezer and some canned icing)
• Candy Cup Mold

Instructions

Make the Cupcakes

1. Mix the cake batter according to the recipe or box directions. Line your muffin tins with cupcake liners. (Recipe makes 32-36 cupcakes.)
2. Divide your batter evenly among six bowls, about 1 1/2 cups of batter per bowl. Add food coloring to each bowl, one for each color of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple). Stir to combine.
3. You are going to layer the cupcakes into the liners in a reverse rainbow, so the purple is on the bottom and the red is on the top. To make this easier to do, place each color in a separate quart-sized Ziploc bag. Seal the bag almost all the way, leaving about 1/2" open for air to escape. Snip off a tiny corner and place a small amount in each cupcake liner, starting with purple (use just enough to cover the bottom of the liner). Repeat with the remaining colors in this order: blue, green, yellow, orange, red.
4. Bake according to recipe directions. Let cool completely. Frost with white frosting, to resemble clouds.
5. Note: if you want to make a mini rainbow cake, you can do it by baking separate colors in muffin tins. Place about 1/2" of batter in each muffin tin hole (one for each color). Stack up like a rainbow, frosting in between each layer. A 4" lollipop stick makes a good dowel.

Make the Cupcake Toppers

1. Melt your candy melts according to package directions. Fill the candy cup mold about ½ full with one color. Place about ¼ teaspoon of cake ball mixture on top and cover with more candy. Tap to release air bubbles and freeze until hardened, about 5 minutes. Remove from mold and continue until all the colors you want are finished.
2. Alternately, you could make these pure candy, no cake ball inside. Or, fill with anything: peanut butter, chocolate, just plain frosting, whatever you can dream of!

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