Candy Corn Cupcakes

Cupcake
1 box Chocolate Fudge cake mix
1 small box Chocolate Fudge pudding
1 c. oil
1/2 c. warm water
4 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix ingredients on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners half full and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. Using a sharp knife, core cupcake at an angle, making a cone shape. Fill cupcakes with buttercream frosting, layering colors as in photo. Pipe colored frosting onto cupcakes as in photo and top with candy corn.

Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 lb bag powdered sugar
Milk (add until desired consistency. Needs to be fairly stiff to pipe and prevent mixing of colors. See photo;)

Kelsey's Popcornless Caramel Corn

8 oz bag butter flavored puffed corn
 2 sticks butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup (Karo brand)
1 tsp. baking soda
Optional- peanuts or cashews
Place corn puffs in a large bowl. In a 2 quart pan, mix butter, corn syrup and sugar
and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add baking soda.
Mixture will be foamy. Pour caramel over puffed corn and stir until most pieces are
coated. (Add nuts, if you desire) Bake in 250 degree oven x 45 min, stirring mixture
every 10-15 min. Pour onto waxed paper and allow to cool. Note: puffed corn is found
in the chip aisle. It's NOT POPCORN. It's puffed, and has no hulls.

Cake Balls

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package cake mix
• 1 (16 ounce) container prepared frosting
• 1 pkg almond bark or candy melts (color vanilla almond bark with oil based candy coloring)

Directions

1. Prepare the cake mix according to package directions using a 9x13 pan. Cool cake for 15 min or so, then crumble while warm into a large bowl. Stir in 3/4 of the can of frosting until well blended.
2. Form walnut sized balls with the cake mixture ( I chill mine in the fridge for an hour or so for easier rolling) and place them on waxed paper on a cookie sheet and freeze them for 2-3 hours before coating them. 
   
3. Dip the frozen cake balls in melted candy coating and using a toothpick or a fork, allow excess coating to drip back into bowl. I only take six or seven out of the freezer at a time. They dip easier that way.  Place on waxed paper to set. Do NOT store them in the fridge. It makes them sweat. I like to melt additional colored coating and drizzle over cake balls.


4. Melt almond bark/ candy melts in the microwave, according to directions on package.

Suggested Cake/Frosting Combinations:

Chocolate Cake/Chocolate Frosting/ dipped in Chocolate or Pink or Orange

Red Velvet Cake/Cream Cheese Frosting/ dipped in White or Chocolate

Lemon Cake/ Lemon Frosting (MY personal fave!) dipped in Yellow, or White with Yellow drizzle

Carrot Cake/ Cream Cheese Frosting/ dipped in Orange, or White with Orange drizzle

Strawberry Cake/ Strawberry Frosting/ dipped in Pink/ drizzled with Chocolate, or White

Orange Cake/ Vanilla Frosting/ dipped in Chocolate/ drizzled with Orange

Stuffed French Toast Cupcakes

                       Stuffed French Toast Cupcakes
1 box vanilla cake mix
1 sm pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 c. vegetable oil
1/2c. warm water
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. sour cream
Combine ingredients in bowl and mix on medium speed for 1 1/2 min.Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake @ 350 degrees for 15-20 min, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. Core cupcakes using apple corer or a sharp knife. Save cores to plug holes. Fill cupcake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting, plug hole with cake core, then spread a thin layer of frosting on cupcake, stopping about 1/2 inch from edge. Pipe cupcake with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting , then dust immediately with powdered sugar using sifter, while frosting is still wet. Reapply powdered sugar as needed if sugar melts into frosting.            
                              Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp Maple extract
4 c. powdered sugar
Mix ingredients with electric mixer on medium to high speed until smooth and creamy. Fill baggie or piping bag with frosting, cut off the tip and fill cupcakes. Plug holes with cupcake cores. Spread a thin layer of frosting on cupcakes, stopping about 1/2 inch from edge. Pipe cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting.       
                          Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
6-8 Tbsp milk
2 tsp cinnamon
2 lb bag powdered sugar

Mix ingredients together on med to med high speed until smooth and creamy.Frosting should be thick enough to pipe onto cupcakes. Add more powdered sugar if needed. I use a 1M tip to pipe cupcakes. Dust immediately with powdered sugar using sifter, while frosting is still wet. Reapply powdered sugar if needed, right before serving.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

      White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
1 box white cake mix
1 sm. pkg white chocolate instant pudding
11/4 c. water
1/3 c. oil
4 egg whites
1 c. sour cream
2 c. white chocolate chips, melted, and cooled
Combine cake mix and dry pudding together. Add remaining ingredients, except for white chocolate and  mix on medium speed for 2 min. Mix in white chocolate. Fill FOIL cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake @ 350 degrees for 15-18 min, until slightly golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, then pipe with Raspberry Cream Cheese frosting. Top with fresh raspberry. Note: Batter is dense. Use ONLY Foil liners .Batter is really dense.
           Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. raspberry extract (add more to taste)
1/3 c. frozen raspberries, pureed
2 lb. bag powdered sugar
Cream butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and half of raspberry puree, half of powdered suigar, then mix well in med speed. Add remaining powdered sugar, then gradually add remaining raspberry puree slowly, unitil desired consistency. It should be stiff enough to pipe and hold it's shape. Add more sugar of too thin

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

           Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
1 box vanilla cake mx ( water, oil and eggs as directed on box)
1 box cookies and cream pudding mix
1 c. sour cream
3/4 c. crushed Oreos
Mix cake as directed on box, adding pudding and sour cream. Stir in crushed Oreos.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake @ 350 degrees for 15-20 min, or until toothpick
comes out clean. DO NOT OVERBAKE! Cookie pieces will burn. Cool completely
before frosting.
          Cookies and Cream Cream Cheese Frosting
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 lb bag powdered sugar
1 cup crushed Oreos
Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and half the powdered
sugar and mix on med to med high speed until creamy. Add remaining powdered
sugar, then half the crushed Oreos and mix well. Add remaining Oreos and mix well.
Add additional powdered sugar of frosting is too thin to hold it's shape when piped.

Use a large round or start tip for piping, as cookie pieces may get stuck in tip.

Rocky Road Cupcakes

       Rocky Road Cupcakes
1 box of Chocolate Fudge Cake mix
1 sm pkg Chocolate Fudge instant pudding
1 c. oil
1/2 c. warm water
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. sour cream
Mix ingredients on medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full
and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Core cupcakes and fill with Marshmallow
Buttercream Frosting. Pipe cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and top
with chopped peanuts, marshmallows and chocolate bar pieces.
      Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting (half this recipe for filling cupcakes)
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 lb bag powdered sugar
 7 oz jar marshmallow creme
milk as needed for desired consistency
Mix ingredients until smooth and creamy. Fill plastic bag w frosting, cut a small
hole in the corner and fill cored cupcakes
        Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
2 lb bag powdered sugar
1/2 -3/4 c. cocoa, to taste
milk or cream as needed for desired consistency
Mix ingredients on med to med high until smooth and creamy. Pipe onto cupcakes
and top with peanuts, marshmallows and chocolate bar peices.