Last night was “National Night Out” in my neck of the woods. This is the 27th year of this annual event. The goal is to get neighbors outside to meet and greet so we can all help watch out for one another. While our street doesn’t participate every year, we did have a nice little block party at the end of our cul-de-sac to celebrate unity on our street and get to know our neighbors better. In all, we probably had about 25 people. The men grilled hot dogs and bratwurst and the women brought chips, sodas and desserts. I offered to make cupcakes. Everyone loves cupcakes. It’s been a while since I made a big batch, and I had so much fun! I used a white and chocolate cake mix (the new lower sugar mixes) as a base, and made one large bowl of cream cheese buttercream frosting. From there, I split it all up and made variations. Here’s how it all shook out:
Toasted Coconut Cupcakes – white cake mix, Coco Lopez poured over them while they were hot (I poked holes first), topped with cream cheese buttercream and sprinkled with toasted coconut. These were a BIG hit with the grown-ups.
Strawberry Jam Cupcakes – white cake mix, a spoon full of strawberry jam in the middle (I scooped out a small divot on top and filled it with jam), topped with strawberry cream cheese buttercream and sprinkled with pink sanding sugar. These were the favorite of kids ages 2-12.
Chocolate Hershey Bar Cupcakes – chocolate cake mix with Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Syrup added to the batter, topped with a small Hershey Bar as soon as they came out of the oven. Pure and simple chocolate overload.
Peanut Butter Fudge Cupcakes – chocolate cake mix with Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Syrup added to the batter, topped with cream cheese chocolate fudge and salted, roasted peanuts dusted on top. This one was highly rated by the men in the crowd. As one so eloquently put it, “Holy cow…it’s like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup cupcake!” I’ll take that as a compliment.
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You have waaaaaayyy too much time on your hands!!!
Lol @ Big Sis. I am planning a baby shower for my girlfriend and planned to do cupcakes. I have looked at so many cupcake options, I’m stumped. Now you’ve added yet another set of options! They turned out so pretty.
http://www.laundryandvodka.com
I highly recommend the coconut cupcakes. They were delicious. Another choice I thought of (but didn’t try) is lemon zest in the white cake mix and lemon juice and zest in the cream cheese buttercream. You could do the same with orange, too. Or make the jam cupcakes with raspberry jam and a lemon cream cheese buttercream frosting. Yum!
I have never met someone soooooooooo creative! Spooky! Thanks so much for sharing. My neighborhood could use you. We didn’t even gather in the street. Pat
I can’t wait to try out those coconut cupcakes. My family is so neglected! Do you have any extras that you need help with? Would you share your cream cheese buttercream icing? I’m trying cake pops for the first time and I’l love to use your icing.
I made 30 cupcakes, and there were NO leftovers. I was stunned. Two of the men on our street at 3 each. The cream cheese buttercream frosting is easy:
one package of cream cheese (8 oz. regular size), softened
two sticks of unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons of vanilla extract
Enough powdered sugar to make it thick, yet smooth (maybe 3-4 cups)
Start by softening the butter and cream cheese; blend it with a mixer until it’s fluffy and well combined. Add the vanilla and mix well, then start adding powdered sugar (on low speed) until it starts to get thick. Turn the mixer up to high and beat until fluffy. You want the consistency to be a little thick so it doesn’t run. I put it into a quart Ziploc freezer bag, press all the air out, then cut off the corner of the bag and pipe it onto the cupcakes. Easy and cheap, and you can just throw it in the trash can when you’re done.
I’m always looking for good reasons to visit other blogs and since you replied to my comment over at PW’s site…that was good enough for me.
Your cupcake creativity is off the charts. What a great idea to use simple base and modify from there. They all sound delish.
I do the same thing. I love the Pioneer Woman’s website…so much so that my husband threatens to stage an intervention at least once a week. I enjoy browsing through everyone’s blogs via her website. It’s turned into a great on-line community. And I love the Tasty Kitchen link for recipes, too. Thanks for checking in! I enjoyed reading your blog. I love that you call your boy Stinky. heeheehee.
You are superwoman! I can’t believe you made all those variations…and every one looks SO good. The fudge cupcakes are calling my name…
http://www.kandilandblog.blogspot.com
Hi, I’m trying to visit a new blog every day before the end of the year, and today you’re my new visit :) Came over from Pioneer Woman. Gotta love a gal who puts Hershey’s syrup in batter that’s already chocolate :) And I could go for a Reese’s peanut butter cupcake about now, too :) Blessings to you!
There’s no such thing as too much chocolate. That’s a motto I can get behind. Thanks for visiting, Cheryl. I really appreciate it. Come back any time. You’re always welcome.