Red White and Blue Cupcakes

Cupcakes (recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor, ‘Basic Yogurt White Cake’, p.400)

• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain white cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as canola, corn, safflower, soybean, or sunflower
• 1/2 cup liquid, such as water, dry sherry or orange juice
• 4 large eggs
• Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
• Flour for dusting the pan

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 deg F.  Lightly mist a 10-inch tube pan with the vegetable oil spray, then dust with flour.  Shake out the excess flour.  Set the pan aside. (if using cupcake liners, lightly spray the inside of the liners with spray oil, it helps the cupcakes release more easily from the paper)
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, yogurt, oil, liquid of choice, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute.  Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping the sides down again if needed.  The batter should look well combined and thickened.  Pour the batter unto the prepared pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula.  Place the pan in the oven.
3. Bake the cake until it is golden brown and springs back when lightly pressed with your finger, 45 to 50 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes.  Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a wire rack so that the cake is right side up.  Allow the cake to cool completely, 30 minutes more.  Frost as desired.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe from The Cake Mix Doctor, ‘Cream Cheese Frosting’, p.420)

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 3 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl.  Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds.  Stop the machine.  Add the confectioner’s sugar, a bit at a time, blending with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute.  Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and blend the frosting until fluffy, 1 minute more.
2. Use at once to frost the top and sides of the cake of your choice.

 

Twinkie Cream (recipe from Joy the Baker)

• 2 teaspoons very hot water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups marshmallow cream (one 7-ounce jar)
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine the salt and the hot water in a small bowl and mix until the salt is dissolved.  Let the mixture cool.
2. Combine the marshmallow cream, shortening, powdered sugar and vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.
3. Add the salt solution to the filling and beat to combine.
4. Scoop into a pastry bag with a small tip and pipe into cooled Twinkie Cakes.

 

Modifications by me for this recipe:

• I used cupcake liners, sprayed lightly with Pam for Baking to help them more easily release from the cakes.  I filled the cups 3/4 full with batter, which made 20 cupcakes.  I baked the cupcakes for about 25 minutes.
• I used 2 bottles (approx. 1/2 fluid ounce) of blue food coloring for the cakes.
• I used 1 bottle (approx. 1/4 fluid ounce) of red food coloring for the frosting.
• I used Wilton Icing White to lighten the yellow color of the cake mix before adding the blue food coloring and to whiten the Twinkie cream, which was just a bit yellow.
• I used a pastry bag for piping the frosting as well as inserting the Twinkie cream – I simply used a pastry filling tip on the bag and inserted it into the cakes and squeezed while moving the tip around a bit to make some room in the cake for the cream.

Wilton Icing White and White Sprinkles