The Best Birthday Cupcakes w/2 Frostings
Source of Recipe
Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor
List of Ingredients
Makes 22 to 24 cupcakes (2 1/2 inches each)
24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2 1/2-inch size)
1 package (18.5 ounces) plain butter recipe golden cake mix
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (see "The Cupcake Doctor says")
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Syrup Frosting or Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Colored sprinkles or candy cake docorations, for garnish
Birthday candle and candle holder
Recipe
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.
2. Place the cake mix, cream cheese, sugar, oil, water, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds, until the ingredients are well blended, then stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should be smooth and thickened. Spoon or scoop 1/4 cup batter into each lined muffin cup, filling it two-thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.
3. Bake the cupcakes until they are lightly golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 24 to 27 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, lift the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the Chocolate Syrup Frosting or the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting.
5. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to spread it out with a short metal spatula or spoon, taking care to cover the tops completely. Sprinkle the sprinkles over the frosting and place a birthday candle in a candle holder in a cupcake for the birthday boy or girl. (If using the Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting, place the cupcakes, uncovered or in a cake saver, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes.) The cupcakes are ready to serve.
Store either the strawberry-frosted cupcakes or the chocolate frosted cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
The Cupcake Doctor says: Be sure that the cream cheese has softened to room temperature before you begin blending it into the cake mix. If it's not soft, unwrap it and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Place it in the microwave oven on high power for 20 seconds or until soft, repeating for another 10 seconds more if needed. Have fun selecting the candle, as there are so many choices these days. Look for a bright neon color or a wavy candle.
Chocolate Syrup Frosting
Makes 3 1/2 cups, enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes (2 1/2-inch size)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup chocolate syrup
3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1. Place the butter, cocoa powder, and chocolate syrup in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the sugar, milk, and vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more.
2. Use this frosting to frost the Best Birthday Cupcakes or the cupcakes of your choice.
This recipe is looser textured than some of the other buttercream frostings because of the chocolate syrup. Be sure that you measure the confectioners' sugar first, then sift it so that you have enough sugar in this recipe.
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 3 cups, enough to generously frost 24 cupcakes (2 1/2-inch size)
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 to 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 cup mashed, drained, fresh strawberries (see "The Cupcake Doctor says")
1. Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add 3 cups of the confectioners' sugar and the drained strawberries. Blend the frosting on low until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and blend the frosting until fluffy, 30 to 45 seconds longer. Add more sugar as needed to stiffen the frosting for spreading.
2. Use this frosting to frost the Pretty in Pink Strawberry Cupcakes, the Best Birthday Cupcakes, or the cupcakes of your choice.
It takes about 3/4 cup rinsed, well drained, and capped strawberries to make 1/2 cup mashed. Take care to drain out as much juice as you can and reserve this. If you need liquid to pull the frosting together, add a dribble of the fresh reserved juice.
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