Page 132 - Cupcakes

I transformed Stella’s childhood butterfly cupcake into one that begins with a

cake mix. There is a lot of room here for creativity, so tint the buttercream
frosting the pastel colors you prefer. The green frosting is a must since it turns
the cupcake bottoms into the grass that acts as the butterflies’ perch. Dye
granulated sugar to match if you wish (see How to Dye Sugar to Match the
Buttercream Frosting, page 100). Red or black licorice becomes antennae, and to
add definition, use gold dragées and chocolate sprinkles.

24 paper liners for cupcake pans (2½-inch size)
1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix

1 cup whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pure almond extract
2 recipes Buttercream Frosting (page 318)

Pastel food colorings of your choice (see “the Cupcake Doctor says”)
24 pieces (3 inches each) red or black licorice, split almost to the end
Decorating icing tubes in 2 or 3 colors

Yellow miniature M&M’s (for kids) or gold dragées (for adults), as garnish
(optional)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 24
muffin cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside.

2. Prepare the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs,

vanilla, and almond extract in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer
on low speed for 30 seconds. 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 down the sides again if needed. The batter should look
well blended. Spoon or scoop a heaping ⅓ cup batter into each lined cupcake
cup, filling it almost to the top of the cup. (You will get between 22 and 24
cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pans in the oven.