Page 214 - Cupcakes

2. Prepare the cupcake batter: Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs,
and vanilla 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. Spoon or scoop a heaping ¼ cup batter
into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds full. (You will get between 22
and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place 16 miniature M&M’s

on top of each cupcake. Make sure to get a good mix of colors. Place the pans in
the oven.

3. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring back when lightly pressed

with your finger, 17 to 20 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 Psychedelic Buttercream: Place the butter in a

medium-size mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer on low speed until
creamy. Add the sugar and 3 tablespoons of the milk. Blend on low until the
ingredients just come together, adding up to another tablespoon of milk if needed
to make the frosting spreadable. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and
beat in air to make the frosting fluffy, 30 seconds longer. Divide the frosting into
two or three bowls for tinting. If you are using liquid colors, you’ll need about 2
drops of color per bowl; if using paste, about J teaspoon. Stir the colors into the
frosting to blend.

5. Place small dollops of each colored frosting on each cupcake and swirl them
together with the edge of a short metal spatula to resemble a tie-dye pattern,
taking care to cover the tops completely. Or, decorate the top with miniature
M&M’s, if desired. The cupcakes are ready to serve.

Store these 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.