Page 251 - Cupcakes

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting (page 36)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the
vegetable shortening inside the rose cups, making sure to cover all the surfaces.

Dust with flour and shake out the excess. Set the pan aside.

2. Place the cake mix, gelatin, mashed strawberries and juice, milk, oil, and eggs

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 ⅓ cup batter into each prepared
cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. Place the pan 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 pan from the oven and
place it on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Leave the oven on. The cupcakes
will shrink and settle into the cups as they cool. Run a dinner knife around the
edges of the cupcake roses to loosen them, then invert the pan onto a rack and
lift off the pan. Let the cupcake roses continue to cool rose-side-up for 30
minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.

4. Dust the roses with the confectioners’ sugar. 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.

the CupcakeDoctor says...

This recipe creates a pink sweetheart rose cupcake, but you could just as
easily make a red rose with the red velvet Holiday Gift Cupcakes recipe

(page 216) or a yellow rose with the Best Birthday Cupcakes yellow cake
recipe (page 138). For a pretty presentation, place these roses on a silver
platter with rose petals and fresh strawberries. No rose pan? Use a regular