Trick or Treat Cupcakes
For the parade of goblins, ghosts, and monsters looking for something sweet, top it with anything you like from the candy aisle. There’s no trick to this treat – it’s scrumptious any time of year.
Trick-or-Treat Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
3 drops orange liquid food coloring
3 cups all-purpose soft-wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon orange flavoring
Paper baking cups
Vegetable cooking spray
2 recipes Halloween Orange Frosting
Toppings: assorted candy, sprinkles, candy sticks
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
3. Combine milk and next three ingredients in a small bowl.
4. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in orange flavoring.
5. Place paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.
7. Fill each cupcake with Halloween Orange Frosting (Insert the end of a wooden spoon into the center of the cupcake to make a hole, and then fill)
8. Frost each cupcake with Halloween Orange Frosting. Top each with assorted candy, sprinkles, and 1 candy stick.
Halloween Orange Frosting
Makes 3 cups
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon orange flavoring
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 to 2 drops orange liquid food coloring
DIRECTIONS
1. Beat first four ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed two minutes or until creamy.
3. Add juice and food coloring; beat at low speed with an electric mixer until blended. Beat at high speed two minutes or until creamy.
Source: Southern Living’s Big Book of Cupcakes: 150 Brilliantly Delicious Dreamcakes by Jan Moon, Oxmoor House, 2011, $19.95
?
