Doctored Cake Mix Cupcakes {Vons & Betty Crocker}

My little sister just turned 20, and happened to be hanging out at my house the weekend beforehand.

Being a poor college student, and her mom living in another state, I wanted to be sure she had a homemade cake and candles celebration.  It’s hard to be away from home and away from your family on special occasions   I know I’d be so sad to miss one of my own kids’ birthdays!

I was also excited to put to use a couple of my favorite cookbooks:  The Cake Mix Doctor and Cupcakes: From the Cake Mix Doctor.

I’ve had these for years, and I love them.  Basically, the author gives you TONS of recipes on how to hack regular boxed cake mixes to make ultra yummy versions.  I’m a fan of cutting corners.  It’s kinda my life motto.

I had visions of doctoring up fancy cupcakes like Butter Pecan Cheesecake Cupcakes, or Lemon Chiffon Cupcakes, or even a Triple Butterscotch.  But since it was Marcia’s birthday (pronounced Mar-SEE-ah…not Marsha), I thought I should ask what her favorite was.

“The kind with sprinkles in the batter” she says.

What?!  What am I supposed to do with THAT?!

But that’s what she wanted, and it was her birthday…so I scoured my books and found a recipe for Buried Treasure Cupcakes that I could make work:

This recipe not only includes a “surprise” ingredient (in this case M&Ms) in the middle of your cupcakes, but also adds a few extra ingredients to make your cupcakes more moist (moister?) and take some of the “boxed” taste out of the batter.

Not as fancy as Orange Almond Cupcakes, but the girl wants vanilla.  Oy.

Just mix all of the ingredients except for your “buried treasure”.

While you are mixing and measuring, find a fabulously crazy haired helper to line your muffin tins for you.

This is an important step.  Don’t skip it.

Fill your muffin tins about halfway.  One scoop of a cookie baller is perfect.  You have a cookie dough baller, right?  Oh please say yes.

You could also use skittles or chopped up Reese’s or whatever, really.  I stuck with M&Ms because it seemed to match best with the sprinkles in the batter.

NOW…the good Doctor assured me that I could simply fill my liners 3/4 of the way and the candies would sink during baking…she’s never done me wrong so I went with it.

FAIL.

I thought about just pretending this didn’t happen, and skipping this part of the story, but that’s no fun.

Besides, you know I’m kind of a hot mess so there’s no way it could have been perfect.

So here’s my tip: even though they were ugly naked, once you frost them, not only can you not tell, but it’s actually extra delicious to bite into a chocolatey candy in the center of your cupcake.  Like, really delicious.

So fill them halfway, add candy, and then add a little more batter on top.  Easy peasy solution.

While you are waiting for the cupcakes to bake and cool, make your frosting.

Now, to be completely honest, I make frosting from scratch almost always.  But I had seen some recipes for also doctoring up canned frosting so I thought I’d try them out.  Besides, the broke college student probably wouldn’t mind.

In this case, it was simply mixing a can of vanilla frosting with a tub of whipped topping.

Simple.  While it probably wasn’t as lick the bowl decadent as Meg’s Cool Whip Frosting, it was quick and easy and I would totally do it again if I was in a pinch for time.  (i.e. Kindergarten class cupcakes come to mind…)

Adding whipped topping to the frosting thins it out considerably, so you can’t pipe it into pretty swirls or stars or elaborate flowers.  (Because I was totally planning on that…)

So, I decided that if the kid wanted sprinkles, I’d give her sprinkles.

A thick layer of frosting dunked right into a bowl of rainbow.  Done.

Stacked up high they were happy.

I’m pretty sure you could be all careful and make these look fancy and Pinterest perfect, but that’s not really my style.  I have an image to uphold.

After all of that work, make your sister cheese it up for a picture and ask your kids to smile for the camera.

One will stick their tongue out.  One will pick their nose.  One will give you the fakest smile in the history of smiles.

Typical.


And finally, chow down.

I may or may not have eaten one for breakfast the next morning.

Got a birthday to celebrate coming up?

Or just need an excuse to make cupcakes?  (I think you need to have a Yay It’s Tuesday! Party.)

Because right now, and through May 21st you can get a box of Betty Crocker cake mix, a jar of Betty Crocker frosting, a 24 pack of Betty Crocker candles, AND two 2-liter bottles of 7UP brand sodas for a measly FIVE DOLLARS.  Total.

Just head to any Safeway, Vons, or Pavillions for the deal.  You’ll need a store loyalty card, and all of the right products, but it will go through.

When I went to my local Vons, there was no signage advertising, and none of the employees had any idea what I was talking about.  (I think I went on the first day of the promo).  But the computer knew, so it worked like a charm.  My point: don’t think your store isn’t  participating in case they don’t have signage.  Just take it all up to the register and it will do its thing.

So see?  You really don’t have an excuse to not have a Tuesday Cupcake Party.  Five bucks.  Go.

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and SAFEWAY  but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BirthdayBundle  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”

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jeannett

I'm a mom to four. A wife to one. I believe in story. I love telling you about mine and would love to hear yours. There's really no sense in wasting our suffering and not sharing in each other's joy. We're all in this together...even if it doesn't always feel like it.

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