Mardi Gras Cupcakes

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Mardi Gras– also known as Fat Tuesday- marks the end of carnival celebrations from Epiphany to the start of Lent.  Parties are held around the world; Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Sweden and others.  Next week kicks off events all over the USA, the biggest happening in New Orleans.

Mardi Gras cupcakes feature yellow cake with root beer filling.  Appearances matter, be sure to use gold wrappers and green, yellow and purple sprinkles.  For extra fun hide a plastic baby in one cupcake.  This is a Mardi Gras tradition for King Cake, the person who finds it will have good luck in the year to come.  Be sure to warn your friends if you hide a choking hazard their food.

Mardi Gras Cupcakes

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 3/4 C oil
• 3/4 C whole milk
• 1 T vanilla
• 4 eggs

Root Beer Filling:

• 1 package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 stick (1/4 C) butter, softened
• 4 C powdered sugar
• 2 T root beer extract

Basic Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 stick (1/4 C) butter, softened
• 4 C powdered sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1-2 T milk

Directions:

Heat oven to 350.  Line muffin pan with 24 wrappers.  Use gold if you can find them.

Mix cupcake ingredients with a mixer.  Distribute into wrappers filling approximately half full.  There is enough batter for 24 cupcakes.

Bake for 20 minutes total, first 10 minutes on the bottom oven rack then the next 10 moved up to the top.  Set aside to cool.

To make root beer filling, use mixer on cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl.  Add half the powdered sugar and root beer extract.  Add remaining powdered sugar.  Scrape sides if needed.  Transfer filling to a Ziploc bag.

Use a small, sharp knife to cut a funnel shaped hole in each cupcake.  Be careful not to go all the way through.  Another option is to use a cupcake corer.

Snip the corner on the Ziploc bag and pipe root beer filling into holes.  Hide plastic baby if using.

To make basic cream cheese frosting, use mixer on cream cheese and butter in another medium bowl.  Add half the powdered sugar and vanilla.  Combine well, scraping sides.  Add remaining powdered sugar and 1 T milk.  Frosting texture should be like thick peanut butter.

Pipe on to cupcakes.  Add yellow, purple and green sprinkles.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Recipe based on “King Cake Cupcakes,” BettyCrocker.com, 2014