Balloon Cupcakes Recipes

BALLOON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Use frosting to attach a square shortbread cookie (such as Lorna Doone) flat-side up to a cupcake so that one corner hangs over the edge. Freeze 15 minutes, then spread more frosting on the cookie and cupcake to make a balloon shape. Press 4 small white gum squares (such as Chiclets) on the upper right of the cupcake. Dip in sanding sugar and pat to reshape. For the string, poke a hole in the cupcake with a toothpick and insert a black licorice lace.

BALLOON CAKE POPS

Steps:

• Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan, using water, oil and eggs. Cool. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Crumble cake into large bowl. Add frosting; mix well. Shape into 1 1/4-inch balls; place on cookie sheet. Shape each ball into balloon shape. Freeze until firm; keep refrigerated.
• In microwavable bowls, microwave each color of candy melts and 1 tablespoon of the shortening uncovered on Medium (50%) 1 minute, then in 15-second intervals, until melted; stir until smooth.
• Dip each lollipop stick about 3/4 inch into melted candy and insert into 1 cake ball halfway. Thread 1 cereal piece onto stick, pressing to adhere to cake ball. Return to cookie sheet. Refrigerate 5 minutes. Remove from refrigerator a few at a time. Dip 18 cake balls into each color of melted candy; tap off excess. Poke opposite end of stick into foam block. Let stand until set. Tie string or ribbon around balloon.

CHOCOLATE MACAROON CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 18 muffin cups with cooking spray., Beat first 4 ingredients until well blended. In another bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda; gradually beat into egg mixture alternately with buttermilk., For filling, beat ricotta cheese, sugar and egg white until blended. Stir in coconut and extract., Fill prepared cups with half of the batter. Drop filling by tablespoonfuls into center of each cupcake; cover with remaining batter., Bake until a toothpick inserted in cupcake portion comes out clean, 28-33 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks; cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

BLACK BOTTOM CUPCAKES I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

CUPCAKE LOLLIPOPS

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup mini muffin pans with paper liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Beat the butter and granulated sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 4 minutes.
• Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to medium low; beat in half the flour mixture, then all of the milk, then the remaining flour mixture until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. Transfer the pans to a cooling rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans and let them cool completely on the rack.
• For the buttercream: Combine the butter, confectioners' sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and increase the speed to medium-high. Mix until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 2 minutes more. Add 1 tablespoon of milk and mix to combine. Add more milk a 1/2 tablespoon at a time until the buttercream is firm but spreadable.
• Divide the buttercream evenly among 5 bowls, about a heaping 1/3 cup in each. Add the yellow gel food coloring to one bowl and mix until no streaks remain. Repeat with the remaining bowls of buttercream and the green, blue, violet and pink food colors. Scoop each color into a separate disposable piping bag with no tip; then snip off the tip of each bag so there is a hole about the size of a penny.
• Prepare a sixth piping bag fitted with a medium-sized round piping tip; this will be your decorating bag.
• Holding the decorating bag in one hand and the yellow buttercream bag in the other, pipe the yellow buttercream into the decorating bag making in a vertical stripe about 1 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining colors, working around the edge of the decorating bag to create stripes of each color and leaving at least 5 inches at the top so you can seal the bag. Be sure not to overfill the bag; you can repeat piping in the colored stripes if necessary.
• Once the cupcakes are completely cool, attach them to the lollipop sticks by poking small holes just big enough to fit a lollipop sticks in the bottom of each cupcake with the tip of a paring knife, poking through the paper liners.
• Slice 1/8 inch off the bottom (flat side) of each spice drop with a paring knife. Insert a lollipop stick through the domed top of a spice drops and slide it down so there is about 3/4 inch of the stick above the spice drop. This is where the cupcake will sit.
• Next, poke the lollipop stick into the hole in the bottom of a cupcake and slide the bottom of the cupcake down so it rests on the flat, sticky side of the spice drop. The lollipop stick should not poke through the top of the cupcake; if the cupcake seems wobbly, slide the gumdrop down a bit further and press the cupcake onto the stick a bit more. Anchor the assembled lollipop cupcakes in a Styrofoam board or stick them in tall containers filled with sugar or sprinkles. Repeat with the remaining lollipop sticks, spice drops and cupcakes.
• Holding a cupcake in one hand and the decorating bag in the other, starting in the center of the cupcake, pipe the frosting in a swirl over the top of the cupcake. Stick the frosted cupcake back into the Styrofoam to hold it upright. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days; remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving.

SPOOKY GELATIN BUBBLE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Insert wooden pop sticks through tied ends of balloons; set aside. Combine water and food coloring in a bowl slightly larger than largest balloon. Stir in gelatin. Microwave gelatin mixture on high for 15 seconds; stir until smooth. Holding a pop stick, dip one balloon into gelatin mixture, turning to coat; allow excess to drip off. Insert pop stick into Styrofoam to keep upright., Repeat with remaining balloons; let dry overnight. Carefully pierce dried balloons; remove from gelatin bubbles. Using scissors, trim openings if necessary. Decorate as desired with black decorating gel. To serve, place gelatin bubbles on top of frosted cupcakes.