Mini Cupcake Mortarboards Recipes

MORTARBOARD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. In another bowl, combine the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until combined., Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks., In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Add food coloring if desired., Level off the top of cupcakes; frost sides and bottom. Place upside down on a serving platter or covered board. Frost graham crackers; place one on each cupcake. Place an M&M's candy in the center of each cracker with two licorice pieces for a tassel.

MINI CUPCAKE MORTARBOARDS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place miniature paper baking cups in 24 mini muffin cups, 1 3/4x1 inch. Make cake batter as directed on box. Fill cups 2/3 full of batter (about 1 rounded tablespoon each). Refrigerate remaining batter.
• Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean; cool. Repeat with remaining batter. (Leave paper baking cups on cupcakes so mortarboards are quicker and easier to make and more portable to serve.)
• To make tassels: Cut sixty 2 1/2-inch lengths from fruit snack rolls. Cut each into several strips up to 1/2 inch from 1 end. Roll uncut end between fingertips to make tassels. Or cut several pieces of shoestring licorice into 2 1/2-inch lengths.
• Tint frosting with food color to match paper baking cups. Frost bottoms of cookies. Place 1 candy on center of each. For each mortarboard, place small dollop of frosting on bottom of cupcake; top with cookie. Press uncut end of fruit snack or 3 or 4 pieces of licorice into frosted cookie next to candy. Store loosely covered.

MINI VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 18-cup mini muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• Whip butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and milk; whip until just combined. Fill the prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 14 minutes. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whip powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla for frosting in a bowl until well combined. Frost cooled cupcakes.

MINI CUPCAKE MORTARBOARDS

Steps:

• 1- Heat oven to 350°. Line 24 mini muffin cups, 1 3/4 x 1 inch, with mini paper baking cups. Make cake mix as directed on package, using water, oil and eggs. Fill cups 2/3 full (about 1 rounded tablespoon each). Refrigerate remaining batter.2- Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. (Leave paper baking cups on cupcakes so mortarboards are quicker and easier to make and more portable for serving.)3- To make tassels, cut sixty 2 1/2-inch lengths from fruit snack rolls. Cut each length into several strips up to 1/2 inch from one end. Roll uncut end between fingertips to make fringes on ends of tassels. Or cut several pieces of shoestring licorice into 2 1/2-inch lengths.4- Frost bottoms of cookies. Place 1 candy on center of bottom of each cookie. Turn cupcakes upside down so bottom side is up. For each mortarboard, place small dollop of frosting on bottom of cupcake top with cookie. Press uncut end of fruit snack or 3 or 4 pieces of licorice into frosted cookie next to candy. Store loosely covered.High Altitude (3500 to 6500 feet): Heat oven to 375°. Make cake mix following high-altitude directions on package for cupcakes. Fill cups 1/2 full. Bake 17 to 20 minutes. About 90 mini-cupcakes.1 Cupcake: Calories 145 (Calories from Fat 65) Fat 7g (Saturated 3g) Cholesterol 15mg Sodium 110mg Carbohydrate 19g (Dietary Fiber 0g) Protein 1g. % Daily Value: Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 2%.Betty's Tip: Share these cupcakes with family and friends of your graduate, using paper baking cups that match school or class colors. You can even tint the frosting with food color to match the baking cups.From "Betty Crocker's Ultimate Cake Mix Cookbook." Text Copyright 2004 General Mills, Inc. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MONSTER MINI CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Combine milk and vinegar in a bowl. Let stand until milk curdles, about 5 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 24-cup mini muffin tin or line cups with paper liners.
• Combine 1/2 cup butter, white sugar, and vanilla sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Mix 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Alternate adding flour mixture and curdled milk to the creamed butter mixture, mixing until batter is well blended. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tops spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of 1 cupcake comes back clean, about 14 minutes. Cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Combine cream cheese and 1/4 cup butter in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Mix in vanilla extract. Stir in confectioners' sugar gradually. Color frosting orange with a few drops of food coloring.
• Place orange frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a grass tip. Hold the pastry bag at a 90-degree angle 1/8 inch above the surface of a cupcake. Squeeze bag to form orange 'fur' by pulling tip up and away when the icing strand is about 1/2 inch high. Repeat to cover cupcake evenly with fur.
• Add 2 eyes to each cupcake. Cut dried mango into small strips and arrange into the frosting as 'horns'.