Mortarboard Cupcakes 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.

GO-TO MARBLE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin with cupcake liners.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.
• In another medium bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. While beating, gradually pour in the butter and then the vanilla.
• While mixing slowly, add half the dry ingredients. Then add all the milk and follow with the rest of the dry ingredients. Take care not to overmix the batter.
• Remove one-third of the batter (about 1 cup) and stir in the cocoa powder. Fill the liners evenly with alternating spoonfuls of yellow and chocolate batter. Tap the tin firmly on the counter a few times to even out the batter.
• Bake until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove from the tin. Cool on the rack completely. Decorate as desired.

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.

DEVIL'S FOOD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cocoa and hot water until smooth. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
• Melt butter with sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to combine. Remove from heat, and pour into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat until mixture is cooled, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla, then cocoa mixture, and beat until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until just combined after each.
• Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three- quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 15 minutes; turn out cupcakes onto racks and let cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
• To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting.

GRADUATION CAP CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350ºF.
• Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Blend in dry drink mix; spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake 20 to 25 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean; cool completely. Meanwhile, spread 1 tsp. melted chocolate onto each graham square to completely cover top of graham; place in single layer on baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm.
• Remove liners from cupcakes; place cupcakes upside-down on plate. Use wooden spoon handle to poke deep hole in center of each cupcake, being careful to not poke through to bottom of cupcake. Spoon COOL WHIP into resealable plastic bag. Cut small piece off one bottom corner of bag; use to pipe COOL WHIP into holes and onto tops of cupcakes, reserving small amount of COOL WHIP for later use. Top cupcakes with grahams, chocolate sides up, to resemble graduation caps.
• Use fruit rolls to make tassels for caps. (See tip.) Add 1 tassel and jelly bean to top of each graham square, securing each with dab of remaining COOL WHIP.

CUPCAKE GRAVEYARD

Steps:

• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes.
• In a medium bowl stir 1 package of frosting with the cookie crumbs. Frost cooled cupcakes.
• Fill a pastry bag, fitted with a plain tip, with remaining white frosting. Write R.I.P. on each chocolate covered graham cracker cookie. Stand a decorated cookie on top of each cupcake so that it looks like a tombstone. Place the cupcakes on a large cookie sheet that has been covered with green paper. Place paper ghosts and bats randomly through the graveyard. Serve!

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.