Crazy for Cupcakes
From holiday celebrations to weddings to birthdays, cakes everywhere are moving to personal serving sizes. Dive into these delicious miniature cakes–no layering required.
Strawberry-Blueberry Cupcakes
Strawberry-Blueberry Cupcakes Recipe
Double the berries, double the deliciousness. These tender cupcakes can be made ahead and frozen; frost them before serving. Use smaller blueberries for better distribution in the batter. In a pinch? Use thawed, frozen blueberries. Cupcakes are a welcome treat at any occasion. This recipe makes 24, but go ahead and make two batches and freeze some for a future date. Both the cupcake recipe and the frosting recipe make delicious use of fresh, seasonal produce. The cupcakes, loaded with sweet blueberries, are good enough to eat unfrosted, and can stand in for a delicious breakfast or mid-morning treat. The frosting oozes with fresh strawberries. You may want to keep a bowl close by in the fridge; it makes a great dip for fruit and cookies.
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Mile-High Coconut Cupcakes
Mile-High Coconut Cupcakes Recipe
These cupcakes are a mile high with icing and great coconut flavor.
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Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes
Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes Recipe
Beet adds natural color and sweet earthiness to these cupcakes.
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Peaches and Cream Mini Cupcakes
Peaches and Cream Mini Cupcakes Recipe
Petite and almost too cute to eat, these miniature cupcakes are infused with the sweet flavor of summer's juiciest fruit.
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Caramel-Mocha-Sea Salt Cupcakes
Caramel-Mocha-Sea Salt Cupcakes Recipe
This cupcake is a combination of salty and sweet blended with mocha and is one of the most requested flavors at Dreamcakes Bakery.
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Black Sesame Cupcakes
There's nothing artificial about these dramatically hued treats. Supermoist (and whole-grain) chocolate cupcakes get their blackout color from black sesame seeds and antioxidant-rich dark cocoa powder. These desserts are delicious and better for you, with every bit of fun, festive flair you crave.
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Coconut Cupcakes
Dense coconut milk, added right into the batter, gives these cupcakes all the flavor of the full-sized concoction, but with the added cuteness of individual servings. Top with traditional cream cheese icing and toasted coconut.
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Amaretto Apple Streusel Cupcakes
Amaretto Apple Streusel Cupcakes Recipe
We simply adore these apple streusel cupcakes -- and judging by all the five-star ratings, so do our users! The homemade cinnamon-flavored streusel perfectly accents the apples' sweetness, while the simple glaze pulls it all together. If you love amaretto, try adding a splash of liqueur to the glaze as well.
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Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting (Pam's Citrus Cupcakes)
Lemon Sherbet Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting (Pam's Citrus Cupcakes) Recipe
These bright and fresh cupcakes are topped with a tangy lemon buttercream.
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Robin's Egg Malt Cupcakes
Robin's Egg Malt Cupcakes Recipe
Inspired by an Easter basket favorite, these malted chocolate cupcakes are sure to be the cutest dessert you serve this spring. The moist cake is a fun play on a chocolate malted egg; you can typically find malt powder either on your grocery store’s baking aisle or shelved near the canned milks. Once you top these rich cupcakes with a buttery, bright blue frosting, creating the signature Robin’s egg speckling is easy—and a fun project to let older kiddos help with. You simple thin out your brown food coloring with a little bit of water, dip a paint brush in, and then “flick” the brush’s bristles to splatter the dye on the surface of your frosted cupcakes.
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Walnut Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
Walnut Cupcakes with Maple Frosting Recipe
Unlike their full-fat cousins, which get their softness from oil and butter, light cakes rely less on fat and more on sugar and liquids. More sugar minimizes the development of gluten proteins (the primary source of toughness in cakes), but it can also cause excess browning, especially if dairy products are present. Pull the cake from the oven when a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs still clinging to it.
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Red, White, and Blueberry-Filled Cupcakes
Red, White, and Blueberry-Filled Cupcakes Recipe
Tender and moist cupcakes with a fruity filling and topped with a tangy cream cheese icing — all the best of summer in one little package. This recipe can easily be doubled if you need a dessert for a large gathering. The jammy blueberry filling is a sweet surprise inside each cupcake but, if you prefer strawberry, simply replace the fruit and preserves.
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Chocolate Almond Cupcakes
Chocolate Almond Cupcakes Recipe
These rich chocolate cupcakes start from a package of cake mix and get a triple hit of almond flavor from almond paste, sliced almonds, and almond extract in the glaze.
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Cupcakes With Browned Butter Frosting
Cupcakes With Browned Butter Frosting Recipe
When you need "tastes like homemade" in minutes, use this recipe. Top cupcakes, made with packaged pound cake mix, with a creamy, buttery frosting that's sure to have everyone begging for more. For added appeal, garnish with mint leaves and edible violas.
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Lemon-Blueberry Ice-cream Cupcakes
Lemon-Blueberry Ice-cream Cupcakes Recipe
Update the idea of ice cream cakes with these frozen treats. Layer crushed lemon cookies with blueberry filling and a creamy milk-and-frozen lemonade mixture. Dollop whipped topping on last, and freeze overnight then add sprinkles, jelly beans, and anything else sweet you can find.
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Devil's Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Filling
Devil's Food Cupcakes with Marshmallow Filling Recipe
Bake chocolate cupcakes with a surprise inside. With a knife, hollow out the center of the baked cakes and fill with marshmallow cream. Top with a gooey chocolate cream cheese frosting for a sure-fire winner among kids and adults.
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Orange Marmalade-Ricotta Cupcakes with Marmalade Buttercream Frosting
Orange Marmalade-Ricotta Cupcakes with Marmalade Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Boxed cake mix is the only routine ingredient in these creative confections. Orange juice, ricotta cheese, and orange marmalade add tons of rich flavor and keep the cupcakes moist. Top with Marmalade Buttercream Frosting for an event-worthy dessert.
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Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Sweet Potato-Pecan Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Keep this family favorite around for the holiday season. Mashed sweet potatoes give the cakes extra moistness, while a myriad of spices including cinnamon and nutmeg, spice up the traditionally sweet dessert. A simple cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of chopped pecans is all that's needed on top.
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Mississippi Mud Cupcakes
Mississippi Mud Cupcakes Recipe
The chocoholic in your family will swoon for these s'more like treats. Chocolate cupcakes are topped with mini marshmallows and a thick chocolate frosting drizzle.
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Old-Fashioned Caramel Cupcakes
Old-Fashioned Caramel Cupcakes Recipe
Old-Fashioned Caramel is a cupcake that can't be rushed. It's a true labor of love. The caramel has to cool for a while before you can make the frosting, and then you need to use the frosting right away. If the frosting gets too thick to spread, add just a little cream or milk to make it spreadable. It is definitely worth the effort.
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Team Spirit Cupcakes
Perfect for the Junior's bake sale, this recipe dresses up store-bought iced cupcakes. Simply pick up coarse sugar and lollipops in your school's colors. Add a ribbon around the stem of the sucker for extra color and package them individually.
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Thai Iced Tea Cupcakes
Judy Lai was inspired to make these Thai iced tea cupcakes after eating at a Thai restaurant. Her bakery Silk Cakes is known for taking Asian flavors and incorporating them into American-style desserts, so it's a perfect fit. Lai is a first-generation Chinese-American, born in New York City to immigrant parents, and her baked goods reflect her heritage while also showing off the French pastry skills she learned at the International Culinary Center. These Thai iced-tea flavored cupcakes are really the best mix of that: a super delicate and fluffy cupcake that tastes exactly like Thai iced tea.
The trick to making these cupcakes nice and light, according to Lai, is not to mix the batter too much. "As soon as it looks smooth, you're done mixing, and over mixing will make them less fluffy," she says. That's also why the cupcakes are baked at a relatively low temperature. "We chose 275°F so it's a slower baking process at medium heat," to keep the cupcakes light and to ensure they don't get browned, "and we remove the cupcakes the second that a stick poked in the cupcake comes out clean."
"It's important to take the cupcake out of the cupcake tray immediately when it's out of the oven," Lai says, "because leaving the cupcake in the tray will cause it to flatten due to the heat of the cupcake tray."
Thai Tea Cupcakes
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Lemonade Cupcakes
Perfect for summer, these cakes get their name–and great flavor–from frozen lemonade concentrate. Balance the tart flavor with a smooth cream cheese frosting. Don't forget the sour gummies on top.
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Orange Sherbet Cupcakes
Orange Sherbet Cupcakes Recipe
The cupcakes are topped with a lightly tangy orange sherbet buttercream.
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Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes
Flourless Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Chocolate lovers everywhere will swoon over the super-rich chocolatey flavor of these luscious cupcakes.
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Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes
Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes Recipe
If you love light, fluffy, bright desserts, check out this cupcake concoction. Lemon rind and fresh lemon juice punch up the flavor and give your cupcakes true zing!
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Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges
Hummingbird Cupcakes with Candied Pineapple Wedges Recipe
This whimsical take on our classic Hummingbird Cake recipe shrinks the moist, three-layer cake into cupcakes, garnishing with bright candied pineapple wedges in honor of the canned pineapples that give the cake batter its incredible moistness. There are a few rules for success in this recipe that make it truly stand out. First, vegetable oil is used instead of butter to get the moist, quick-bread-like texture of the layers. Second, you need a can of crushed pineapple in its juice (such as Publix Crushed Pineapple in Pineapple Juice), which you will NOT drain. The juices add so much flavor to the cake batter and keeps it incredibly moist. Lastly, always take the time the toast your pecans! When baking the cupcakes, some of the oil may leach through the paper liners and into the muffin cups themselves. Grease-proof or aluminum foil muffin cups will help, or you can forgo the paper liners altogether and grease and flour the individual cups.
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Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes Recipe
Loaded with toasty fall flavors, a batch of these easy PSL cupcakes will have you in sweater weather mode faster than hitting the Starbucks drive-thru.
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Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting
Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting Recipe
Chocolatey cupcakes paired with a peppermint-flavored frosting and chopped peppermint candies are perfect for Christmas parties.
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Bunny Face Cupcakes
Decorate store-bought cupakes for Easter by making cute bunny faces with marshmallows, coconut, pretzels, and an assortment of candy.
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Lemon-Scented Blueberry Cupcakes
Lemon-Scented Blueberry Cupcakes Recipe
Flavor basic buttermilk cupcake batter with grated lemon rind and fold in fresh or thawed blueberries for these sweet-and-tart cupcakes. Spread a dollop of cream cheese frosting on top and serve with extra blueberries.
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Bunny Cookie Cupcakes
Kids will love decorating these simple bunny cupcakes. Start with boxed or grocery store cupcakes then decorate each with vanilla frosting, green coconut, and bunnie cookies. Kneading together refrigerated sugar cookie dough and flour make it easer to cut out the bunny shapes.
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Orange-Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes
Orange-Glazed Strawberry Cupcakes Recipe
A hint of orange juice and chopped fresh strawberries give these cupcakes their wonderfully fruity flavor. Top with a glaze made from orange juice and confectioner's sugar, and garnish with a strawberry half for pretty presentation.
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Sweet Li'l Bunny Cupcakes
Sweet Li'l Bunny Cupcakes Recipe
Perfect for Easter or a spring-themed birthday party for a bunny lover, these cupcakes are (almost!) too cute to eat. Look for bunny candies in kitchen stores or by special order.
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Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting
Pineapple-Coconut Cupcakes with Buttermilk-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
The center of each cupcake is filled with a sweet pineapple mixture that highlights the homemade buttermilk-cream cheese frosting. Make birds' nests on the top of each cupcake with malted milk balls and edible paper.
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Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting
Coconut Cupcakes with Coconut-Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Create a memorable dessert packaged in a pint-size liner. These too-cute-to-eat treats get their vibrant flavor from coconut extract.
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Pecan Pie Cupcakes
Pecan Pie is the quintessential dessert of fall. Crunchy toasted pecans and buttery Piecrust Leaves enhance the rich creamy frosting for a cupcake you'll make again and again.
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Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Apple and caramel are pretty simple ingredients, but when combined they are a delectable treat. Top off these cupcakes with toasted pecans to create a traditional fall favorite. We love to add the tiny crab apples as a garnish for extra-special occasions.
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Maple Bacon Cupcakes
This cupcake is without a doubt most men's favorite. You can see the smile as soon as they spot that crisp bacon strip resting on top of the golden maple frosting. It's the wonderful combination of salty and sweet together. We describe it as the flavor you get when bacon mingles with syrup while eating pancakes. We suggest about half a slice on each cupcake, but feel free to add as much as you want.
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Chocolate High Cupcakes
Chocolate High Cupcakes Recipe
Chocolate High is all about chocolate. We tried to get as much of it as possible into one cupcake. This creation has turned out to be our staff chocoholic's favorite. With nothing but chocolate through and through, it's so beautiful piled high with Chocolate Frosting and Chocolate Ganache.
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Mocha Latte Cupcakes
Our Mocha Latte cupcake is a double shot of flavor. Espresso powder gives a deep, rich flavor to the chocolate cake. We spread on a thick layer of Vanilla Frosting, drizzle it with caramel and chocolate, top it off with sprinkles—and you don't have to wait in the drive-thru for it.
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Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes Recipe
Chocolate and peanut butter—the perfect pairing. The generous swirl of Peanut Butter Frosting and luscious filling of Chocolate Ganache make this cupcake an irresistible chocolate treat.
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Banana Split Cupcakes
This cupcake truly tastes like a banana split! You can add all your favorite toppings or just a few.
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Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes
Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Cupcakes Recipe
If you are looking for a chocolate fix, look no further. This is layer upon layer of chocolate. Moist Chocolate Cake, a mountain of Chocolate Frosting, and a sprinkle of chocolate chunks. If you feel the need for a little more, fill the cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache. This one is guaranteed to fulfill and chocolate lover's dream.
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White Linen Cupcakes
White Linen Cupcakes are a light combination of Mascarpone Frosting and white chocolate curls over a tender cupcake. Perfect for a tea, party, or shower, they're delicate and delicious. Serve them with an ice-cold glass of milk.
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Over the Moon Cupcakes
If there is a rival to Wedding Cake, it is our Over the Moon cupcake. We make it with an oh-so-rich vanilla bean paste that gives it an "out of this world" flavor. One customer said that it tastes like it was kissed by an angel.
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Cookies and Cream Cupcakes
Cookies and Cream Cupcakes Recipe
Cookies and Cream cupcakes are irresistable! The creamy vanilla frosting is jam-packed with crushed cookies. A tall glass of milk is all you need to complete this luscious treat.
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Snow White Cupcakes
We developed White Christmas to create our own little wonderland of snow. The peppermint-Cream Cheese Frosting gives a luscious, chilly bite and sparkling scent to this bright, frosty cupcake.
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New Year's Cupcakes
New Year's Eve is one of the few holidays celebrated around the world. Why not ring in the new with cupcakes? Here's to celebrating new beginnings tastefully...
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First Kiss Cupcakes
As sweet as love's first kiss, our chocolate and cherry cupcake is special. One bite and you'll fall in love, all with a cherry on top!
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Stupid Cupid Cupcakes
Strawberries look uncannily like hearts; that's why we named this recipe Stupid Cupid. It's one of our original Valentine's Day flavors that is requested year-round. Top one with a fresh strawberry or a chocolate dipped one- either way, it's a sweet way to say, "You have my heart."
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Garden Party Cupcakes
These light little bites are the most adorable sweet treats for an afternoon tea. Edible flowers were especially popular during Queen Victoria's reign; we think she would be pleased with this addition to tea time. Be sure your blossoms are nonpoisonous and free of pesticides. We've listed a few below that we think are lovely for any garden party.
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Candy Butterfly Cupcakes
Candy Butterfly Cupcakes Recipe
These cupcakes are so cute, they'll fly right off the plate!
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Oh Baby! Cupcakes
One of the happiest events we celebrate is the arrival of a new baby. Whether boy or girl, it is always exciting. The newest craze is to reveal the sex of the baby by colored cake or filling hidden underneath a layer of white or chocolate frosting. When you take your first bite, the blue or pink announces the coming of a son or daughter.
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Under the Big Top Cupcakes
Under the Big Top Cupcakes Recipe
Bright colors and circus animals are guaranteed to make kids of all ages smile and to make any day a celebration.
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Blackberry Summer Cupcakes
Blackberry Summer Cupcakes Recipe
Blackberries flourish all summer long in the South. They grow anywhere and everywhere and are free for the picking. They have prickly thorns, but if you're careful, you can have a bucketful of plump, juicy berries in no time. The only cost may be a few scratches and purple fingers, but you'll have gained lots of berries to share—if you're feeling generous.
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Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes
Red, White, and Blue Cupcakes Recipe
This is a real dandy. It would be a great addition to your July 4th celebration spread. The amusing effect of the swirled frosting can be duplicated using any colors for any occasion. It makes a fun Christmas cupcake using red and green or a pretty spring cupcake using pink and green.
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Bite-Size Sour Cream-Pound Cake Cupcakes (Basic Cupcake Batter)
Bite-Size Sour Cream-Pound Cake Cupcakes (Basic Cupcake Batter) Recipe
Reviewers rave over these cupcakes made with pound cake batter. Top with vanilla buttercream and who can resist?
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Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Recipe
Stretch your baking muscles with these decadent mint chocolate chip cupcakes. Top homemade chocolate cupcakes with a rich chocolate ganache, mint frosting, and chopped creme de menthe chocolate mints for cupcakes that your friends and family are sure to love.
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Strawberry-Rose Cupcakes
Strawberry-Rose Cupcakes Recipe
Strawberry jam and rose water are baked directly into the vanilla cupcakes to infuse delicate, fragrant flavor into these party-ready cakes. Garnish with fresh rose petals in the colors of your party.
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Moist Chocolate Cupcakes
Moist Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
These 5-ingredient basic chocolate cupcakes are super easy to make and perfect for chocolate lovers. To make the Chocolate-Mint Cupcakes pictured here, top with Chocolate Buttercream frosting and sprinkle with chopped crème de menthe mints for a pretty presentation and fantastic flavor.
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Basic White Cupcakes
Enhance a white cake mix with buttermilk, butter and flavoring extracts for this basic white cupcake. Then add whatever frosting and topping you are in in the mood for. We went for Coconut Buttercream and flaked coconut for these stunning Coconut Cupcakes.
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Mountain Dew Cupcakes
Incorporating lemon-lime soda into your batter gives these cupcakes a delightfully light and airy texture, while reducing Mountain Dew into a syrup produces the perfect pop of flavor to mix into prepared vanilla icing. Whether you’re a hardcore Mountain Dew fan or just happen to have part of a leftover 2-liter that needs to be used up, these soda-inspired cupcakes are a fun and easy treat to whip up with a box caked mix.
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Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes
Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes Recipe
The same basic ingredients that make the cupcake recipe simple also ensure that it is over-the-top delicious. Dress this cupcake recipe up or down for showers, parties, or friendly neighborhood gatherings.
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Double Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes
Double Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes Recipe
These double chocolate cupcakes have a wonderful secret: They're filled with marshmallow creme. The filling process takes a few minutes, so we've saved you time by using canned frosting: Triple Chocolate Fudge Chip frosting, to be exact.
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Double-Maple Cupcakes
These pint-size desserts feature the best of Maple syrup, which is found in both the cupcake and the frosting. The frosting gets an extra dose of maple goodness thanks to the addition of maple flavoring. Top these cuties with a walnut or, for a sweet-and-salty twist, crumbled bacon.