Recipe Box

Rich Dark Chocolate Cupcake with an Orange Buttercream Center

Tools:

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
3/4 teaspoon Clear Vanilla
1/8 teaspoon Orange Oil
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Orange Icing

Whipped Icing Mix (1 box) or Buttercream Icing
Zest of 2 oranges, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon Orange Oil
Orange Icing Color

Preheat oven 350°F, fill muffin pan with baking cups. In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, milk, chocolate, vanilla, and orange oil, mixing after each addition. Add flour, baking powder and salt; mix just until blended. Fill each muffin paper full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Follow package directions for making icing or prepared buttercream recipe. Stir in orange zest, orange oil and desired amount of color. Insert #10 decorating tip into decorating bag. Fill bag half full. Cut slit in top of cupcake with a sharp knife. Squeeze icing into slit until cupcake slightly puffs. Ice cupcakes with remaining icing.

Makes 12 servings.

Cupcake Decorating Instructions

Spider

Background: Tint buttercream icing with Violet Icing Color and ice cupcake.

Body: Place tip # 2A in a Disposable Decorating Bag. Fill decorating bag with buttercream that has been tinted with Black Icing Color. May use chocolate icing and add black icing color. Using tip #2A make the top and bottom portion of the spider.

Arms and legs: Using thin black licorice, place three arms and legs on each side of the body.

Eyes: Use white mini jawbreakers for eyes. Place tip #2 in the decorating bag filled with black buttercream and pipe two dots on eyes.

Nose: Place orange jawbreaker at the bottom of both eyes for the nose.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin: Ice cupcake orange and place tip #12 in a Disposable Decorating Bag. Fill decorating bag with orange buttercream. From top to bottom of cupcake, pipe one line down each end. On side of the line, pipe one more line on a slight diagonal to form the pumpkin rind, then pipe middle line. You will have a total of 5 lines on the cupcake.

Face: Using brown M&M's, place the eyes, nose and mouth in the appropriate places on the cupcake.

Stem: Place a green gumdrop at the top of the cupcake for the pumpkin stem.

Monster

Face: Tint buttercream icing with Leaf Green Icing Color and ice cupcake.

Ears: Place tip #6 in Disposable Decorating Bag and fill with remaining green buttercream. On either side of cupcake, about _ of the way to the top, pipe the ears.

Mouth: Fill decorating bag with buttercream icing that has been tinted with Black Icing Color and color in open part of mouth. Smooth with spatula. Using tip #6 and the remainder of the green buttercream, pipe a circle that forms an open mouth.

Teeth: Place white tic-tacs all around the open mouth to form teeth.

Nose: Place a green M&M above mouth for nose.

Eyes: Use two white gumballs for eyes. Attach tip #2 to decorating bag filled with black buttercream icing. Pipe black dots in the middle of gumballs and pipe eyebrows using the same tip.

Hair: Tint buttercream icing with Orange Icing Color. Use tip #16 in a Disposable Decorating Bag. Fill bag with orange buttercream. Pipe hair at the top of cupcake.

Wolfman

Fur: Tint buttercream icing using Brown Icing Color or use chocolate buttercream icing. Attach tip #17 to Disposable Decorating Bag. Fill bag with brown buttercream. Pipe fur on top of cupcake in pullout star motion. Pipe with pull out star tip #17.

Eyes: Use two yellow gumballs for eyes. Attach tip #2 to decorating bag filled with black buttercream icing. Pipe black dots in the middle of gumballs and pipe eyebrows using tip #17.

Nose: Use brown M & M's.

Teeth: Use candy corn for teeth.

Witch

Face: Tint buttercream icing with Leaf Green Icing Color and ice cupcake.

Nose: Attach tip #12 to Disposable Decorating Bag. Fill bag with green buttercream. Pipe nose in center of cupcake.

Eyes and Mouth: Use white gumballs for eyeballs. Attach tip #2 to decorating bag filled with black buttercream. Pipe black dot in the middle of eyes. Pipe mouth. Use a tic-tac for tooth.

Hair: Tint buttercream with Orange Icing Color. Attach tip #16 on a decorating bag and fill with orange buttercream. Pipe hair on top of cupcake. Put black gumdrop that has been molded to a point on top of hair as a hat.

Mummy

Ice cupcake with chocolate buttercream. Attach tip #47 to a Disposable Decorating Bag and filled with white buttercream. Pipe bandages on cupcake.

Eyes: Use green M&Ms for eyes. Attach tip #2 to Disposable Decorating Bag filled with black buttercream. Pipe black dots in the middle of M&Ms.