Candy Land Cupcakes

Hello Everyone and Welcome Back!
I'm so glad I'm finally posting these! I'm also so glad my kids are asleep and I actually can finish! I made these Funfetti Cupcakes with a Candy Land theme for my niece and nephew. They both have birthdays this month and are only a year apart so naturally their mom has beaten the system and figured out a way to have one party for both kids! Smart woman. My kids would never go for that. Although they're 5 years apart so I suppose there's more speculation there. I'll apologize now if I'm not making ANY sense! I've been running around non stop today and have just sat down at 11:30 pm when I should have a glass of wine in my hand....hold on....
Okay now I have a glass of wine in my hand! The night can go on! Okay now to get to why you're all here. Cupcakes. I've tried a few different recipes for these bad boys and I think I've found the one. It's flavorful, delicious, moist, doesn't fall apart in your hands, and it's kid and adult approved! How much better could it get!? (wine sip)...it just did :)
This recipe I actually happened to find without really looking for it. Its from Eva Bakes which I of course tweaked a little to make my own. Now the recipe only calls for 12. I got more like 16. And I made 3 batches. Not only because I needed 36 for my little love nuggets but also because in this house one batch is never enough. This recipe is super easy to follow and super quick, which made making 3 batches seem like it flew by! And in this instance, I think decorating these suckers took the longest!
Any who, I decided too that I wanted to show pictures of the baking process this time. I've seen other bloggers do it, and I really like it, so I said what the heck, lets go for it...and so I did....(wine sip).
I always start by making sure I have everything I'm going to need set up on the counter, I have the oven pre heating, and I have my liners all picked out and placed in the muffin tins.  Next I read through my ingredients to double check, and read through the directions. ALWAYS read the entire directions. I cant tell you how many times I've failed to listen to that voice in my head telling me to finish reading and I tell it to shut up only to kick myself afterwards because I'm an idiot and now have to start all over (wine sip) I don't feel so bad anymore though.

For this recipe you want to start by sifting together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, that you'll set aside for later.

Next you'll want to take your MELTED butter, add it to your stand mixing bowl, or whatever large bowl you'll be using for the remainder of the time. Add your sugar to it and mix. It will look a little grainy, that's okay.

Next you'll add your liquid ingredients. You can add all of them before you mix. This includes your egg, sour cream, buttermilk, and vanilla. Yum!
You can see how the sugar and butter are a little "sticky" looking. That's good, it'll go away soon :)

Now it's time to grab that flour mixture you set aside earlier. Go ahead and add about half of it and mix until its combined. You don't want to mix it for too long since you've added your egg. Once that's incorporated, add the second half and then scrape down the bowl after that's all nice and pretty looking. That is, after you've incorporated the second portion.

Now it's the best part! Adding the sprinkles! Woot woot! I like to use Wilton's Rainbow Crunch Sprinkles. They're colorful and have chocolate on the inside. I mean need I say more? I always make sure I fold any type of candy into my batter. It helps to keep the air from escaping, which can cause your cakes to flatten out, and not show that pretty little bump they get when they come out from the oven. Too with these sprinkles, if you over mix them the color can start to smear and that's not pretty at all!

Ooh yeah....no wonder we have fights over who gets to lick the spoon...I mean clean it! Who gets to clean the spoon! :) Fill your liners about 2/3 full. If you have a cookie scoop go on and use that! It ensures you're cupcakes will all be filled evenly and its less clean up. I do two scoops per liner. I love it! Now put these bad boys in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. When its time for them to come out, let them cool for about 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack so you don't burn yourself and when they're completely cool you can frost them to your hearts content....if you can wait that long. I never can. I always have to make sure it tastes good! In case you're wondering, they do!
Below I'll post the recipe, and I used my Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting, which I've used before but will post again for convenience.

Aren't they adorable!? I just love all the bright colors and can't wait to see the kids reactions tomorrow. I hope they love them too! I decorated these cupcakes with gumballs, sprinkles, and Spree's and topped each one with a rainbow lollipop, which you can get at Joann's or Michaels. I had to cut the stems a little so they weren't sticking out so high, but it made a world of difference.

Funfetti Cupcakes
  (makes 16)
1 cup plus 2/3 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sour cream, full fat is best
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350. Line 16 baking cups with liners. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and set aside. In a large bowl, take your melted butter and mix together with the sugar until combined. Add all of your wet ingredients including the egg, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla until combined. Add half of your flour mixture and combine, then add the second half and scrape down sides of bowl. Fold in the sprinkles. Do not over mix.
Divide evenly into your liners and bake for 15 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
 (makes about 3 cups)

12 ounces, (1 1/2 blocks) full fat cream cheese, unsoftened
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar
1-3Tbs heavy cream, if needed

Mix together on med-high speed the cream cheese and butter until well combined. Next add vanilla and combine well. Finally, one cup at a time, on low speed, add the powdered sugar until all 4 cups have been incorporated. If you find the batter is too stiff, which it shouldn't be (you want it a little stiff so it holds up better, especially if you're using decorations) you can add one tablespoon at a time the heavy cream. Frost as desired. I used a 1M tip fitted in my piping bag.
Thanks again for visiting and let me know what you think!
Enjoy and Have A Sweet Day!

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