Funfettinutter Cupcakes for Two (or One Birthday Girl)

It’s my Birthday!! As in Erin’s birthday, not The Spiffy Cookie’s (that’s in November). And as usual all I can think of if what I am going to eat in order to celebrate. For lunch, we will be going out to a local bar called Bardog because they named their daily hot dog in my honor! Then later I will be enjoying a delicious margarita(s) with friends on Cafe Ole‘s patio and will probably prance around to other bars and restaurants in the Cooper/Young area.

But first (as always) I had to take care of dessert. These cupcakes have been a brainchild of mine for several weeks now. Waiting until this week to make them was pretty much torture, but they were totally worth the wait. Ever since Liz over on Little Bitty Bakes introduced the idea of a funfettinutter, I have been obsessed. First I made a pie, and now these cupcakes! They were the prefect Birthday treat combining two of my favorite things – peanut butter and Funfetti. Happy Birthday to me indeed!

I decided to use a cupcake recipe for two instead of making a huge batch. In retrospect I really wish I had extras of these but it was fun to try, and I can always upscale the frosting and filling for a full-sized recipe later on. Unfortunately my cupcakes stuck a bit to the liners. I don’t know if it was a problem with the liners themselves, or something I did wrong in preparing the cupcakes. But I also thought that the cupcakes could’ve stood being a bit sweeter. Maybe they simply had too much competition with the frosting. White chocolate peanut butter AND marshmallow fluff? Guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that the cupcakes ended up being more of a vehicle. The only thing that could’ve made that frosting better would’ve been the addition of cream cheese (why am I just thinking of that now!?).

I even used my new favorite way to frost cupcakes – a large cookie scoop! Makes frosting a snap, and once you dunk it into a bowl on sprinkles no one will ever know the difference. And how could I forget to talk up that wonderful ooze of filling when you bite into them? It’s as if you underbaked the cupcake so that there is still raw batter inside. Oh be still my heart.

I share my birthday today with Amanda (Amanda’s Cookin’)and Amy (Fearless Homemaker) so send them happy wishesas well. And in case this day wasn’t already awesome enough it’s also Star Wars day! Don’t forget to wish “May the fourth be with you” to everyone so that you look incredibly nerdy cool.

One year ago: Peanut Butter Cup S’mores Ice Cream

FUNFETTINUTTER CUPCAKES FOR TWO

Serves 2

Ingredients:

FROSTING

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

2 Tbsp Peanut Butter & Co’s White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 tsp milk

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 Tbsp marshmallow creme

CUPCAKES

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp milk

1 egg white

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp sprinkles

FILLING

2 Tbsp dry Funfetti cake mix (heat treated*)

1 Tbsp water

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line a cupcake pan with two liners, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, peanut butter, vanilla and milk on low until well blended. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat on low until blended, then for 2 minutes at medium speed until light and fluffy. Fold in the marshmallow creme until just incorporated. Cover and place in refrigerator while you prepare the cupcakes.
3. In another medium bowl, beat the oil, milk, egg white, vanilla and sugar together. Add the flour and baking powder, followed by the sprinkles – do not overmix. Pour into cupcake liners and bake for 15 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting.
4. While the cupcakes are baking, in a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients and refrigerate. Once the cupcakes have cooled, cup out a small crater in the tops of both cupcakes and fill with prepared Funfetti cake mix filling. Frost and top with sprinkles, if desired.

*Raw eggs are not the only possible source of bacterial contamination, raw flour is also a culprit. Heat treat by heating in microwave to 160 degrees F – about 1 minute stirring every 15 seconds.

Source: Frosting downsized from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, cupcakes from Chocolate and Carrots, filling from Litty Bitty Bakes.