Delicious Cupcakes for Under $10

Now that we are more adjusted to having our little girl at home, I've had a moment to work on a simple tasty treat! These cupcakes are delicious and moist, and surprisingly enough, they come from a boxed cake mix!

The Cupcakes: Yields 12 Servings

2/3 C Milk or Buttermilk

1/4 C Butter (softened)

2 Eggs

1/2 Box of Betty Crocker Cake Mix (I used Devil's Food and Vanilla in two separate batches.)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, milk, butter, and eggs on low until mixture is smooth.
• Let mixture sit while lining muffin tin.
• Fill to half way point (the mixture will rise to the top while baking)
• Bake 15-17 minutes. 
• Check with tooth pick. When the pick comes out clean the cupcakes are done.
• Allow to cool completely before decorating.

The Icing:

1 Can Betty Crocker - Rich & Creamy - Milk Chocolate 

1 Can Betty Crocker - Rich & Creamy - Cream Cheese

Green Food Coloring 

(Add coloring to cream cheese icing, stirring consistently, until desired shade is reached. I prefer the pale green color because it makes for a nice contrast with the brown icing.)

Decorating:

1 Piping Bag

1 Size M Star Tip

• Cut end of piping bag just enough to fit the tip in. 
• Place tip inside bag, and slide through small hole until firmly in place.
• Lay piping bag on a flat surface and pull open so it looks like this:

• With small spoon, take green icing and place into bag, face down. Make sure that you push the spoon as close to the tip as possible, and scrape the icing off on the portion of the bag touching the flat surface. 
• Continue to add green icing like this to the half way point of the bag.
• With a different spoon, take chocolate icing and place into bag, face up. Again, push the spoon as close to the tip as possible, and scrape the icing off on the top portion of the bag. The colors will mix a bit, and that is okay, as we want them to seamlessly change color as we decorate.
• Continue to add chocolate icing like this to the half way point on the bag.
• Pick up bag with tip facing down over a small bowl.
• Twist the top of the bag to prevent air pockets.
• Gently squeeze bag and allow icing to go into bowl until both colors are seen, and air pockets are no longer coming out.

Decoration:

This style of decoration is very simple. Start in the center of the cupcake, and make tight swirls outward.

For this style, you do the exact opposite. Start piping in a spiral inwards, slowly building upwards. To finish, give a small extra squeeze to the piping bag and release pressure as you pull straight up.

Garnish:

Vegetable Peeler

1 Hershey's Chocolate Bar

Over a cupcake, slowly drag vegetable peeler along the short edge of the chocolate bar. For more curling, make sure the chocolate bar is room temperature. For less curling, place chocolate bar in refrigerator 10 minutes prior to garnishing cupcakes.

And there you have it! Super easy and delicious cupcakes for under $10!