Neapolitan Cupcake

The best thing about Neapolitan ice cream is that you don't need to choose between chocolate, strawberry and vanilla - one of the hardest decisions in life if you ask me.  Making the decision on a cupcake flavour is just as hard, so why not make Neapolitan Cupcakes? Here's everything that you'll need to do just that...

• Marble Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake...usually eggs, oil, and water)
• Strawberry Apple Sauce (enough to replace the Water AND Oil your recipe calls for)
• Store Bought Vanilla Icing
• Store Bought Chocolate Icing (optional)
• Butter (room temperate...around 1/2 cup or one full cup if you decide to make chocolate icing....but it's up to you)
• Icing Sugar (optional)
• Garnish Ideas: Fresh Strawberry, Chocolate Curls, Strawberry Candy

On to the recipe...

Step 1: Kind of follow the direction of your Marble Cake Mix.  Go ahead and preheat your oven and add the eggs to the cake mix, but replace the water and oil with Strawberry Apple Sauce. Mix the batter well until smooth.

Step 2: Now, I know your Marble Cake Mix says to portion off 1 cup or so of the batter, but since when do I listen to my cake mix directions?  Instead, only portion around 3/4 a cup into a separate bowl and mix in the cocoa package to the 3/4 cup of batter. You could portion off the full cup if you want more Chocolate than Strawberry, but it's really up to you.

Step 3: Spoon your Strawberry flavoured cupcake batter into your cupcake pan liners, only filling them just over 1/2 way.  Then, spoon a tablespoon or so of the chocolate batter in the centre of the strawberry batter.  Place them in the oven and bake as directed on package. Once they are done baking, let them cool completely before icing.

Step 3 (optional): I had some left over chocolate icing that I decided to put in the centre on my icing mound.  To make my Chocolate icing simply mix together the Chocolate icing and around 1/2 a cup of butter on high until smooth.  Mix well and add some icing sugar if it's not sweet enough for you or too buttery.  Pipe or spoon around a tablespoon or so of the Chocolate icing in the centre of your cupcake.

Step 4: For the vanilla icing simply mix together the store bought vanilla icing and around 1/2 a cup of butter on high until smooth.  Mix well and, like the Chocolate icing, add some icing sugar if it's not sweet enough for you or too buttery. Pipe it around the Chocolate icing, if you decided to have Chocolate and Vanilla icing, or simply pipe it on top of your cooled cupcake. Garnish with a Fresh Strawberry, some Chocolate Curls or a Strawberry Candy.

Happy Faking!

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Strawberry Short-Cupcake

Believe it or not, I have never been a fan any dessert whip topping.  It's weird, I know.  I love ice cream, cream sauces and even whip cream on hot drinks, but on or next to a dessert, no thanks.  But I do LOVE strawberries and tarts, so I've often created versions of strawberry shortcake desserts, minus the whip.  This is my version of a  Strawberry Short-Cupcake.  To make this berry-delicious treat you'll need...

• Vanilla Cake Mix (plus ingredients to make the cake...usually eggs, oil, and water)
• Store Bought Vanilla Icing
• 1 package of Active Dry Yeast
• 1 1/2 cups of Freeze Dried Strawberries (1 cup for the cake and 1/2 cup for the icing)
• Butter (room temperate...around 1/2 cup....but it's up to you)
• Icing Sugar (enough to thicken your icing)
• 1 cup of Cool Whip

Recipe time...

Step 1: To start, use the amount of water your cake mix package calls for, but use warm water.  Dissolve your Active Dry Yeast into the warm water. Once the Active Dry Yeast is fully dissolved, follow the rest of the directions for your Vanilla Cake Mix except for the preheating your oven part.

Step 2: Mix the batter until smooth.  Gently fold in 1 cup of the Freeze Dried Strawberries and let your batter thicken for a little while (I've waited as long as 30 minutes).

Step 3: Once your batter has thickened, spoon it into the cupcake liners.  Place in the oven and bake as directed on package.  Once they are done baking, let them cool completely.

Step 4: Before you start making your icing, grind 1/2 cup of Freeze Dried Strawberries into a fine powder using a food processor or mortar & pestle.  Now it's time to make your icing.

Step 5: In a mixing bowl add the 1/2 cup of powdered Freeze Dried Strawberries, Cool Whip, Store Bought Vanilla Icing, and Butter.  Mix on high until smooth.  Add icing sugar to thicken the icing to the desired consistency. 

Step 6: To ice your cupcakes, feel free to use a piping bag, spoon, or knife.  I used a piping bag with tip #12.  You can garnish your cupcake with a chocolate covered strawberry or a strawberry candy, but I thought it looked yummy with it's light pink icing alone.  And that's it! 

Happy Faking!

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