Post #109: Easy Cupcakes That Look, Well, Not-So-Easy!

Okay, so by now most of you know that I straddle the fence of semi-homemade and homemade. I would never claim to buy store-bought baked goods (well, except for the one very recent exception of the last itsy bitsy Oreo cake that I bought from Kroger's to use for my ice cream demo with much encouragement from my hubby who pleaded with me to please buy the d@mn thing so we could have some quality time together before he left for the motherland, that is, Africa), but I do incorporate store-bought into my recipes that others would like to use, but want them simplified due to time constraints and/or lack of passion for culinary pursuits. Yes, I, too, often use these store bought substitutions in a way that would make Sandra Lee happy, and Foodies shocked.

So when I promised to make cupcakes for our elementary school's Family Fun Night, I was pressed between a rock and a hard place. I had within 24 hours, 48 cupcakes and a cake for 40 to decorate! What to do, what to do? I just did it.

I "Duncan Hines"-ed the cupcakes with my favorite flavor, Devil's Food cake, and frosted one dozen with store-bought Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Frosting and dusted with cocoa powder. The other dozen my daughter frosted using my favorite ganache recipe sans liquer and added chocolate and candied sprinkles.

From Cupcake Fun

From Cupcake Fun

The trick to mine was simply dressing up the frosting by adding it to a disposable piping bag with a 1M tip and spiraling. Then, I dusted them with cocoa powder.
The trick to my daughter's was to use a ganache frosting to add an easy elegance. Then, she added sprinkles for a fun look.
We both used pretty silver cupcake tins for an added special touch.

The result, not just your typical gaudy, effortless cupcakes from a store bakery, but especially pretty, dainty cupcakes, that were devoured by little, grubby hands after being won in a cake walk.

I even joined the cake walk.

From Cupcake Fun

And when I won after three times playing, I picked one of mine.

Of course, my daughter gloated since her cupcakes went faster than mine, but that is okay, I forgot all about my loss after I got to go on this ride...

From Cupcake Fun

See me up there?

Nothing wrong with acting young or making things easy on yourself!