Makes 12 cupcakes.
For the Cupcakes
Ingredients
¾ Pound (3 Sticks) of Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
2 Cups Sugar
5 Extra-large Eggs, at room temperature
1-1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 Teaspoons Almond Extract
3 Cups Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoons Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk
6 Fluid Ozs. Red Gel Food Coloring
.6 Fluid Ozs. Blue Gel Food Coloring
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In three parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry mix.
Mix until just combined.
Divide the batter equally into three separate bowls.
In one of the bowls of batter, add enough red food coloring gel to attain the desired deepness of of color when mixed together.
In a second bowl, add enough blue food coloring gel to attain the desired deepness of color when mixed together.
Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
Separately, spoon into different corners of the cupcake liners, each of the three colors of batter, filling each liner to the top with the batter.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.
For the Frosting
Ingredients
1 Pound Cream Cheese, at room temperature
¾ Pound (3 Sticks Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
½ Teaspoon Almond Extract
1-1/2 Pounds Powdered Sugar
Directions
With an electric mixer, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract.
Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
Frost each cupcake with a pastry bag and tip, or with a spoon.
For the Firecracker
Ingredients
3-oz. Red Candy Melts
12 Regular-size Marshmallows
1 Foot of Black Licorice Laces
Directions
In a glass bowl deep enough to dip your marshmallows, melt red candy melts in the microwave at 50 percent power for 30 seconds. Add additional 15 seconds if necessary.
Put a wooden skewer into the top of each marshmallow to dip the marshmallow into the melted candy melts.
Lift the marshmallow out and set-top side on a piece of wax paper.
Release the skewer.
Immediately take a short piece of the black licorice lace and dip the end into your red candy melts and stick it into the indentation left from the skewer.
Let marshmallows harden completely.
Place a firecracker on top of each frosted cupcake, and add red, white, and blue sprinkles.
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