Orange Vanilla Cream Cupcakes – Easy!

Orange Cupcakes - Photo by MyBakingAddiction

Happy Monday!

Today I have a special recipe for all of you busy moms who still want to bake delicious cupcakes but don’t have the time to make them 100% from scratch. This recipe is easy, delicious, and still has that homemade taste!

Orange Vanilla Cream Cupcakes

What you’ll need:

• 1 box of Duncan Hines White Cake Mix
• 3 Egg Whites
• 1/3 Cup of Veg Oil
• 1 cup of water
• ¼ cup of orange soda
• ¼ cup of Orange Jello Mix (dry)
• 1 box of   Instant Vanilla Pudding

Directions:

1. Ignore the directions on the box 🙂
2. Combine Cake mix with Egg Whites, Veg Oil, Water and Orange Soda
3. Mix Well
4. Add ¼ cup of Dry orange jello powder
5. Mix well for 2 minutes
6. In a separate bowl, make your instant pudding mix (just follow the directions on the box – all you will need is Milk)
7. Fill your cupcake liners a little over halfway with batter
8. Place 1 TBS of Vanilla Pudding in each cupcake liner (The pudding will bake into the center of the cupcake and create a delicious filling!! Just don’t use more than 1 TBS)
9. Bake at 350 for 18 -20 minutes.
10. Let cool before you frost

I like to finish these off with my traditional buttercream and some white chocolate chips. Yum!

Now who says those aren’t homemade?? Every mom needs a quick cupcake and these are perfect because they are so delicious and kids and adults alike will gobble them up!! Enjoy.

Xoxo, Jill

*This recipe is a Stay Calm Cupcake Original. If you would like to feature this recipe on your blog or website, please contact me at staycalmcupcake@yahoo.com.*

Little Cups of Heaven

Happy Friday! Today is the last Friday of the summer that I will have off – what a bummer! So far I have spent my day baking cupcakes, making frosting, and drawing up plans for my niece’s 2nd birthday cake – Sesame Street of course 🙂 Overall, it has been a pretty relaxing day.

As I was looking through my recipe book, I realized that I have been meaning to share a great, oh so easy, recipe with you. Cake Parfaits! Little cups of cake and frosting, perfect for a personal treat or a dessert at a dinner party. Please forgive the picture  though,  trust me that they taste so much better than the picture makes them look!

I made two kinds of cake parfaits – Vanilla Pineapple Cream and Double Chocolate Butterscotch. Enjoy!

Little Cups Of Heaven!

Vanilla Pineapple Cream Ingredients:

• 1 box of Duncan Hines Golden Butter cake mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 stick of softened butter
• 2/3 cup of water
• 1 tub of Cool Whip
• 1 small can of crushed pineapple
• 1 box of instant vanilla pudding
• Sliced strawberries
• Clear Plastic Cups

Directions:

1. Bake cake according to box directions
2. Let cake cool for 10-15 minutes
3. Cut cake into medium size cubes
4. Place a good amount (6-7) of cake cubes on the bottom of the clear cup
5. Layer Pineapple Cream on top of cake (see below for directions)
6. Add several strawberries
7. Repeat steps 4-6 until your cup is filled

Pineapple Cream Filling:

In a medium mixing bowl mix together the whole tub of cool whip and the dry vanilla pudding mix. Drain a little bit of the juice from the crushed pineapple – do not drain completely though. Gradually add in spoonfuls of crushed pineapple, mix with spatula until fully combined. Let chill in fridge for 15 minutes.

** I also use this as a frosting for vanilla or angel food cake cupcakes – it’s so good!** 

Double Chocolate Butterscotch Ingredients:

• 1 box of Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake mix ( and the ingredients listed on the back of the box)
• 1 bag of butterscotch chips
• 1 bag of milk chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 tub of Cool Whip
• 1 box of chocolate pudding mix
• Clear Plastic Cups

Directions:

1. Bake cake according to box directions
2. Let cake cool for 10-15 minutes
3. Cut cake into medium size cubes
4. Place a good amount (6-7) of cake cubes on the bottom of the clear cup
5. Layer Chocolate Cool Whip on top of cake (see below for directions)
6. Add several butterscotch and milk chocolate chips
7. Repeat steps 4-6 until your cup is filled

Chocolate Cool Whip Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl mix together the whole tub of cool whip and the dry chocolate pudding mix. Let chill in fridge for 15 minutes.

Bittersweet Cupcakes

 I recently baked strawberry supreme cupcakes and old-fashion vanilla cupcakes.

I knew I didn’t have time to make the batter from scratch, especially on a week night, so I used box cake (I know, I can hear the gasps now). I altered it though, and I was happy to find that they turned out fabulous!

“Semi-Homemade” Strawberry Cupcakes

 1 Box of Duncan Hines Strawberry Cake Mix

 1 cup of finely diced strawberries

 2 tsp of strawberry flavoring

 1 tsp of pink food coloring

Make the batter according to the directions on the box

Add in diced strawberries – mix well

Add extra flavoring and food coloring – mix well

For the icing, I used my recipe for butter-cream icing. Feel free to use whichever homemade frosting you like most. It’s important to have homemade icing though, it counteracts the “box cake “ 🙂

Old-Fashion Vanilla Cupcakes

 1 Box of Duncan Hines Vanilla Cake Mix

 1 tsp vanilla extract

 2 tbsp of water (in addition to what the box calls for)

Bake according to box direction – Add frosting. I suggest cream-cheese or chocolate.

Pretty In Pink Cupcakes! Good Luck Erin!!

Now enjoy the cupcakes that took you half the time to bake but taste just as fabulous!

Cupcakes are the sweetest gift you could give someone. It shows them you took the time out of your day to bake them something –and seriously, who doesn’t LOVE cupcakes??

Enjoy the tricks, and don’t think that cupcakes are only for birthdays. Cupcakes are good all year round!

Til next time, stay sweet. xoxo