GamecockDoc

Cupcake time!

I'm loving my month in the clinic. I have a couple half days a week where I'm not scheduled to see patients and instead have "admin time." That's a gift from the program secretary... some time off. Quite nice after a month in the unit. So I have this morning off and have spent it making these.


It's a fellow intern's birthday, so I figured cupcakes at clinic were a good idea. I was lazy and used cake mix for them, but I have a technique for doctoring it that I got from my mom. It works really well and people won't guess that it's a mix. People are always asking for my cake recipe and I'm embarrassed to admit it's just Betty Crocker.

My cake:
1 box cake mix, sifted
1 envelope Dream Whip, sifted
1 cup milk
1/4 cup liquor (whatever you have on hand, I often use Jim Beam for baking)
3 eggs
With electric mixer, beat until combined. Then beat on high for 5 minutes. Pour into prepared pans and bake as directed on the cake mix box.
The Dream Whip and extra beating time makes the cake really fluffy. The liquor gets rid of the sweet artificial taste of the mix. You don't taste the alcohol itself though. It's some kind of magic. It works in boxed corn bread mix too.

I did make my own frosting though; I think it's a better use of my time. The white frosting is peppermint and the brown is peanut butter. The peanut butter tastes just like Reeces Pieces...yum! I got the recipes from Julie.

Peppermint Buttercream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter at room temperature
3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
1/2 to 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Green food coloring

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, and vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff. If you like, tint the frosting green. (I obviously didn't.)

Peanut Butter Frosting
1 cup creamy peanut butter
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Place the peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and the vanilla. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well combined, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting lightens and is fluffy, 1 minute more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

posted by GamecockDoc @ 7:12 AM