With Sprinkles on Top

Another super simple cupcake idea for you all! Be sure that you enjoy eating Lucky Charms for breakfast, because you’ll have plenty of extra cereal after you make these. I think most of you will agree with me: the best part about Lucky Charms is the marshmallows! Did you know that you can buy JUST the marshmallows in bulk? [And I’m talking IN BULK…. 95 lbs to be exact]

Lucky Charms were developed in the early 60s by General Mills. One of their employees decided to mix Cheerios and bits of Brach’s circus peanuts — and after years of development and modifying, Lucky Charms were born. Here’s some more Lucky Charm trivia for you, courtesy of Wikipedia.

• The original cereal contained pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers.
• Blue diamonds were introduced in 1975, purple horseshoes in 1984, red balloons in 1989, rainbows in 1992, pots of gold in 1994, leprechaun hats in 1996, orange shooting stars in 1998 (other colors of shooting stars were added in 2011), and an hourglass in 2008.
• Older marshmallow shapes were gradually phased out; the pink heart is the only shape to survive since the beginning.
• Limited edition marshmallows were also added over the years — including a whale in 1986, pine trees in 1990, a red balloon with a gold star in 1991, and a sparkling rainbow in 2000.

I’ve always loved the rainbows the best!

Lucky Charm Cupcakes
Print Recipe

1 box cake mix (plus required oil, eggs)
1 tub store-bought frosting (flavor is up to you)
1 box Lucky Charms

1. Bake cupcakes according to box directions and allow to cool completely.
2. Frost cupcakes and cover in Lucky Charms cereal.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

March is here! Spring will officially arrive later this month and all of you with Irish blood cursing through your veins will get to celebrate on the 17th. These cupcakes are EASY to make. If you are looking for something simple and quick to make for your kid’s class at school, give them a try.

Pot O’ Gold Cupcakes
Print Recipe

1 box cake mix (plus required eggs, oil)
1 tub vanilla or cream cheese frosting
Green sprinkles or sanding sugar
1 bag Rolos
2 packages Airhead Xtreme sour strips [I found mine at Target]

1. Bake cupcakes according to box directions and cool completely.
2. Frost cupcakes with frosting and dip into green sugar to fully coat.
3. Cut the Airhead Xtreme strips in half. Take a half and place it over the cupcake to form the rainbow. Stick the ends into the cupcake.
4. Place two or three Rolos underneath each rainbow.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

It’s February 29th! Happy Leap Year! Let’s celebrate this once-every-four year occurrence with a giant donut cake. I bought these cake pans at Williams-Sonoma a few years ago and decided to finally put them to use. I’m not sure if WS still sells the pan, but if they don’t, I bet you could find one on eBay or Bed Bath and Beyond. I’ve always been a fan of oversized or undersized novelty items. A giant donut? YES PLEASE!

Giant Donut Cake
Recipe source: Williams-Sonoma
Print Recipe

Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/3 cups milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Chocolate glaze:
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
4 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
2-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup hot water

1. Have all the ingredients (except the hot water) at room temperature. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Grease and flour both halves of a giant donut cake pan.
2. To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, combine the milk and vanilla. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition until just incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and tap the pans on the countertop to eliminate any air bubbles. Spread the batter up the sides of each pan so the sides are higher than the center. Bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
6. Set the rack over the cakes, invert the pans onto the rack and lift off the pans. Let the cakes cool completely, at least 2 hours, before assembling and decorating.
7. To assemble, return both halves of the cooled cake to the pans. (This is easily done by placing the pans over the cake halves and inverting the rack onto the pans.) Level the cakes by using a serrated knife to gently saw off the part of each half that rose above the edge of the pan; discard the scraps. Remove the cakes from the pans. Place one cake half, cut side up, on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; place the other half, cut side down, on top.
8. To make the chocolate glaze, fill the bottom pan of a double boiler with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. In the top pan of the double boiler, combine the butter and chocolate chips and heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and water until combined. Pour the glaze over the cake all at once in one layer and immediately decorate with colored sprinkles. Let the glaze set for 15 minutes before slicing and serving the cake.

Oh, monkey bread, you are perfect. Oooey, gooey, warm, doughy… just perfect. And monkey bread is easy to make! Throw a bunch of stuff in a bundt pan, bake, and you’re done. Anyone know why it’s called monkey bread though?!

Edit: Yes, I know, this isn’t REAL king cake. Yes, I know, this is monkey bread. Yes, I know, I am less of a food blogger because I used refrigerator biscuits. Yes, I know, nothing could be more of a world crisis than making a Mardi Gras-themed treat that isn’t perfectly accurate. Relax, breathe, and be zen, guys. It’s just sugar. :)

King Cake Monkey Bread
Recipe source: Babble.com
Print Recipe

4 tubes refrigerator biscuits [buy the plain Pillsbury biscuits, not the flaky biscuits! the plain biscuits will come in packs of 4 and the tubes are small]
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-3/4 cups sugar, separated
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup butter

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray.
2. Mix the cinnamon with 3/4 cup sugar. Cut each biscuit into 4 pieces and roll in cinnamon sugar mix. Layer in prepared bundt pan.
3. Mix 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, and butter in saucepan; bring to boil and pour over the biscuits. Bake for 30-45 minutes. [the baking time can really vary; check the pan often to see how things are progressing and remove from oven when all of the biscuit pieces appear to be fully cooked]
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the stovetop for a few minutes, then carefully invert onto a plate or cake stand.

For the icing:
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Colored sprinkles for decorating

Mix the sugar, cream, and vanilla together. I added a bit more cream to give the frosting a thinner consistency (personal preference — you can definitely leave the frosting thick and as-is! I just wanted more of a glaze). Spread over warm monkey bread and decorate with sprinkles. Serve immediately.

Mardi Gras is next week! Get those beads out and fire up the stove to make some jambalaya! A few years ago I made a big, traditional king cake. This year, I wanted something more simple. Pinterest pointed me in the direction of these simple king cake knots, which are made using store-bought refrigerated dough. Check back in the coming days, as I also have a post for king cake monkey bread!

King Cake Knots
Recipe source: PlainChicken.com
Print Recipe

1 loaf refrigerated french bread dough (I used Pillsbury)
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar
4 teaspoons milk (may need a bit more to get the right consistency)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Green, yellow, purple decorating sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Unroll French bread dough into a large rectangle, about 16 x 12 inches. Brush the dough lightly with softened butter. Mix together sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over butter.
2. Cut the dough in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into strips, about 1-1/4 inches wide. Tie each strip into a knot and place on baking sheet. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3. Mix together powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Dip each knot into icing and decorate with sprinkles.