Cinco De Mayo Cupcakes

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• Cupcakes:
• 1 package (18.25 ounces) plain German chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetables oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Frosting:
• Butter Cream Frosting (recipe follows
• 2 to 3 drops red food coloring
• 2 to 3 drops green food coloring
• 24 chocolate candy melts, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Place rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set pans aside.

Prepare cupcake batter: Place cake mix, buttermilk, oil, eggs, vanilla extract and cinnamon in large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop machine and scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping sides down again, if needed. Spoon or scoop 1/3 cup batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling three quarters full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove empty liners, if any.) Place pans in oven.

Bake cupcakes until they spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 16 to 20 minutes. Remove pans from oven and place on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run dinner knife around edges of cupcake liners, lift cupcakes up from bottoms of cups using end of knife, and pick them out cups carefully with your fingertips. Place them on wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting.

Meanwhile, prepare Buttercream Frosting and divide it evenly among 3 bowls. Color frosting in one bowl with red food coloring, another with green food coloring. Start with 2 drops color and add third, if desired. Leave frosting in last bowl white.

Spread 3 vertical strips of frosting on each cup cake: first green, then white in center, then red. Use short metal spatula or spoon to spread out smoothly. Place chocolate melt in center of white stripe. Cupcakes are ready to serve.

_Store these cupcakes, in cake saver or under glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days or in refrigerator for up to 1 wee. Or freeze, wrapped in foil or in cake saver for up to 6 months. Thaw cupcakes overnight in refrigerator before serving._