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| Science experiment or delicious dessert? Or both? |
I completely admit that I am not beneath bribing my children with cooking projects to get them to leave a highly desired activity … say, the playground. Wrangling four children off a playground is truly as hard as it seems. Therefore, when the time comes to leave, I can often be heard suggesting… “Why don’t we head home so we can do a fun baking project?” Departure ensues almost instantaneously. Like magic. (Usually.)
This past weekend, I had one very sad girl who did not want to go home. Ever. Through tears, she finally acquiesced, “Can we make cupcakes? Pink ones? Strawberry cupcakes with pink frosting?” Ummm… Sure. Why not? In honor of Valentine’s Day, let’s make some pink cupcakes. Strawberry, of course.
I started off with a box of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix. Our local Harris Teeter sells this right in the baking section but if your market does not carry it, you can easily order it online at Amazon. (We buy a lot of our gluten free products through Amazon!) I added a package of strawberry jell-o, 1 stick of melted butter, 4 eggs, and buttermilk pureed with frozen strawberries. Super simple. Moist and delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix
1 package strawberry jell-o
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
4 eggs
About 1 cup of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup buttermilk
Directions:
Combine cake mix and jell-o in a large mixing bowl. Puree strawberries and buttermilk in a blender. Add to mixing bowl. Mix on low to combine. Add melted butter. Mix again. Add 4 eggs (I added 2 at a time – mixing after each pair). After all the ingredients have been combined, mix on high for about 2 minutes.
Pour into muffin tins – we used 12 traditional paper lined tins and another 12 silicon heart shaped muffin holders placed on a cookie sheet. Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes. Insert a fork or cake tester into the muffin to test for doneness – if it comes out with no crumbs, your cupcakes are ready.
Eat plain or frost with cream cheese frosting! Yum!
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I would love to make these today but do not have buttermilk. I have coconut milk and regular fat free milk. Will either of those work?
Hi Cassie! Hmmm… I have a few thoughts – you could straight up use milk instead but it won’t come out quite the same. You could make your own buttermilk using lemon juice (or vinegar) and milk – combine 1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice with milk, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and then measure off 1/2 cup to use in the recipe. You could also use plain yogurt instead of buttermilk if you have that on hand – maybe even vanilla yogurt – I often substitute yogurt in for my liquid. Let me know what you try… I am always experimenting with what I have in the house! I hope one of these ideas works for you. – Erin
I know this is an older post, but these really are great. We made 24 and they were all eaten in 2 days! I made them to take with us to a b-day party and now I am making them for my daughter’s b-day party today. They are wonderful. I’m considering trying different types of fruit and jello to see how they turn out.
Thanks so much for the comment! I get a lot of good feedback from this recipe – kids (and adults) just gobble these cupcakes up. – Erin