How to Properly Eat a Cupcake: The Chocolate Edition

**I wrote this post back over Memorial Day weekend and I forgot to hit the "publish post" button.  The photos are still funny, in my biased-mama-bear opinion so I am going to share them now.  Better late than never :-) **

There is just something about seeing a child with cake smeared all over her face that leaves me cracking up.  Well, laughing until I realize it will be me who has to bathe said child.

Note: Recipe at end of blog!

Mmmm.  This is so good!

You think that I would have learned my lesson from the previous cupcake experience:

The thing is, there was not supposed to be a chocolate edition.  For Andrew's birthday, he specifically requested yellow cake cupcakes with vanilla butter cream icing--homemade of course :-)

First you must study the cupcake like so and then formulate a plan of consumption /  cupcake attack.

The thing is, I had a little incident with the baking.  It is actually quite embarrassing and yet, here I am sharing it on blogger for all to see.  I slightly over-cooked the cake portion of the cupcakes.  The one pan turned out perfectly, but the second pan was a slightly different type of metal. . . ooh, I am shuddering as I type this.  Well, let's just say they ended up un-iced and all evidence of the baking boo-boo is hidden away.

Okay, cupcake passes visual approval.  Time to shove entire cake into mouth.

Andrew was quite delighted with the ones that turned out.  So much so that I did not have enough left over for the Birthday BBQ on Memorial Day weekend when his mother and Papa C were visiting.

Better double check this icing.  Lick.  Lick. Yep, it passes the Ellie Bellie Bear Icing Inspection.

It was a true cupcake emergency. (Lack of dessert is always an emergency. Not enough salad, puh-shah.  Not enough cole slaw, eh.  Yet not enough cupcakes--dire circumstances.  Desperate measures must be taken.

Time to "dissect" the cake.  Yep, looks tasty.  So. . .

...Must shovel entire cake into mouth in one bite.  Be sure to get it onto your eyes, nose, forehead, chin, and arms.

Being a chocolate lover and often unable to maintain a steady supply of chocolate in the house, I was shocked to find, in the back of the pantry, chocolate cake mix.  Oh the shame.  I must confess, I used the cake mix.  Undoctored.  Straight out of the box.

I am not sure I have enough on my face.  

Fortunately, I had enough vanilla icing left.  Chocolate and Yellow cake cupcakes to serve to the guests. Success!  Crisis averted!

Nope, not enough on the face.  Must. Have. Another. Cupcake.  Good thing Wawa Grandma Dunja is here to give me more.

See!  I am trying to sign "more".  I knew my speech therapy would come in handy just for occasions like this.

I believe that my darling little dumpling ate more cupcakes than anyone.

Mmmm.  Insert entire fist full of cake into mouth.

Must protect cake from those cupcake stealing vultures.

Well, perhaps I had just as many cupcakes as Ellie. . .

I think I am close to being done.

Sugar coma?  What's that?

Somebody just said there is another way to eat a cupcake.  What? More than one way to eat a cupcake?!?!?

My Godson Grant: From the top down.  Be sure to get cake stuck in you teeth.

My "niece" Gracie Grace: The Icing Licker.

There are still cake crumbs matted into the ducky bathmat and the rubber bathtub liner thingy.


Andrew likes this icing for one reason only---the word BUTTER is in the title.   The Theurers love their butter.  Oh yes--they could eat sticks of butter like a candy bar.  Trust me. . . I have seen it.

Recipe for Vanilla Butter Cream Icing:
 *1 stick of butter, softened
*2 tsp of Vanilla Extra
*4 Cups of Powdered / Confectioners Sugar
*3-4 TBSP of milk

Enough icing to cover 24 cupcakes, 1 sheet cake, or a double-layer 9inch round cake

I like to use my KitchenAide Stand-up mixer but you can use a handheld one as well.
1. Mix butter and vanilla in bowl.
2. Alternate adding in 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 TBSP of milk
3. Add extra milk if mixture seems stiff.
4. You can substitute other extracts in place of the vanilla to add flavor--ie lemon, orange, maple.

Later, I will have the recipe for chocolate butter cream icing.

Cheers!