Cake Mix Magic

There are things you can do with a cake mix fast and easy. Cupcakes are one of them. Here are 2 ways to do some fast and easy cupcakes for upcoming holidays or just because you want something sweet. In the last 2 weeks I made cupcakes since I have an over abundance of cake mixes in the cupboard (it comes from buying in bulk when they are on sale); I usually make cakes from scratch but a cake mix for cupcakes doesn't hurt either, especially when you have to take them to school for kids' parties or other reasons. Here I made Cherry Cupcakes with Cheesecake Filling and Black Forest Cheesecake Cupcakes.

For the Cherry Cupcakes, I used a plain white cake mix and then tinted it red or pink and added dried cherries to the cake mix. I added about half of a quarter cup of batter to the cupcake tins, then added a heaping teaspoon of Philidelphia Plain Cheesecake Filling to the batter, then topped it with more batter. Bake according to package directions until toothpick inserted into side of cupcake comes out clean. You insert it to the side of the cupcake because then it does not hit the filling and you can get a more accurate reading of doneness. Then frost and enjoy! I used a cream cheese frosting on this cupcake. I think this would be a good one for Spring celebrations.



You can probably also tint the batter a light green, and make it look like a basket on top placing tinted coconut on top and jelly beans for Easter.

For the Black Forest Cheesecake Cupcakes, I made a chocolate butter cake mix according to package directions. I put in a half of a quarter cup of batter into the muffin tins and then added a heaping teaspoon of that same Philadelphia Cheesecake Filling and 1 teaspoon of cherry pie filling, then topped it again with batter and baked for about 25 minutes with the temperature instructions on the cake mix box. Let cool and then I frosted with chocolate fudge frosting.



I got a new cupcake decorating kit at the craft store so I could have fun with how I decorated the tops. I like the swirly way you can put the frosting on and you do not even have to totally cover the top with frosting and it looks fine. I cannot wait to experiment more with the decorating kit to make gorgeous flowers and other decorations on more cupcakes. It is a lot of fun to decorate cakes and cupcakes.



Just remember, the sky is the limit with cupcakes. You can fill them with almost anything and frost them any way you want. Just be creative and you can have some great cupcakes for a treat or for a party! Have fun with it!