The recipe is courtesy of Hungry Jack®, and is from their Hungry Jack ‘Use Up the Box’ Recipe and Essay Contest. You can submit your own favorite original or non-traditional recipe using Hungry Jack potatoes, pancake mix, or syrup between now and November 9th. Three grand prize winners each receiving a year’s worth of free groceries.

You can find more information about the contest at the Use Up The Box website. I think you should send them a great recipe for entertaining. To get you warmed up check out this cupcake recipe.

These sound like they’d be fun (and easy) for a birthday, or a fall celebration. Yum!

Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting
Ingredients
Chocolate Banana Cupcakes

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas)
• 1/3 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract
• 2 cups Hungry Jack® Original Pancake & Waffle Mix (Add Milk, Oil & Eggs)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Peanut Butter Frosting

• 3/4 cup Pillsbury® Vanilla Frosting, (about 1/2 can)
• 1/3 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1 tbsp. milk

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 325°F. Place 24 paper baking cups in muffin pans.
2. Beat the eggs, bananas, oil, water and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer until blended. Add pancake mix, cocoa, sugar and salt. Beat until smooth. Fill baking cups one-half full.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan. Place on rack to cool completely.
4. Beat the frosting, peanut butter and milk in medium bowl with electric mixer until blended. Spread on cooled cupcakes.

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(c) L Gerlach

The topper for their cake was their original wedding cake topper from their wedding 50 years ago. The only problem I had was getting the buttercream icing smooth on the small cake that held the topper. In the end I gave up, and the icing is a little rough.

(c) L Gerlach

The cupcakes turned out fabulous. I used buttercream icing to swirl them, with a Wilton 1M decorating tip. We made the little purple flowers with gumpaste, and a gold edible ball for the center. I used a small flower cutter to cut out the flowers.

The stand I used was actually a cake stand, that I rented for the weekend from a local cake shop. It worked very well, if I could have found one, I would have used a stand that was a little shorter between the layers.

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If you want to create a swirl with the icing on top of the cupcakes (instead of just icing them) use a decorator bag and a Wilton #1M decorating tip (2B and 12-round also work well), then just squeeze the icing around and around from the outside of the cupcake to the center.

Lunch a Bunch Cupcakes

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) marshmallows – or – 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract
• 6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal
• Canned frosting or decorating gel
• Assorted sprinkles and candies

How to make the cupcakes:

1. Line twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin-pan cups with paper or foil bake liners or place 12 silicone cupcake molds on baking sheet. Set aside.
2. With adult help, in large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and strawberry extract.
3. Add KELLOGG’S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated
4. Evenly divide warm mixture into prepared cupcake molds. Using buttered hands, gently press into molds, leaving tops slightly rounded.
5. Decorate with frosting, sprinkles and/or candies. Serve immediately or store uncovered in refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Remove from refrigerator one hour before serving.

NOTE:
For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.

These are a fun treat the kids can help you make before the party. Here are a few Kid-friendly Kitchen Tips from Kelloggs:

Children of all ages should have an adult assistant with them at all times when cooking.
1. Chefs, 7 and older, will try their hand at mixing the melted marshmallows and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal together.
2. Younger chefs will have fun “patting” their treats into the muffin cups.
3. Everyone will enjoy frosting and decorating the cupcakes.

You can find additional tips and fun recipes at ChildhoodIsCalling.com.

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Check out the scheduled episodes for this week:

Martha Stewart Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

• Monday: Scrumptious triple-citrus cupcakes, how to make sweet-and-spicy chicken wings.
• Tuesday: Pistachio-raspberry teacakes and perfect-for-spring ricotta gnocchi.
• Wednesday: It’s The Birthday Show. Celebrate with lemon meringue cupcakes, personalized lollipops, and eco-friendly party ideas.
• Thursday: Baker John Barricelli’s tarte tatin and pineapple-mango upside-down cake.
• Friday: The Memorial Day Show with classic fried chicken, blueberry crumble pie, and patriotic memorabilia.

I think I’ll have to check out the fun!

Image via Martha Stewart

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Here’s one of the cutest recipes, they’re soooo simple, but so elegant:

Watermelon Cupcakes

What you’ll need~

• 8 cupcake liners
• 8 cupcake shaped pieces of seedless watermelon, (see below)
• 2 cups pineapple cream cheese frosting
• Sprinkles for garnish

How to make them~

Place the liners in an 8-cup cupcake tin. Cut 3-inch thick slices of seedless watermelon. Cut round cupcake sized pieces from the slices. Put a watermelon ‘cupcake’ in each liner. Place a dollop of frosting on each cupcake. Decorate as desired with sprinkles. Serves 8.

Watermelon cupcake recipe and image courtesy of NWPB

Technorati Tags: watermelon recipes,watermelon dessert ideas,summer desserts,summer party desserts,watermelon,watermelon cupcakes,NWPB

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My favorite is the tea cup cupcake, I could see this at a garden tea party. The golf ball cupcake is really cute too. It doesn’t look like it would be too hard to make for a golf theme birthday party.

Check them all out and let me know which one is your favorite in the comment section.

Check out more cute cupcake ideas in our cupcake category.

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Here’s a summer cupcake idea for Memorial Day, The Fourth of July, or any summer party. I used mini cupcakes to put this one together, but it would work just as well for regular sized cupcakes. It takes 48 cupcakes total to make the flag.

Ice twelve cupcakes with royal blue icing, use one of the star tips to make white stars on the blue cupcakes. Arrange the blue cupcakes in 3 rows of 4.

Ice the rest of the cupcakes with white icing. Arrange the white cupcakes 4 more cupcakes to finish off the blue rows. Add 3 more rows of white cupcakes below. For a total of 6 rows of 8 cupcakes. Add strawberry slices to make stripes.

I covered a baking sheet with silver foil to make the flag on. If you will be traveling with your cupcake flag, add a tiny dollop of icing under each cupcake to help hold them in place.

Image (c) Linette

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Simply candy some violets, lilacs, violas, or nasturtiums. You can do this ahead of time, while they’re in full bloom.  They’ll keep nicely in a sealed container once they’re candied.

On the day of your party bake your favorite cupcake recipe. Ice the cupcakes with your favorite color of icing and top them with the candied flowers. I used lilacs and violets here. The flowers add a delicate summer touch to your party. I used Wilton Decorating Tip 2D and gave the icing some pattern and dimension by swirling the icing around the cupcakes. Quick and easy!

Cupcake Image (c) Linette

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