Cupcake Night

This morning as I was drinking my coffee and paging through the latest issue of Real Simple Family, I came across this spread. I had to set my cup down! No joke. I slobbered my way through the pictures, and then I had to close the magazine. I hadn't even eaten breakfast yet, and I was already fantasizing about cupcakes! It was embarrassing.


So, after dinner, I followed the recipe (which I'll post at the bottom) and whipped up these cupcakes. Seriously, it was the easiest from-scratch cake I've ever made. Two steps, people! Two steps.


Unfortunately, the recipe only makes 12 cupcakes, so although the kids each got 3 cupcakes to decorate, Clint and I had to share ours. (How did that happen? Does this sound right to you?)

The frosting is a simple cream cheese frosting, and I made a half-recipe, thinking 8 oz cream cheese and 1/2 cup butter would probably be too much. I was right: the half-recipe made more than enough (those real simple people must love their frosting!).

Lauren and Jonah dug everything they could find out of the cupboards. They found peanuts and almonds, sprinkles and red hots, mini chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, regular chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, flavored sugar and decorating icing and graham crackers.


Clint got busy with some peanut butter and peanut butter chips. Masterpiece!


This is a sampling of some of the cupcakes we made...which one to eat first?


Jared went a little crazy with the banana chips and the colored sugar.


Apparently, Jonah likes red hots and chocolate chips.


The cupcakes are so tasty! Not so airy as a cake mix--more substantial and dense. Try this recipe! And let the kids decorate them. Here's the recipe, reprinted from Real Simple (Sept 2010):

1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. Line muffin cups.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and bake about 18-20 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack and let cool.

Frosting (the half-recipe)
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth.