It is officially Mardi Gras Carnival Season , and Fat Tuesday – Mardi Gras – is just around the corner. So I was excited when my friend Debbie asked if I would like to make some Mardi Gras cupcakes!
The King Cake might be the traditional sweet on Mardi Gras, but these fun cupcakes are decorated with traditional Mardi Gras colors: purple represents justice, green represents faith and gold represents power.
French Vanilla Butter Rum Cupcakes
(printable recipe)
1 French Vanilla cake mix
1 1.75oz (4 serving) instant French vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs
1tsp vanilla
1/2 C cold milk
1/2 C melted butter (not margarine)
1/2 C rum (I used Capt. Morgan which is a spiced rum)
Preheat the oven to 350. Combine all ingredients and beat for 2 minutes. Pour into lined cupcake pans and bake for 22-24 mins. Cool slightly on a rack.
*these would also be good with a toasted pecan in each cupcake (my family wont eat nuts, so I didn’t put them in mine)
Butter Rum Glaze
1 stick butter
1/4 C water
1 C sugar
1/2 C rum
Melt butter in a saucepan and stir in the water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the rum.
Let the glaze cool down a little.
Dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes in the glaze.
Butter Cream Frosting
1 cup real butter (not margarine) *room temperature
1 cup vegetable shortening
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
1/4 – 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
paste food coloring
Thoroughly cream butter and shortening . Beat in the vanilla. Add sugar, one cup at a time until blended. When the sugar is completely beaten in and the sides of the bowl are scraped down, add the whipping cream, beating at the highest speed until super fluffy, about one minute.
If you wish to add color to your frosting, like I did for these Mardi Gras colors, use the gel paste food coloring. It’s stronger and more vibrant.
Pipe frosting on top of glazed cupcake then drizzle a little more glaze over the butter cream frosting and top with chunky sugar sprinkles.
**I have to be honest, piping 3 colors was NOT an easy task, only about 1/2 of my cupcakes came out looking good, the others were either missing a color, or the colors started to mix and looked gray or brown……if anyone has any tips on piping 3 colors I’d love to hear them!!
How did I do it?- I divided my frosting into 3 bowls and colored each. I then spooned a big scoop of each color into the bag, trying the best I could to get them side by side. I then squeezed the frosting into another bowl until all three color started to come out—then I piped onto the cupcakes, using my 1M tip.
Seriously… GO…make these… now!!
My kitchen smelled SOOOO wonderful even the next day!
I’m sharing this recipe at Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam Mouth Watering Mondays and Tuesdays at the Table, Cupcake Tuesday, and Foodie Friday recipe exchanges, and Kimba’s DIY Day.
These cupcakes were featured over at Party Cupcake Ideas! Head over and check out Melody’s blog, it’s chock full of ideas for weddings, showers and parties!
About TidyMom
Dine & Dish
Fishing For Deals
i am baker
i heart faces
Just Something I Made
The Arthur Clan
Today's Creative Blog
University of Cookie
I love how you did the icing! Thanks for the instructions on how to do it.
I love how you did the icing! Thanks for the instructions on how to do it.
Made them, loved them, shared them with a friend (who was supposed to give one to his wife and kids) — he ate them all!
Made them, loved them, shared them with a friend (who was supposed to give one to his wife and kids) — he ate them all!
Oh MY! Those sound delicious, Cheryl! You are the Cupcake Queen!!!
Oh MY! Those sound delicious, Cheryl! You are the Cupcake Queen!!!
YUM! Those look gorgeous and SOUND delicious!!!
I'm so sad that I never got a Flat Tidy Mom pic at Blissdom :0(
LOVE your recipes!
YUM! Those look gorgeous and SOUND delicious!!!
I'm so sad that I never got a Flat Tidy Mom pic at Blissdom :0(
LOVE your recipes!
AS ALWAYS THEY LOOK YUMMYLICIOUS!!! A tip for piping colors is to paint the inside of your bag with the colors you are using. Just a stripe of paste food color from top to bottom of the bag.Hope I made myself clear.Not great at explainig myself.
AS ALWAYS THEY LOOK YUMMYLICIOUS!!! A tip for piping colors is to paint the inside of your bag with the colors you are using. Just a stripe of paste food color from top to bottom of the bag.Hope I made myself clear.Not great at explainig myself.
I made them for a friend's B-day this weekend and they were a HUGE hit! Thanks for the recipe! And the Buttercream frosting with only butter was perfect!
I made them for a friend's B-day this weekend and they were a HUGE hit! Thanks for the recipe! And the Buttercream frosting with only butter was perfect!
I love your Mardi Gras cupcakes and the pictures are so wonderful. I made king cake cupcakes last year for our friends who moved to New Orleans. I wish I would have found your frosting idea then as I only went with one color.
I love your Mardi Gras cupcakes and the pictures are so wonderful. I made king cake cupcakes last year for our friends who moved to New Orleans. I wish I would have found your frosting idea then as I only went with one color.
I've heard that it's easier to pipe the different colors if you use an icing spatula to put the different colors in the bag. They stay separate a little more easily. I haven't tried it myself though. Now I have inspiration, though!
I've heard that it's easier to pipe the different colors if you use an icing spatula to put the different colors in the bag. They stay separate a little more easily. I haven't tried it myself though. Now I have inspiration, though!
Have you tried putting a line of the gel colors down the sides of the pastry bag? Then you just fill it with white buttercream and the three colors dye the icing as you ice the cupcakes? That might help keep them from mixing!
Have you tried putting a line of the gel colors down the sides of the pastry bag? Then you just fill it with white buttercream and the three colors dye the icing as you ice the cupcakes? That might help keep them from mixing!
Anonymous…..what a fantastic idea!! I can't wait to try it!! Thanks!
Anonymous…..what a fantastic idea!! I can't wait to try it!! Thanks!
I would love if you link this to the French Obsession on Feb 1st ! WOW I love it !!
Hugs
Frenchy
Fun and colorful idea for your cup cake frosting! I love Mardi Gras, I used to go everyday when it was in season when i lived in NO.
Cheryl, I’d totally hide a plastic baby in one of these for a King-Cake experience! They’re adorable!
Gorgeous! I love the swirled colors.
These look great! I love mardi gras and the colors! You captured them perfectly!
I am making these cupcakes right now. I am excited, they smell great. However, the mix is thicker than normal cake mix and is almost like a paste and I had to force it off the spoon. Is that normal??
Thanks, Angela