St Patrick's Day Cupcakes

An easily prepared treat for St Patrick's Day that you may want to create are St Patrick's Day cupcakes. Nothing makes these cupcakes especially significant to St Patrick's Day other than the decoration; however, they are colorful, tasty and covered with shamrocks.

The fastest, and easiest, preparation would be to use either purchased, plain cupcakes to which you add a few St Patrick's Day themed candy sprinkles or decorations. The next way to easily make these cupcakes at home would be to use a cake mix, purchased frosting and then to decorate the cupcakes with St Patrick's Day cupcake decorations. Finally, if you have the ingredients and time, or wish to prepare the cupcakes from scratch, I have included two recipes from which to choose. The choice of cake flavor is up to you. Any flavor would be tasty. I chose chocolate; however, white, yellow or any of your favorites would be fine.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 egg yolk (set white aside for later)

4 oz semi sweet choc chips

1 ½ cups flour

¼ cup baking cocoa

½ tsp salt

1 cup sugar

¾ tsp baking soda

¾ cup water

1/3 cup oil

1 egg white

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tsp vanilla

Preparation:

Combine egg, egg yolk and sugar in mixing bowl and mix well. Melt choc chips and add to mixture; stir to blend. Add salt, sugar, and baking soda to mixing bowl. Add water, oil, egg white, vinegar and vanilla to mixing bowl and blend ingredients well. Fill cupcake papers placed into a cupcake baking pan/or fill cupcake pan wells ½ full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Yield: 12 cupcakes.

Healthier Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup omega rich mayonnaise

1 cup plain yogurt

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup flour

½ cup cocoa powder

1 ½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

Preparation:

Combine sugar, mayonnaise and yogurt on mixing bowl and mix well. Add vanilla and mix in. Add flours, cocoa powder, soda and salt to mixing bowl and blend well. Fill cupcake papers placed into a cupcake baking pan/or cupcake wells in cupcake pan ½ full with batter. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Yield: 12 to 15 cupcakes.

Powdered Sugar Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tablespoons milk

Dash of salt

½ tsp of vanilla

Combine the milk, salt and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; slowly add the powdered sugar as you blend the mixture to desired consistency.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (3-oz) package cream cheese

3 tsp milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Blend cream cheese, milk and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; slowly beat in powdered sugar to desired consistency.