Ball Game Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin tins with cupcake wrappers.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream, vanilla, and almond extract. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until smooth. Set the mixer to low speed and add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping thoroughly between each addition. Alternately add the flour and sour cream mixtures to the butter mixture in 2 batches, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Scrape down the bowl after each addition. Gradually pour in the coffee. Scrape down the bowl and beat until thoroughly combined.
• Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tins. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes or until they spring back after being touched. Allow the cupcakes to cool for 20 minutes.

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt white candy coating at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and cereal. Chill for 2-3 hours or until easy to handle. , Shape into 1-in. balls; form each ball into football shape and set aside. In a microwave, melt chocolate and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip footballs in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on a wire rack over waxed paper; let stand until set, about 30 minutes., Pipe frosting laces onto footballs. Tint remaining frosting green. Using a #233 or #234 tip, pipe grass over cupcakes. Just before serving, insert a toothpick into each football. Insert toothpick into cupcake to position football.

Steps:

• Frost each cupcake with a thin layer of vanilla frosting and refrigerate for 1 hour to make decorating easier.
• Add 1 or 2 drops blue food coloring to the chocolate frosting to make it darker. Fill a piping bag fitted with a small round tip with the darkened chocolate frosting and draw the outline of a small pentagon shape on the top of each cupcake. Fill in the pentagons with chocolate frosting. Starting at the points of the pentagon shapes, draw lines halfway toward the edges of each cupcake. Draw a triangle at the bottom of each line, connecting one of the corners to the line, to indicate partial pentagon shapes around the edges of each cupcake. Fill in triangles with chocolate frosting.

Steps:

• Prepare cake batter as directed on package. Add dry pudding mix; mix well. Spoon into 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake as directed on package for cupcakes; cool completely.
• Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually beat in sugar. Spread onto cupcakes.
• Decorate with remaining ingredients to resemble "eyeballs".

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil, sour cream and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
• Spoon batter into muffin cups. Place 1 cube cream cheese in center of each cupcake; press down into batter almost to center (top of cream cheese will still show).
• Bake 21 to 27 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center of cupcake comes out clean (test between cream cheese and edge). Remove cupcakes from pan to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In 2-quart stainless steel or other non-coated saucepan, mix sugar, water and egg whites. Cook over low heat, beating continuously with electric hand mixer at high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add marshmallow creme; beat until stiff peaks form. Remove saucepan from heat. Beat in vanilla.
• Spread frosting evenly over cupcakes; sprinkle each with generous tablespoonful coconut. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.