Alright! So....as most of you out there who are Walking Dead fans know, last week was the mid-season premiere! I, personally, was super excited! And I know the rest of my family was too. So, I wanted to do something fun, mainly, make something yummy to eat while we watch those zombie's eat on screen. That's when I remembered seeing a recipe online of brain cupcakes and I knew they would be perfect!
However I did want to amp it up a bit! The recipe that I had found online was just a basic cupcake; basically it was just aching to have some tweaking done to it!
My first thought was...red velvet because, of course, that would really make them kind of gross. But again, I felt they needed more than just red velvet cake and cream cheese icing. Everyone does that, don't they?
Don't ask how I came to this conclusion but I suddenly thought, chocolate cherry cupcakes! Yes! Maybe it was because when I was rummaging through the pantry, all we had was some chocolate cake mix. Regardless, they became a hit!
My first thought was...red velvet because, of course, that would really make them kind of gross. But again, I felt they needed more than just red velvet cake and cream cheese icing. Everyone does that, don't they?
Don't ask how I came to this conclusion but I suddenly thought, chocolate cherry cupcakes! Yes! Maybe it was because when I was rummaging through the pantry, all we had was some chocolate cake mix. Regardless, they became a hit!
Ok so, I'm sure you all are now wondering how I did it. What's the recipe you ask? Let us know!!! Alright, alright I'll tell you. It's not complicated.
The Recipe:
Now, I know I did cheat a bit. I didn't completely make these cupcakes from scratch. I just used a standard devil's food chocolate cake mix for the cupcake part. Just follow the instructions on the package to make.
QUICK TIP: When you are filling up the cupcake cups with batter, fill them up a little more than you usually would. You definitely want the cupcakes to have a good dome shape to them when they rise. That way, when you pipe the icing on, it'll have more of a brain shape!
Now on to the icing...
QUICK TIP: When you are filling up the cupcake cups with batter, fill them up a little more than you usually would. You definitely want the cupcakes to have a good dome shape to them when they rise. That way, when you pipe the icing on, it'll have more of a brain shape!
Now on to the icing...
Now, I will confess I didn't make this icing recipe up. I got it from here. It is by far the best cherry icing I've had. I especially loved how it didn't have that "maraschino cherry" taste to it. I wanted an authentic cherry taste to go with my chocolate cupcake.
Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 package (250 g)(8 oz) cream cheese, cold, cut into cubes
- 4 cups (1 lb)(460 g) confectioners' (icing) sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoons (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) cherry preserves, or to taste
- Using electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend butter and icing sugar on medium low speed, until just combined, about 2 minutes.
- Add cold cream cheese, all at once, and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla and salt, and beat at medium high speed for about 1 minute. Be sure to not over beat, or the frosting will start to become too thin.
- Add cherry jam and and mix on low speed until incorporated.
- Add a bit of red and black food coloring gel until you get that "brain matter" type color!
And then, for decorating, it couldn't be easier!
- Spread a thin layer of the icing on each cupcake with a knife.
- Take what is left of your cherry preserves and spread a thin layer of that on top of the icing. (try not to get too many big chunks of cherry on the cupcake or piping the icing will be harder later)
- Put your icing into a piping bag, or a zip-top back and cut a small bit off the tip. (I did some test piping, trying to get the right size. It's completely up to preference, so do some tests before doing your cupcakes)
- Now just pipe the brain on your cupcake! Start with drawing a line down the middle and then make two sections of squiggles on each side, making it look as much like a brain as possible. It's perfectly ok if some of the cherry jam shows through the cracks, you want that! It looks more bloody that way!
Here's a better lighted picture for you so you can see the design! There really is no wrong way to do these cupcakes! No brain is perfect, so it's ok if your cupcakes aren't!
These aren't just for Walking Dead parties either. You could even make these for Halloween! Maybe for a Mad Scientist Party? Hmm......
Well, hope you liked my post! Good luck and enjoy!
--pmpknqueen
These aren't just for Walking Dead parties either. You could even make these for Halloween! Maybe for a Mad Scientist Party? Hmm......
Well, hope you liked my post! Good luck and enjoy!
--pmpknqueen