Easter Buttermilk Cupcakes with Peeps

In this article discover how buttermilk, buttershots, Irish Cream and peeps make one heck of an Easter cupcake recipe.

Our first day of spring is anything but spring like... instead it's cold, windy, dank, typical. It's on these days that we race to the kitchen, fire up the Kitchen Aid mixer, buy cartons of marshmallow Peeps and get to work.

The Mixology of a Good Cupcake

When I'm short on time I like to use box cake mixes... I know gasp! but I like the way everything is powdered and incorporates so well. It's doctored anyway so it comes out to rave reviews. By doctoring I mean swapping out and adding certain ingredients. Namely various forms of Schnapps, butter, shortening and in this case buttermilk. It's pretty easy.

Buttermilk Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Here's what to add to your off the box cake instructions:

- 1 box of yellow cake mix (follow the instructions off the back of the box)

- 1 Tablespoon butter

- 1 Tablespoon shortening

- 1/4 Cup buttermilk

- 2 Tablespoons Buttershots or butterscotch Schnapps or flavoring

- 1 Tablespoon Baileys Irish Cream

Follow the directions on the cake box substituting some of the oil with the butter and shortening and some of the water with the buttermilk and flavorings. Fill cupcake papers in muffin pan and bake a directed. Frost when cool with the cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting's are some of the easiest to make and they almost always come out luscious. The key is to use very finely powdered sugar and to whip it good.

- 1 package of cream cheese (leave it out a bit so it will soften)

- 2 cups of powdered sugar (sift it if you can)

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 3 Tablespoon whip cream or Coolwhip

In a bowl combine the cream, cream cheese and vanilla. Whip it well and then add the powdered sugar gradually. If it's too thick add a bit of milk or more cream. Frost away! The nice whiteness of the cream cheese makes it a perfect base for tinting with food coloring as well.

I made a bunch of these and had others decorate them as they saw fit. Pictured are some of the results. What I always care about most is how the cake tastes. It's fine to be pretty but if it tastes like a tin can is it really worth it? Everyone said they were luscious and went back for more (almost always a good sign... half eaten cupcakes left on the counter on the other hand are a bad sign. None of that here). They described the taste as being extremely light, creamy and with a hint of rum. Not sure where that came from but the Buttershots really came though for me. These ended up being so light people kept asking if they were Angel food cake.

Here are some other Easter cupcake recipes. Check out Just Baking's Baby Bluebird Cupcakes, a Martha Stewart recipe that are perfect for spring or a little boys baby shower. FamilyFun.com shows you how to make Easter Bunny Cupcakes that are so cute. Take a look at the site Yasutomo for step by step instructions on making lovely Washi Easter Eggs. Happy Easter everyone!

Image: copyright mam GaveThat.com 2008.