Have you ever wondered how those insanely popular pinned recipes on Pinterest actually taste? Us too, which is why we've started our series, Pin to Plate. We're interviewing the blogger, testing out those recipes in-house, photographing our results, and sharing our experience. #PinFails, you've become a thing of the past.
As you plan your St. Patrick's Day feast, it's only natural to turn to Pinterest to see what sort of adorable green and/or rainbow colored treats you can bake up. Chances are that you'll come across this recipe for St. Patrick's Day cupcakes during your search, as it's one of the most saved recipes on the platform for this particular holiday. Camille Beckstrand of Six Sisters' Stuff, a blog with over 800K followers on Pinterest, came up with the idea for this green iced cupcake, decorated with a rainbow candy, marshmallow clouds, and an edible pot of gold. “These cupcakes are not only cute to look at but also doable. There are so many recipes and projects on Pinterest that can seem overwhelming, but this is one that people look at and think, 'Oh, I can totally make that!'" she tells Brit + Co over an email.
After attempting these cupcakes, we can safely say that's true, but there are some tiny details that will ease the process. First, buy a standard white cake mix like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker as those products bake up evenly and consistently. When divvying out the batter into a mini cupcake tin, use a spring ice cream scooper so you can ensure every cupcake bakes up to the same height. If you can't find Airheads Xtremes in the long, thin candy form, the Bites version may be easier to come by (However, the Bites require stretching out before they can be bent into arcs). The mini marshmallows may overwhelm the mini cupcakes. If that's the case, cut the mallows into quarter pieces using a sharp paring knife. Lastly, if you can't find Rolos, Reese's Minis work in a pinch.
St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes RECIPE
(Makes 60 mini cupcakes)
Ingredients:
- 1 box white cake mix, prepared according to package instructions and baked in mini cupcake tins
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- green food coloring
- 60 AirHeads Xtremes Rainbow Bites (stretched) or Rainbow Candy (cut into 2-inch bites)
- 15 mini marshmallows, each cut into quarters
- 60 Rolo candies or Reese's minis
- gold sprinkles or sprinkle mix
Directions:
1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
2. To make the frosting, beat butter until creamy.
3. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, heavy cream, and salt and mix together with a hand mixer until well combined.
4. Add green food coloring until desired color is reached. We used ~2 drops.
5. Place a plastic piping bag fitted with a star tip inside a cup or mason jar, folding the bag over the lip of the cup to create a cuff.
6. Use a rubber spatula to transfer icing into the bag, then unfold the cuff and squeeze the icing to the end of the pastry bag. Place the pastry bag flat on the counter top and use the flat side of your hand or a pastry cutter to help move all the icing down. Twist the top and secure with a rubber band (optional).
7. To make the pot of gold, pipe a small amount of frosting onto the wide end of each Rolo or Reese's Minis, then press it into a bowl of gold sprinkles until all the frosting is covered. Repeat with remaining candies.
8. Spread or pipe frosting on top of each cupcake. We like to start at the end of the cupcake and swirl the frosting toward the center.
9. Garnish each cupcake with an AirHeads Extreme candy, folded into an arch and placed on top of the cupcake. Place pieces of mini marshmallow on either end of the rainbow. Place a pot of gold on each cupcake.
10. Serve immediately.
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(Recipe via Six Sisters Stuff; styling by Kayla Haykin/Brit+Co; photos via Six Sisters Stuff and Brittany Griffin/Brit + Co)
This post has been updated.