Mint Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Today is Father's Day and I have been thinking for sometime on what cupcake to make.
This is what I came up with!

Ingredients for cake

1 box Dark Chocolate Cake Mix

(eggs, oil, and water according to package directions- I always replace the oil with applesauce)

1 cup Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips

Ingredients for icing

 3 cups powdered sugar

1 stick butter or margarine

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 tablespoons milk

1 tsp mint extract

green food dye

2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (optional, for thickening icing without adding extra sweetness)

1/2 cup Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips (to sprinkle on top)

Fresh Chocolate Mint Leaves (for top of cupcake)

Andes Simple Chocolaty-Mint Sauce (for drizzle)
(recipe adapted from Andes)
1/2 cup Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips
1 tablespoons milk

The liners are from the Paula Deen line sold at Michaels.

Directions
For cupcake- Prepare cake as directed on box and add in mint chips. Fill cupcake liner in pan 2/3 full. This recipe made 24. Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Cool completely. 

For icing- Cream butter, shortening, mint extract in mixer. Slowly add in powdered sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of milk. Add green food dye by toothpick until desired color is achieved. Add 2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour for thickening (optional, you could also use powdered sugar if needed)Pipe icing onto cupcake (I used 1M tip).

For Mint Sauce- Place chips and milk into microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 25 seconds. Stir. Microwave an additional 15-20 seconds at 50% power. When sauce is ready, drizzle with spoon over iced cupcakes. I used the drizzle on half and left the other half with no drizzle, but there is enough drizzle to use on all 24.

Final Step- Sprinkle cupcakes with leftover mint chips and top with a chocolate mint leaf.

Interesting info: Chocolate Mint does not contain chocolate but takes the name "chocolate mint" because of it's resemblance to Andes Mint Chocolates.

Happy Father's Day!

There are so many great ideas for Father's Day out there, barbecue grills, lawn mowers, golf, sports, and ties to name a few and I do want to make a couple of those designs this summer, just not today. You can view all the ideas I listed and more at Hoosier Homemade Cupcake Tuesdays! That is first blog I began following and truly one of my favorite blogs!

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These cupcakes are linked to:
A Well-Seasoned Life: Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Sweetology: Tea Party Tuesday
Cupcake Tuesday
This Chick Cooks: These Chicks Cooked
Alli N Son: Sweet Tooth Friday
Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for Saturday
Bacon Time: Party Mindie Style

A Years Worth of Disney Cupcakes!

It's Flashback Friday!

This is a weekly segment that I post to show you some of my past adventures...

Last year just finishing a family trip to Disney World and gearing up for an anniversary trip to Disney World and a Disney Cruise, I made lots of Disney Cupcakes and my first cake!!!

To start with since I had never successfully baked and decorated a cake I had *ahemm* ordered...my daughters 2nd birthday cake...Tinkerbell...which I later recreated in a round version for her 2-1/2 year old...half birthday...which is something we just started celebrating in 2010 right after I started baking.

Mother and Father's Day 2010

Since my youngest likes Tinkerbell so much, for Mother's Day with my leg in a cast, I made Tinkerbell Cupcakes piping my first stars ever. To keep with the Disney theme, on Father's Day I made Mickey Mouse Cupcakes for my husband!

July 2010

With leftover Tinkerbell supplies, I made Tinkerbell Cupcakes again in July!

July 2010

My daughter saw "The Little Mermaid" cupcake liners and candies and wanted "The Little Mermaid" cupcakes! I remember it was so hot outside this day that the icing wanted to melt right off!

August 2010

This is the 2-1/2 year old half-birthday cake that I made....my first cake!

I used no eggs, no oil, lemon flavored cake and lemon flavored buttercream icing. I had never piped a flower in my life and really had no clue. I also found out why you need to foil cover the cake board...it soaked up the buttercream icing.

August 2010

More Mickeys! Chocolate and Cream Cheese Icing!

Then came September 2010...right before our Anniversary Disney Cruise and Trip. Since the kids were staying home with Grandma, I left them goodies...I loved how the water turned out under the ships with the whitecaps, the picture doesn't do them justice!

The first night of dinner on our Disney Cruise they presented us with an Anniversary Cake! Awesomeness!

While waiting to watch the "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween" parade at the Magic Kingdom, I went down to the bakery and got a cupcake! I have to get a cupcake where I go! If you look closely you can see Cinderella's Castle to the right of the cupcake! These things were SUPER SWEET! Thank goodness I just got one for the two of us to share! I think the whole family could have shared this sweetness! At Downtown Disney I purchased a Mickey Mouse Cookie Cutter...still haven't used it yet! As soon as I get a little better at decorating cookies, I plan too, just got to make sure my cookies will be "Mickey Worthy!"

Soon the trip was over and we were happy to be home with the kids...and of course started breakfast off with Mickey and Minnie Pancakes!

These were 2 of my favorite plates of Mickey and Minnie pancakes!

My youngest wanted a flower and Princess crown...I did my best and she was happy!

So that ended my year of Disney Cupcakes, Cakes, and Pancakes...but expect to see some again very, very soon this year in 2011!

 

View My Other Disney Cakes and Cupcakes

Hello Mickey!

The Little Mermaid

All of My Disney Sweets

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This Flashback is shared at:

Kitchen Bouquet: Flashback Friday