4th of July Kool-Aid Cuppycakes

I stole this idea from this recipe on "Cupcake Rehab" but tweaked the frosting a bit. I am horrified by the idea of using 4-5 cups of sugar with one stick of butter to make buttercream - that seems WAY too sweet (nothing personal against the original baker - it's just a very strong personal preference). So I doubled the amount of butter and added just a little more sugar. Sorry, but here in the Evans household we do not DO low-fat. ;-D

I was really pleased with the way the frosting came out. I used a larger packet of the blue Kool-Aid than I did with the reddish stuff because it was the only size I could find and I was too lazy to try to weigh out an equal amount. I guess I could try using a larger packet of the red stuff next time to see how it affects the flavor and color.

The taste of the vanilla cupcakes was really yummy, but I feel like they could have been more moist. These cupcakes would be good candidates for using my silicone baking cups next time (I used paper this time around). I also might take them out a little sooner next time (I baked them for 18 minutes).

* Note: I have since found an idea on another blog (Cast Sugar) for making this cake recipe come out more moist. The solution is to use yogurt or sour cream instead of milk. Will have to try that next time.


MAGNOLIA’S FAMOUS VANILLA CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups self-rising flour
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about three-quarters full.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.


CHERRY KOOL-AID FROSTING

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
6 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
.13 oz. packet KOOL-AID Black Cherry Flavor Soft Drink Mix
1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt
5-10 drops red food coloring (to make it less pinkish and closer to "red")

Beat half of the sugar and all of the other ingredients on low until just combined. Slowly add the rest of the sugar and beat on low until combined. Beat on medium until fluffy and color is uniformly blended.


ICE BLUE RASPBERRY LEMONADE KOOL-AID FROSTING

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
6 ½ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk
.22 oz. packet KOOL-AID Ice Blue Raspberry Lemonade Flavor Soft Drink Mix
1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt
5-10 drops "neon" blue food coloring

Beat half of the sugar and all of the other ingredients on low until just combined. Slowly add the rest of the sugar and beat on low until combined. Beat on medium until fluffy and color is uniformly blended.


Here are a couple more pics: