Red, White & Blueberry Cupcakes


We were invited over to our friends' house last weekend for his widely famous grilled wings.  The six of us plus the three of them managed to chomp through the majority of the 100 wings that he cooked.  Luckily for us, we got the leftovers!  Apparently, the secret's in the apple juice brine.  I'll try to re-create these sometime soon!

Since it was so close to the Fourth of July, I brought these Red, White and Blueberry cupcakes for dessert!


Above, you'll find my secret recipe for the delicious Red Velvet Cake. 
Shhhhh..... Don't tell Martha!

The way I see it is this:  A cake mix baked in your own oven is still way better than store bought any day.


The key to getting a nice white icing is this:  Crisco.  Now, before you go all postal on me, I'll have you know that Wilton's Buttercream Icing can actually be made without any butter at all!  Many bakers actually prefer this texture.  Furthermore, The Crisco label indicates zero trans fats.  Now, I'm not saying that these fall into the health food category.  They are what they are.  TREATS!  And since I was looking for a dairy free dessert for our friend with allergies, I opted for the dairy free version.  I added almond extract to mine, which, in my book, is heavenly.


The little girls had fun topping these festive cupcakes with blueberries.
Happy Fourth of July everyone!


Wilton's Buttercream Icing

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (i.e. Crisco) (comes in sticks!)
1/2 cup butter or margarine (Earth Balance)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (Yum!)
2 Tablespoons milk (or almond milk for dairy free)

In a large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer.  Add vanilla or almond extract.  Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well at medium speed.  When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry.  Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.


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Comments

Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust said…
Beautiful! I have never made frosting with Crisco...but I kinda want to try. :)
June 27, 2012 at 11:23 AM
Carole said…
this is great. I found it via the It's Keeper link up. I have linked in a beef dish. Have a super day.
June 28, 2012 at 7:37 PM
Ann Kroeker said…
Rachel, those are gorgeous (and no one needs to know your shortcuts; actually, I love your point that baked in your own oven from a box mix is way better than store bought). So glad you joined up with Food on Fridays!
June 30, 2012 at 3:34 PM
rebecca @ beurrista said…
So festive, and perfect for this week! Hope you have a happy 4th!
July 1, 2012 at 5:41 AM
Lisa @ Flour Me With Love said…
These are so pretty! A great way to celebrate....thanks so much for sharing at Mix it up Monday :)
July 4, 2012 at 10:06 AM
Michael said…
These are so festive and cute! Found ya from Chef in Training!!
July 4, 2012 at 6:11 PM
Six Sisters said…
These are seriously so cute! Thanks for linking up to "Strut Your Stuff Saturday!" Hopefully we'll see you tomorrow at 8pm MDT for this week's party! :) -The Sisters
July 5, 2012 at 9:47 PM
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