Brain Cupcakes

Recipe from Nancy Creative

Here's what you need:

Cupcakes - 

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour (sifted)

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (sifted)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs (room temperature)

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Buttercream - 

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature, softened)

6 to 8 cups confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

How to make them:

Cupcakes -

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Line two 12-cup cupcake tins with cupcake liners.

In a small bowl, sift together the flours, set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, on medium speed, cream the butter until smooth.

Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla.

With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended.

* To make them the brain color, use a little pink and brown coloring gels.

Then carefully scoop the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool, the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes.

Remove from tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Buttercream -

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer.

Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla.

On medium speed, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until icing is thick enough to be a good piping consistency.

You may not need to add all the sugar.

* Just like the cupcakes, add some pink and brown gel coloring to the icing and mix thoroughly.

To decorate, put the icing into a prepared piping bag fitted with a medium round tip.

Then make squiggles of icing on the cupcakes to make it look like a brain.

(If you want, you could fill the cupcake with strawberry or raspberry preserves before frosting to make it an oozing bleeding brain cupcake)

ENJOY!