Was It A Rednecked Easter at Cottage Wannabe?

Yes. Cheeap, Cheap with my peeps.

Orange u Rednecked at Easter? As we were at Cottage Wannabe? Bananas and Oranges. it might disappoint a few people! I didn't resist the unfunny pun. Sorry.

I wish I could lighten this up, but I have editing problems these days. This is one version of my Healthy red necked offering for Easter.

Again another version. Cream filled cupcakes. Not so Healthy of course, if it's Hostess cupcakes with red Ribbons. Or a copy cat version as you find in recipe below from Family Circle magazine. That's my little cotton bunny in the background.

A larger view of chocolate vanilla creamed cupcake.

I found a great recipe of a copycat cup cake In the April 17th Issue of Family Circle pp. 125 under Double Take heading. There are several good recipes and pictures of the copy cats.

The per servings for Hostess cup cake... 2 cakes = 1 serving. 99 g.;

350 calories; calories from fat 100; Calories per cake 100. calories per fat 50.

For two cake serving--

Total fat 11 g.; Sat. fat 6g.; Transfat 9.5 g.;

Cholest. 10.mg; Sodium 580 mg.;

Total carb 61 g.; Dietary fiber 2 g. ; Sugars 44g.; Protein 3 g.

WELL, SEE IT IS NOT NOT EMPTY CALORIES!

Takes twenty minutes of prep time. makes 24. Bake 350 for 20 minutes.

Per cupcakes. 256 calories; 12 g. fat [7 g. sat.]; 4 g. protein; 37 g. carb.; 2 g. fiber; 156. mg. sodium; 49 mg. cholesterol.

- Cream filled cupcakes.
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2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsps. baking soda.
1/2 tsp. salt1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup stick butter [unsalted]
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs

Filling and Swirl-
4 tbsp. Unsalted butter softened.
1 1/2 cups confectioner sugar.
2- 3 tbsp milk.

Glaze -
1/2/ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips.

How to do it:

1. Heat oven to 350 line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to blend. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla in a measuring cup.

3. Beat the butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer at medium mixing speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk mixture, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

4. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin pans, Bake until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. 18 - 20 minutes. Transfer and cool on rack.

5. Filling and swirl. Beat butter in a medium size bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar. add 2 tbsp. of milk and beat five minutes until almost white and light and fluffy. Add additional milk if mixture is too thick. spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with plain round tip. Remove cake from pan insert tip of pastry bag into top of cake about i1/2 inch deep and squeeze.

6. Meanwhile, make the Glaze. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Cover and let stand five minutes. Whisk until smooth. Dip the tops of the cake in the glaze and let cool on cake rack ten minutes. change the piping tip on the pastry bag to a smaller round tip and make swirls on the top of the glazed cupcake. Note: I think one could experiment with the creamy marshmallow and the frosting for filling!

You don't like chocolate!!

You could do some large pretzel sticks as shown on page 108. The pretzels were dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with colorful sprinkles. I was going to use almond bark and pretty pastel sprinkles. But I didn't get it done. It is Easily done in microwave and dipped in chocolate or almond bark, then rolling in crushed cookies, toffee bits, or even m&m's after.

There is a recipe in the magazine for the popular coconut cakes sold in packages of two. With creme filling.
Surely it would be more economical than purchased bags of well known brands of candy and Hostess cakes..


It's more special as it is made with love.