Lucky?  Yeah, I feel fortunate on so many fronts.  Ten years ago, on St. Patricks Day, my son Gavin was born. He is such a special cat and has brought ‘charm’ beyond belief into our lives. Gav, aka – Gavino, loves his cereal. His current fave is Lucky Charms, so in honor of his birthday, I hid some inside these Saint Patrick’s Day treats. I’m calling them the Surprise Inside Cupcakes. Happy Birthday Gav!

These cupcakes are moist and delicious. The egg whites give them a light fluffiness and the milk brings a delicate smoothness. Start with your dry ingredients, then add butter to get crumbs, then add the wet ingredients at the end.

I meant to mix my dries together on mixer speed “1”, but accidentally flipped the switch to 5. Everything whipped straight out of the bowl. OOPS!  Ah well, you’ve just got to laugh it off, clean it up, and get going again!

While you’re baking these delights, (and btw your kitchen will smell amazing!), get your basic buttercream frosting and Lucky Charm preparation going!

Once the cupcakes are cool, scoop out some of the middle and drop in the cereal and marshmallows. Then, to make sure your Surprise Inside Cupcakes are really a surprise, top ’em off with a fat swirl of frosting to hide the cereal.

Crumble your favorite marshmallows and ‘charm’ the top of your cupcake with those sweet crumbles!

I made some fun toppers!  Skip this if you’re short on time as it does take awhile to create.

You will need:

1. Print-out of themed banners, cut and ready to go
2. Skewers cut to about 3″ in. size
3. Glue and scissors
4. Thread

Steps for Assembly:

1. Cut and tie the string to the toothpick
2. Glue banners
3. Place in cupcake

“Pinch me,” I say, as life is good!  We have our normal woes, but Gavino keeps us smiling with his quirky ties, rapping tunes, and most of all his lovely soul.

Photos by: Maria Hedrick Photography

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Lucky Charm Surprise-Inside Cupcakes

By TheSweetNerd  Cakes

March 8, 2018

• Prep: 15 mins
• Cook: 20 mins

Ingredients

Cupcakes

2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), plus more for dusting the pans

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces)

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon table salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks or 6 ounces), softened but still cool

Easy American Buttercream Frosting

3 cups (680 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

6 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup Lucky Charm Cereal

1/4 cup Lucky Charm marshmallows crushed for decorating top of cupcake

Directions

Cupcakes

1Glass Measurer: Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.

2Mixer: Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed.

3Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.

4Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes.

5Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer.

6Divide and scoop batter evenly into cupcake liners.

7Bake at 350 F. Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Easy American Buttercream Frosting

1Cream the butter in a standing mixer. Aerate room temperature butter for about 1 minute on medium speed.

2Add the sugar, about 1 cup at a time, until it is fully incorporated. Then add the next cup and incorporate again. Repeat until you have added all the sugar. (Be sure to scrape down the sides in between mixing). Add the vanilla and salt. Beat at low speed for 15 seconds until incorporated. Finally, whip (on medium to high speed) for about 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.

Assembly

1Scoop out the inside of the cupcake so you create a 'well' for your surprise inside, and in this case some lucky charms.

2Pipe or spoon your frosting atop the cupcake.

3Next, select a few of your favorite charms, crush, and sprinkle atop as a hint for some fun that is yet to come!

4Lastly, make some fun toppers if you would like! DIY instructions are in the blog post.

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