Are you tired of those regular, standard red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla cupcakes? We here at Matador messenger search our sources to find inventive and delicious cupcake recipes.

Photo By: food.com

Oreo Cupcakes with Oreo Buttercream:

Here is what you’ll need for the cupcakes:

~ 3 cups cake flour

~ 1 tablespoon baking powder

~ 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

~ 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

~ 2 cups sugar

~ 5 large eggs, at room temperature

~ 1 1⁄4 cups buttermilk, at room temperature

~ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

~ 20 Oreo cookies (halves, with cream filling attached)

Here is what you’ll need for the frosting:

~8 tablespoons butter, room temperature

~1⁄2 cup vegetable shortening

~4 cups powdered sugar (1 lb)

~1⁄2 teaspoon butter flavoring or 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

~6 tablespoons Oreo cookies, finely crushed

~10 Oreo cookies, cut in half, for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

2. Twist Oreos in half and set aside the extra cookies for crushing for the frosting. Place the side with cream filling in the bottom of each cupcake liner, cream-side facing up.

3. Cream butter and sugar in the bowl with an electric mixer. Add flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl, then add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

4. In a 2 cup measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and vanilla. Preferably, add the liquid and the dry ingredients to the batter.

5. Fill lined cupcake tins with batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a fork or toothpick comes out of the batter clean.

6. Let the cupcakes to cool for 10 minutes in pan before moving to a cooking rack.

7. For frosting, with a mixer on medium-high speed, cream the butter and  mix until the frosting is light and fluffy for about 2-3 minutes.

8. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar, about ½ cup at a time, until thoroughly mixed. Add the butter flavoring, and Oreo crumbs, and mix well. Frost the cupcakes, and top cupcakes with half of an Oreo cookie, as garnish.

Popcorn Cupcakes:

~Make regular vanilla cupcakes from scratch or from a box.

You will need:                                                 Photo By: messforless.net

~Cupcakes

~Frosting

~Regular Cupcake wrappers                               

~Mini marshmallows

~Yellow food coloring

~New, small paintbrush

~Popcorn cupcake wrappers (Free printable cupcake wrappers can be found on In Place of Her Crown)

Directions:                               

1. Bake cupcakes of your choice, and frost them with vanilla or cream cheese frosting.

2. Take some mini marshmallows and twist and bend them until they look like little pieces of popcorn.

3. Take the “popcorn” and put them on the frosting making it look like a tub of popcorn, (be sure to cover all of the frosting).

4. Mix a few drops of yellow food coloring with water to use as your “popcorn butter.”

5. Take a small paintbrush to spread the “butter” on the “popcorn,” but leave some white spots so it looks more realistic.

6. Put the cupcakes in the popcorn wrappers and your done!

Frog Cupcakes

 Photo by: www.allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

~1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix

~1 (16 ounce) can prepared vanilla frosting

~6 drops green food coloring, or as needed

~1/4 cup green decorator sugar

~12 large marshmallows

~48 semisweet chocolate chips

~1 drop red food coloring

Directions:

1. Bake the cupcakes according to the directions on the package. Allow the cupcakes to cool.

2. Scoop 2/3 of the frosting into a small bowl and mix it in with the  green food coloring, frost the cupcakes. Sprinkle some of the green sugar over the tops.

3. Cut the marshmallows into half. Dip half of each marshmallow piece into water and dip into the green sugar to make the eyelids.

4. The remaining white will be the eyes, place on the cupcakes. Use a little bit of white icing to glue a chocolate chip into the center of each eye for the pupil.

5. Mix the remaining frosting with red food coloring to make pink. Use the pink icing to draw smiling mouths and nostrils or even tongues on the frogs.

One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes                      Photo By: food.com

You will need:

~3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

~1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

~1 1⁄2 cups sugar

~1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda

~3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder

~3⁄4 teaspoon salt

~2 large eggs

~3⁄4 cup warm water

~3⁄4 cup buttermilk

~3 tablespoons safflower oil

~1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a standard muffin tins pan with paper liners and set it aside.

2.  Mix together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add warm water, buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix this until it is smooth, this will take about three minutes. To assure the batter is well mixed, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

3. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.  Bake the cupcakes for about 20 minutes, rotate the pan once if needed.

4. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire wrack and let them cool completely.

  Photo By: www.allrecipes.com

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Here is what you’ll need:                               

~1 ½ cups all-purpose flour                               

~1 teaspoon baking soda

~¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

~½ teaspoon salt

~1 cup white sugar

~⅓ cup vegetable oil

~1 cup water

~1 tablespoon vinegar

~1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

~1 egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line two 12 cup muffin pans with paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, oil and water until blended. Stir in the vinegar and vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture until incorporated. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg, ⅓  cup sugar and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Fill muffin cups ⅓  full with chocolate batter, then top with a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Bake in the preheated oven until the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 20 to 25 minutes.

Photo By: www.allrecipes.com

Mini Doughnut Cupcakes

You will need:

~1 cup sugar

~1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

~1 (18 1/4 ounce) package yellow cake mix

~1⁄8 cup water

~1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

~3 eggs

~1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour 24 mini (1 3/4 inch) muffin pan cups. Next, combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.

2. Mix cake mix, water, oil and eggs according to package directions, stir nutmeg into batter. Fill prepared muffin cups about ⅔ full.

3. Bake about 12 minutes, (or until lightly browned), and toothpick inserted until it comes out clean.

4. Remove cupcakes from pans. Roll warm cupcakes in sugar mixture until completely coated.

5. Save any remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture from this recipe to sprinkle on toast or pancakes.

According to lifeasastrawberry.com, always remember these tips when making cupcakes:

1. Use the best ingredients available.

2. Bring ingredients to room temperature.

3. Don’t over mix the batter.

4. Use a scoope to fill cupcake liners, (don’t eyeball it).

5. Pre-heat and then take the temperature.

6. Bake in the center of your oven.

7. Resist the urge to peek.

8. Don’t leave the cupcakes in their pans.

9. Store cupcakes properly, (in an airtight container to contain moisture).

    10. Frost cupcakes to retain moisture.

If you are interested in seeing more of this cupcakes, check out these websites for more information:

www.food.com

www.messforless.net

allrecipes.com

recipes.howstuffworks.com