Simple Neapolitan Cupcakes

Over the last few months I've been working on a bit of a project while waiting on the status of a job. You see, I've become a bit of a ... collector ... of those recipe magazines you can get from the magazine rack at stores. So I decided to create a searchable database of the recipes in these magazines that I would bake since there's not always an index and I have way more magazines than I do cookbooks.

I've also been watching a lot of Food Network lately (don't ask why the sudden change - it's a bit complicated, among other reasons). Especially after I noticed that the weekday morning Cupcake Wars episodes were ones I'd never seen before. Which just made me want to make cupcakes. And since I'm not sure how to store them just for me, I decided to make them for whatever Mom wanted to do for Mother's Day. Since I've been pinning a lot of neapolitan desserts lately, I specifically wanted to make neapolitan cupcakes. I ended up finding a recipe in my new database.

I did make one change: I replaced the strawberry with raspberry for the frosting since my dad doesn't like strawberries. I know it was for Mother's Day, but that wouldn't have stopped him from complaining that he couldn't have the dessert.

Simple Neapolitan Cupcakes (Betty Crocker Cupcakes & More, on shelves until 4/2014, Pg. 11-12)

Ingredients

• 1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist white cake mix
• Water, vegetable oil, and egg whites called for on cake box (the box also said you can use whole eggs instead of just whites)
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 bag (2 lbs.) powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries (raspberries)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350F. Place white paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. (or any cupcake liners, really. I used pink polka-dotted ones that I have in my collection.)
2. Make cake mix as directed on box, using water, oil, and egg whites (or whole eggs) and adding almond extract and vanilla. Pour half of batter into small bowl; stir in cocoa and chocolate chips. Divide chocolate batter evenly among muffin cups. Carefully spoon white batter evenly over chocolate batter. (I ended up having 3 just-vanilla cupcakes. Because I suck at dividing evenly.)
3. Bake 18 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat butter, powdered sugar, and whipping cream with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and spreadable. Gradually stir in strawberries (or raspberries), a few tablespoons at a time. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Frost cupcakes. Store in refrigerator.

Tip: do not frost these in the heat! If you have to, take the extra time to put each cupcake in the fridge as soon as you frost it. So in other words: frost cupcake, put in fridge, repeat. Otherwise, you wind up with a sticky mess like I did.

Everyone loved them. Mom and Anthony even took some to bring into work the next day. Mom may or may not have texted me the next morning saying she had one for breakfast. Also, the raspberries worked great. I have a feeling the two (and any other berry/small fruit, really) are interchangeable in recipes.