Easy Shamrock Shake Cupcakes

If you flock to McDonald’s at the first sign of those minty green shakes, you’re going to go bonkers over these cupcakes. I didn’t have a non-spiked St. Patrick’s Day cupcake in my repertoire yet, and thought that this riff on the popular milkshakes could be a really delicious treat. I made a homemade shamrock shake a few years ago, and used that as a jumping off point, starting with green-hued vanilla-mint cupcakes and topped them with fluffy whipped cream frosting.
I adapted my new favorite vanilla cupcake recipe, added in some mint extract (be sure to use regular mint, and not peppermint, or the taste won’t be the same), and tinted it a lovely shade of green. The mint flavor is distinct but subtle; feel free to amp up the amount if you want a super minty cupcake. Likewise, you can adjust the green food coloring to make the batter as light or dark green as you’d like.

The frosting is the same fluffy whipped cream frosting that I used for my pumpkin spice latte cupcakes; it has a cream cheese base, which helps to stabilize it and results in a beautiful frosting that’s light as air and perfect for piping. Throw some pretty green sugar on top and finish it off with a green maraschino cherry, and you have a perfectly festive cupcake fit for a St. Patrick’s Day party!

Easy Shamrock Shake Cupcakes
I made these and they came out delicious!! So cute, I couldn’t stop admiring them.

Ingredients

    Scratch Cake:

•     1 3/4 C. cake flour
•     1 tsp. salt
•     2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
•     1 1/4 C. flour
•     1 3/4 C sugar
•     1 C. buttermilk milk
•     4 eggs
•     1 C. butter room temperature
•     3 tsp mint or peppermint extract
•     2 tsp. vanilla extract
•     liquid green dye as much as desired

    Cake Mix version:

•     3 eggs
•     1 box white cake mix
•     1/3 C. oil
•     2 tsp. vanilla extract
•     1 C. sour cream
•     1/2 C. buttermilk or milk
•     2 1/2 tsp. mint or peppermint extract
•     liquid green food dye

Whipped Cream "Mousse":

• pint heavy whipping cream cold from the fridge
• Tbsp. white chocolate instant pudding mix Hershey's makes a box, but cheesecake flavor or vanilla will work, though vanilla will dye it yellow

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.
2. Scratch Cake: In a small bowl, combine cake flour, flour, baking powder and salt together. In a stand mixer, combine sugar and butter and cream for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Alternate between adding the dry (flour mixture) and the buttermilk to the stand mixer. Add vanilla, mint and as much green dye as needed for the color you want. Don't over mix.
3. Cake Mix version: Sift cake mix into a large bowl to remove ay lumps. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk, sour cream, vanilla extract and mint extract and stir until smooth. Add as much green food dye as desired.
4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
5. Let cool.
6. Whipped Cream "Mousse": In your stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat whipping cream and instant pudding mix until the whipped cream is stiff.
7. Pipe topping onto cooled cupcakes and finish with maraschino cherries and straws!

Easy Shamrock Shake Cupcakes #Easy #Shamrock #Shake #Cupcakes Dessert Recipes Easy, Dessert Recipes Healthy, Dessert Recipes For A Crowd, Dessert Recipes Peach, Dessert Recipes Simple, Dessert Recipes Best, Dessert Recipes Fall, Dessert Recipes Chocolate, Dessert Recipes For Summer, Dessert Recipes Videos, Dessert Recipes No Bake, Dessert Recipes Fancy, Dessert Recipes Cake,