Well friends, here we are at the official beginning of "the project". I'd mentioned in the previous post that the beginning of the year would be on May 30th, which is Sailor Boy's and my first wedding anniversary. Yay for us! Unfortunately, he goes away to work for 3 weeks at a time, and of course he's away right now. Boo. I got to go visit him on Saturday and Sunday though, and we were able to spend a few blissful hours together. Lucky us. :)
When Sailor Boy's co-workers found out that I was coming to visit, they started campaigning for cookies. Turns out my hubby has been bragging about what a good wife he has. :) I made a few batches of yummy goodness, and while I thought about making them the first blog post, I didn't want to break the rules I've set for myself. Therefore, I bring you Orange Jello Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting:
And I'll come right out and say it before I get called out: yes, I used a cake mix. Don't judge-- my grandma makes a similar cake (only she uses lemon), and if boxed cake mix is good enough for grandma, it's good enough for me. :)
Orange Jello Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from Grandma's recipe
Makes 24 cupcakes or a 9x13 cake
Cake:
1 box Duncan Hines "orange supreme" cake mix
1 box (0.3 oz.) orange jello (I couldn't find a 0.3 oz. box, so I used half of a 0.6 oz. box)
4 large eggs
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. water
Glaze:
2 c. powdered (confectioner's) sugar
1/ c. fresh squeezed orange juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 cupcake tins with paper liners, or spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place the cake mix, jello, eggs, oil and water in a large mixing bowl. Blend on low speed for 1 minute. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase the mixer speed to medium for 2 more minutes. The batter should be well combined with no lumps. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full (or pour into baking pan, smoothing batter with a spatula). Bake the cupcakes 18-21 minutes (approx. 35 minutes for 9x13 cake) until the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with your finger or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar and orange juice in a small bowl; set aside. Remove the cakes from the oven and immediately poke holes in the top of the cakes with the tines of a fork or a wooden skewer (be careful not to tear the hot cake). Pour the glaze over the cakes so that it seeps into the holes. Cool, then top with cream cheese frosting.
** I'll be the first to admit that I don't always think things through, so didn't think that pouring the glaze over the cupcakes while they are still in the pan would cause them to end up swimming in a a pool of stickiness. Here's a tip: take the cupcakes out of the pan and put them on a cooling rack BEFORE pouring the glaze on them. You'll want to put something under the rack to catch the spill-over (paper towels, foil, jello roll pan, etc.). It can be a little messy, but you'll thank me in the long run. Trust me. Really.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes enough for 24 cupcakes or 9x13 cake
1 lb. cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened (I know it's a lot of butter, but it's SO worth it!)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 c. sifted powdered (confectioner's) sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.
Seriously. These cupcakes are so yummy and orangey (and yes, I really do think that's a word). And you can make the same recipe with lemon (substitute a lemon cake, lemon jello and fresh lemon juice). According to www.duncanhines.com, they make a "strawberry supreme" flavored cake mix. So if you used strawberry jello in the cake, and puree fresh strawberries in the blender or food processor (remember to strain the seeds out!), for the glaze, it could be a beautiful thing. Try some variations on this theme and let me know how things turn out!
