When I have trips out of town, I let my husband do the grocery shopping for the days I am gone and get all of the fun foods that our grocery budget doesn’t normally allow. When he proudly brought home five pounds of generic fruity o’s on one of his grocery excursions, I tried not to cringe and complain too loudly. Considering I think honey covered oat cereal is a special treat, I had no idea how or why we would ever need that much sugary cereal.
To use up some of this cereal, I decided to make these Homemade Fun-Fetti Cupcakes that were highlighted in this past week’s notebook. I loved the idea of incorporating the crushed cereal to make the fun-fetti and thought it would be a delicious St. Patrick’s Day treat to take to a playgroup.
After giving the batter a little taste, I decided to add one teaspoon of salt to the batter to help cut through a little of the sweetness and it seemed to balance it nicely.
These cupcakes were so moist and delicious and I truly enjoyed the fun-fetti sprinkles throughout the cupcake. They had a harder and light brown exterior with a soft interior that melted in your mouth. I am definitely adding this recipe to my files for future special occasions and birthdays.
I also had no whipped cream on hand so decided to whip up my favorite frosting to go on top. If you haven’t experienced the amazing no-cook 7 minute frosting, it is to die for! I am one of those weird people that prefers the whipped cream frosting over buttercream and I think that is why this recipe is such a favorite of mine. It is light and delicious and tastes like a little bit of marshmallow fluff on top of the cupcake.
The secret ingredient to this perfectly-perfect pantry recipe is just a little bit of boiling water. You stir the water into the egg whites, sugar, vanilla, and cream of tartar, then beat the mixture for seven minutes. With just these few ingredients, something magical happens and you end up with an amazing amount of frosting… four cups to be exact!
The next time you have no ingredients on hand or simply don’t have the energy to make a big batch of frosting, keep this recipe in mind for the most deliciously light and and easy-as-pie frosting you can ever imagine!
7 Minute No Cook Frosting
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup boiling water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 unbeaten egg whites
Mix sugar, cream of tartar, vanilla and egg whites. Add boiling water. Beat on high until the mixture forms peaks, which should be just about… seven minutes!