Some Yumminess...

Here's another of my favorite summertime desserts ~ Cream-Filled Cupcakes. Just made some today for a 4th of July picnic we're attending tomorrow night.

Cake Portion:

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/3 cup baking cocoa

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup veggie oil

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Combine first five ingredients. Add eggs, milk, oil, water, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fill lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on cooling rack.

Cupcake Filling:

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

Combine butter, shortening, confectioner's sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt; beat until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Insert a very small tip into a pastry bag (I used my accent decorator from Pampered Chef ~ it has a tip that is a little bigger than suggested but still works.) Fill pastry bag with frosting. Push the tip through the bottom of the liner to fill each cupcake.

Frost tops of cupcakes with frosting of your choice. I make homemade vanilla icing, but you could use store-bought frosting.

Another shortcut ~ Instead of making homemade cake, you can use a box of Devil's Food cake mix. I've done it both ways, and both ways taste awesome. How could they not when they're filled with yummy sweetness?!

Since it is the 4th of July we're celebrating, I cut little flags from red, white, and blue scrapbook paper and glued them to toothpicks to make these cakes a little patriotic.