Chocolate Mint Over the Rainbow Cupcakes Recipe
Coming from an Irish family St. Patrick’s Day has always been a special holiday to me. It has always been a holiday to reflect back on those that came before us and to be proud of our Irish heritage. It was a day we always wore green on, ate green food and had huge pots of corned beef and cabbage (and for a few a little green beer).
I love this easy and quick recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. If you need a quick treat for a school or office party this recipe might just be it. It starts with a boxed cake mix, a package of chocolate mint chips, a creamy, light frosting and a “Airhead” candy strip to make the rainbow. With a little doctoring to your cake mix you get a moist, delicious and minty cupcake that can be decorated in a matter of minutes.
I first learned to doctor a cake mix as a young girl, my mom had a cake business and Betty Crocker cake mixes and Imperial margarine were the secret to their cakes back then. I still think margarine makes a box cake better than butter but I rarely use margarine now so instead I use a mixture of butter and vegetable oil. I also prefer a cake mix without pudding in the mix.
I used a large grass tube by Marpol #333 to decorate the cupcakes.
Chocolate Mint Over the Rainbow Cupcakes are made from a chocolate cake mix with mint chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 2 eggs
- 6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 12 oz. mint chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Put cupcake liners in the cupcake pans. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the cake mix to a mixer bowl. Add the eggs, water, oil and butter. Mix on medium high for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the flour to the mint chocolate chips. Stir into the cake batter. Scoop the batter into the cupcake liners. Bake the cupcakes for 15 - 18 minutes. Cupcakes will spring back in the center when touched lightly.
- Make frosting while cupcakes are baking. Add shortening, butter, vanilla and salt to your mixing bowl fitted with the wire whisk. Mix until combined. Add the confectioner's sugar. Mix to combine the sugar. Beat in the milk as needed until frosting is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add food coloring and beat until mixed.
Kathy @ Melding Magic says
These are just adorable and so festive. I “stumbled” them!
Mary Ellen says
Thanks Kathy, I appreciate it! Hope you are doing well.
ciara mcardle says
i think this is really good,,i might try this for my buisness sale/campaign it looks really easy and simple … they look really tasty too..im proud to be irish .. how long does this procedure of making the cupcakes take???:)
Mary Ellen says
I’m proud to be Irish also! This recipe uses a box cake so I would think less than 25 minutes to make the cupcakes, and add cooling time.