Train Party Cupcakes and A Recipe

Celebrating 3 (!) Part 2…

My favorite birthday party dessert is cupcakes. Cupcakes are perfect. Perfect I tell you!

There is no cutting. No plates or cutlery required. There are tons of possibilities. Anyone can make cupcakes and you don’t have to be a professional cake decorator to make pretty cupcakes. Cupcakes make any table look instantly more adorable.  Also cupcakes just seem to make people happy. In this case train birthday cupcakes would to make people happy.

They make me happy. Obviously I weigh my own happiness very highly.

When Maddy chose a train theme for her party I was instantly worried. How in the heck was I going to make train themed cupcakes? I mean rainbows lent themselves to cupcake making perfectly.

Because everyone has different tastes I always make two types of cupcakes. Some people don’t like chocolate (*gasp*!!) and some people really only like chocolate. For the record there are also lots of people like me who like cupcakes, period.

This year I made a mixed berry cupcake with fresh whipped cream frosting for all our chocolate adverse guests. They were light and fresh tasting and the berries gave the cupcakes a pretty purplish-blue color. The recipe is below. You’re welcome.

For the chocolate loving crowd I made chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting and little molded chocolate train engines, cars, tanks and cabooses. Yum. Don’t worry I’ll fill you in on those adorable chocolates later in the week. 3rd birthdays are a big deal and require a series of posts.

Just in case you are wondering I used Martha’s recipe for One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes as a guide. I’m a rebel and changed things up a bit. Shocking, I know. These bad boys were very chocolaty. Which means very delicious in my book. It also means delicious in Maddy’s book.

I’m not ashamed to admit I buy her love with chocolate. Also with train themed birthday parties. And taffy.

But between the two types of cupcakes the Mixed Berry Cupcakes got the most rave reviews from our party guests.

See. That is a rave review.

The berry cupcakes were the perfect compliment to the chocolaty cupcakes. Light, fresh and berry filled with a fresh whipped cream instead of heavier butter cream. I love butter cream. I really do. But! I think I am now a convert to the church of fresh whipped cream frosting. Which for the record isn’t really frosting as much as topping.

I found a good deal on frozen berries and bought up a bag of blueberries, a bag of blackberries and a bag of raspberries and then promptly hid them from Maddy in the far reaches of the freezer. The kid is a frozen food fiend. Corn, peas, edamame, berries. She’s a weird one. So is her mommy.

To top it all off I struck it rich when fresh raspberries went on sale just days before Maddy’s party. With frozen berries for inside the cupcakes and a pretty little ripe red raspberry on top these cupcakes were just what I always dreamed of.

Because honestly I do dream of baked goods.

I am positive that the use of all fresh berries would be fantastic but the frozen berries were perfect and affordable. Affordable is important when you are trying to remain sensible and level headed while planning a birthday party for your baby who is growing up too fast. When I say sensible I mean go completely overboard of course.

Make these cupcakes and celebrate… anything.

Tuesday.

Sunshine.

Matching socks.

Or the birth or your favorite or only child.

Whatever strikes your fancy. I won’t judge.

Mixed Berry Cupcake Ingredients
1/2 cup frozen berries (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry), mashed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
half stick of unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
20 of each berry (blueberry, raspberry and blackberry)
Fresh raspberries or blueberries for topping (optional)

Fresh Whipped Cream Topping Ingredients
2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with 20 cups.

Stir lemon juice into mashed berries. Add flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into mixer or large bowl. Add butter, eggs, milk, water, vanilla, and mashed berry mixture on low speed and blend until thoroughly mixed. Mixture should be soupy.

Using an ice cream scoop fill the divide the batter between the lined muffin cups, leaving about 1 tablespoon of batter per lined muffin cup in the mixing bowl. At this point muffin cups will be about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Place one of each of the berries in the center of each muffin cup, laying them just on top of the batter. Then using the remaining batter, cover the whole berries with batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcakes comes out clean.

Set cupcakes aside to cool. Using a chilled medium sized mixing bowl and a hand mixer beat whipping cream on medium-speed until the cream starts to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla to the bowl and continue to beat the cream on medium speed until very stiff peaks form. Refrigerate in a covered bowl until ready to use.

Once cupcakes are cooled completely top each cupcake with a dollop of cream and then a single berry. Chill until ready to serve.

Devour. Enjoy!

Other Train Themed Birthday Party Posts

• Celebrating 3(!) part 1,Gratitude and Celebrating 3(!)
• Celebrating 3(!) part 3, Train Themed Sweet and Treats
• Celebrating 3(!) part 4, Train Party Decorations
• Celebrating 3(!) part 5, Train Party Favors and Entertainment