Campfire Cupcakes in an Orange

I seem to have oranges on the brain this week. ;)

This is a tried and true scouting method for cooking cupcakes at camp--my scouts love it! Cook 'em in an orange! And with the addition of chocolate cake mix--well, you get that wonderful chocolate orange taste...

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 oz) devil's food cake mix
• 1 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
• 10-12 oranges

1. If you are making this at home, heat your oven to 350°. If you are making this at camp--you need a bed of hot coals.


2. Slice the top 1/3 of the orange off. Scoop out the fruit, leaving an empty shell.
   


3. Place the cake mix, orange juice, oil, eggs, and orange zest in a large bowl. Mix until well combined.


4. Fill the hollow shell 1/2 full with cake batter. At home, place oranges on a baking sheet and bake 18-22 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched. At camp, place lid back on the orange. Wrap orange in a 6x6 piece of foil. Place in heat of coals--cook for 10-15 minutes.
   

Buy Me Some Peanut and Cracker Jack® Cupcakes

Sorry I didn't post yesterday! My husband and I are on our local Little League Board and yesterday was the opening day festivities. It was a lot of fun--6 exhibition games, loads of games, pictures, and more.

Anyway, I wanted to share a fun baseball themed cupcake recipe with you, using the old baseball standbys--Peanuts and Cracker Jacks®.

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 (18.25 oz) pkg chocolate cake mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 (1.4 oz) package Cracker Jacks®, coarsely chopped

Caramel Glaze

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 3/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar
• 3 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place paper baking cups in 24 muffin cups.
   


2. Place cake mix, sour cream, water, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric or stand mixer for 1 minute on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat on medium speed for an additional 2 minutes. Divide the batter equally between the muffin cups.


3. Sprinkle 2 tbsp Cracker Jacks® and 1 tbsp chopped peanuts on top of batter. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched.
   


4. While cupcakes are baking, prepare caramel glaze. Melt butter in saucepan and stir in brown sugar. Stir and boil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in milk and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Cool till lukewarm; add milk. Gradually add in confectioners sugar, stirring until desired consistency is obtained. Add more milk if needed.


5. Remove cupcakes from oven. While the cupcakes are still hot, pour the caramel glaze over the top of them--it will fill in the nooks and crannies between the Cracker Jacks® and peanuts quite nicely. Cool completely.
   

Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes

This is a gourmet version of a Hostess cupcake. It has the creamy center and the chocolaty cake, but it's been taken up a notch with a bit of marshmallow-y goodness.

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 oz) package devil's food cake mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
  
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup marshmallow fluff
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

1. Heat oven to 350°. Place paper cupcake liners in 24 muffin cups. Mix cake mix, oil, water, and eggs in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Divide evenly between muffin cups.


2. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Remove from pans and cool completely.


3. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar together. Add marshmallow fluff and vanilla. Mix well.


4. Insert a small pastry tip into a pastry (or plastic) bag. Fill with creme filling. Insert tip halfway into the center of a cupcake and fill with a small amount of creme. Repeat with each cupcake. Frost with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting.