minecraft cupcakes
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Minecraft Cupcakes for Daniel

Chocolate cake decorated and cut into Minecraft cupcakes.
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time45 mins
Total Time1 hr 15 mins
Servings: 20 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 2/1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter *
  • 3 eggs *
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups milk *
  • 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the icing:

  • 1 stick cold butter cut into cubes
  • 3 cups confectioners sugar
  • 2-3 Tbsp milk.
  • 1 tsp vanilla **
  • pinch salt

For the decorating:

  • green food coloring I use Wilton gel colors
  • cardboard minecraft template
  • green color spray I use Wilton
  • black edible sugar sheets I use Wilton or you could use black fondant

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease and flour, or use a baking spray, in a 13x9 cake pan.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating for about 20 seconds after each egg, to incorporate.
  • Add about a fourth of the flour mixture into the mixing bowl and beat to incorporate.
  • Add 1/2 cup of the milk to the mixing bowl and beat to incorporate.
  • Continue to alternate adding the flour mixture and milk, scraping down sides, when needed, until mixed together.
  • Add chocolate chips and stir with a spoon to mix in.
  • Pour batter into the prepared 9x13 cake pan and bake in preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool in pan before removing onto a cake carrier or platter of your choice before decorating.

For the icing:

  • Beat together the butter, confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt on low speed just until combined.
  • Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets incorporated.
  • Beat again on medium speed for 3 minutes until fluffy.
  • You want a creamy consistency that holds peaks. If the icing is too wet, add some more confectioners sugar. Conversely, if it is too dry, add a little bit more milk.

For the decorating:

  • Add the green food coloring to the icing and mix to combine.
  • Ice the cake generously, just on the top, you may have left over icing.
  • Using the cardboard template, hold it above the iced cake and use the Wilton spray color to create a design across the cake to achieve that Minecraft look.
  • Cut the cake into 20 squares.
  • Cut out 40 eyes and 20 mouths out of the black Wilton sugar sheets to create Minecraft faces and place onto each square.

Notes

* For baking purposes, it is best to have eggs, milk, and butter at room temperature.
** You can substitute the seeds from a vanilla bean if you prefer, you will see dark flecks of the vanilla bean in the icing.