St. Patrick’s Day Fun: Pot Of Gold Cupcake Recipe

So, Valentine’s Day is over – whew!  I honestly don’t know how much more pink and red I could handle in my house!  And now it’s on toward St. Patrick’s Day we go!  Now, around here we have a little fun with St. Patty’s Day.  There will be lots of pinching, maybe a few green drinks (Did you know they make green beer?  As if beer wasn’t gross enough anyway….) and some wonderful recipes and crafts!  Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing with you ways to make your St.  Patrick’s Day fun and delicious!  And today I’m staring out with a super cute recipe!  One of the age old questions (at least in our house) is does the rainbow really lead to a pot of gold.  Well, I’m here to tell you that with Pot of Gold Cupcakes, the answer is YES!  So, get ready to have tons of fun, a few squeals of delight and of course an awesome sugar rush with this fabulous Pot of Gold Cupcake Recipe!

Pot of Gold Cupcake Recipe

What You Will Need

For the Cupcakes:

2 and 1/4 Cups of Flour

1 Stick of  Butter (1/2 Cup)

1 and 1/4 Cups of Milk

1 and 1/4 Cup of Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Baking Powder

3 Large Eggs

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

Dash of Salt

For the Buttercream Icing:

2 Sticks of Butter (1 Cup)

1 and 1/4 Cup of Confectioners Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

2 Tablespoons of Whole Cream

Dash of Salt

Variety of Gel Food Colors

How to Make Them

Start by mixing together your flour, baking powder and salt.  Set it aside and in a separate bowl, beat together your softened butter and sugar.  Then beat our eggs into your butter and sugar recipe and add in your milk and vanilla.  Once it is well combined, add it to your flour mixture and mix well.

Next, fill your waiting cupcake liners with the cupcake batter.  I like to use an ice cream scoop for this to keep all of the cupcakes even and the same size.

Bake your cupcakes at 300 degrees for 16 to 19 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cupcake.  Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.

Once your cupcakes are cool, you’re ready to put your “pot of gold” into the middle!  Start by cutting a round circle out of the top of your cupcake.  Simply angle your knife toward the middle of the cupcake and then cut around the outer perimeter.  Once you have cut all the way around, pop the middle section out.

Now, mix together your icing.  Simply soften your butter, beat in your confectioners sugar and then mix it together with your salt, vanilla extract and cream.  Continue to add sugar in small amounts until you get a consistency that is somewhat thick while still being creamy.  Put about a fourth of your icing into a separate bowl and then mix in your gold gel food coloring.  Using a piping bag with the end cut off, fill the hole in your cupcake almost full with the gold icing mixture.

Cut the point off of the part of the piece of cupcake you removed from the center to make the hole and then place the flat top back on it to seal the cupcake back together.  Now, you’re ready to create your rainbow icing for the top!

To do this, take about two tablespoons of your white icing for each color you want to make and place it in a separate bowl.  Mix in your food color gels to get the colors you want in your rainbow.

Next, place an empty piping bag with a star tip on it into a tall glass (this makes it easier to create the rainbow).  Pull the sides down over the glass to secure your bag.

Using a clean food brush, paint on wide strips of your colored icing, alternating so that it looks like the colors of a rainbow.  Be very generous with the amount of icing you use so that it’s thick but try not to mix the colors.

Finally, pour your white icing into the bag.  Try not to let it smear the colors on the side if possible.  Fill your bag and twist it off at the top.  It will look something like this:

Pipe your icing onto your cupcakes.

Once your cupcakes are iced, they are ready to served!  The super cute rainbow icing will make everyone feel festive.

And your guests will be delighted when the rainbow does truly lead them to a golden treat!

So get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with your own treasure hunt – one that is sure to lead you to a delicious pot of gold!