These cupcakes are the other baseball themed items I made for last Saturday’s baseball game bake sale. They looked awfully cute.

The cookie recipe is the one I used for the Baseball Cookie Pops.

The cupcakes start with a mix and have a bunch of other stuff added. I don’t know if they actually tasted better than just using the mix alone. I saw a lot of kids just lick off the icing and ditch the cupcake.

The icing is a good one for cupcakes that are going to be outside for awhile since there is shortening in them instead of just butter. I prefer buttercream myself, but the kiddies really went crazy for this particular icing.

Baseball Cupcakes

Ingredients for cupcakes:

1 box Duncan Hines white cake mix
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups water
1/8 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon extract *
1 cup sour cream
4 large egg whites
1 ½ tsp. lemon zest

Directions for cupcakes:

1. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk. Add remaining ingredients and beat on medium for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through mixing. Pour into greased and floured cake pans or cupcake tins. Fill about half way full.

2. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven until tests done (about 16 minutes)

*you may substitute 1 tsp almond extract for another flavor option

Makes about 30 cupcakes

Recipe from Recipezaar.com. Decorating Idea from Grin And Bake It.

Ingredients for icing:

1/3 cup white Crisco shortening, softened
1/3 cup stick butter or margarine, softened
4-6 tablespoons cream, unwhipped (you can use half and half or milk)
Pinch of salt
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Directions for icing:

1. In a a large bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat together shortening and butter. Add cream, salt and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth (about 2 -3 minutes).

2. Add in sifted powdered sugar, gradually. Beat well until smooth and fluffly. To reach the consistency you need, you may need to add more confectioners’ sugar or cream.

3. Swirl icing on cupcakes and sprinkle with non-pareils, if desired. (Do this right away as the icing dries quickly and the non-pareils will be bouncing all over your kitchen counter and floor instead of sticking to the cupcake. Trust me.)

Note: I doubled the icing quantities to have enough to decorate the 30 cupcakes.

Icing recipe also from Grin And Bake It.

Top with a decorated cookie.

Add the team logo, too.

Eat.

I think I will post two of the songs that came on shuffle this morning while I was typing this up.
Beach House is a duo out of Baltimore. Zebra is off their third album ‘Teen Dream’.
Beach House-Zebra

You can buy their music here.

From England come Wild Beasts. I immediately put this song onto my current running playlist when it came up on shuffle this morning. It’s great.
Wild Beasts-Hooting Howling

The band is touring all over the place, but only four US dates so far. Check them out and buy their music on their website.

Cheers!