From The Best Cupcakes for Kids, Yummy, colorful cupcakes that are the perfect treat for your child’s next birthday party.

 

Makes: 12 cupcakes
Prep time: 40 Minutes
Start to finish: 1 Hour 40 Minutes

 

Cupcakes:

 

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• ¾ cup canned coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
• Yellow, green, red and blue liquid food color

 

Frosting:

 

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter or margarine, softened
• 6 cups powdered sugar
• Dash salt
• 5 tablespoons milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon coconut extract
• Multicolored candy sprinkles, if desired

 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 12 regular-size muffin cups.

 

2. In small bowl, mix flour and baking powder; set aside. In medium bowl, beat ½ cup butter and the granulated sugar with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 teaspoon coconut extract. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, ½ at a time, and coconut milk, ½ at a time, beating just until blended.

 

3. Measure about ¾ cup batter into each of 5 small bowls. For yellow, stir about 6 drops yellow food color into batter in first bowl. Tint second bowl green, with 6 drops green food color; third bowl red, with about 8 drops red food color; fourth bowl blue, with about 10 drops blue food color; and fifth bowl purple, with about 8 drops red food color and 3 drops blue food color.

 

4. Spoon scant tablespoon of yellow batter into each cup; smooth to edge of baking cup with back of spoon. Repeat with green, red, blue and purple batters (fill cups to ¾ full).

 

5. Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack to cool.

 

6. In large bowl, beat 1 ½ cups butter, the powdered sugar and salt with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in 4 tablespoons of the milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla and ¼ teaspoon coconut extract. Add remaining milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Beat until fluffy.

 

7. Pipe or frost about ¼ cup frosting onto each cupcake. Sprinkle with multicolored sprinkles.

 

1 Cupcake:

 

Calories 690; Total Fat 35g (Saturated Fat 22g; Trans Fat 1g); Cholesterol 115mg; Sodium 160mg; Total Carbohydrate 90g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 3g Exchanges: 1 Starch, 5 Other Carbohydrate, 7 Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 6

 

Sweet Success Tip

 

If your kids aren’t in love with coconut, substitute vanilla flavoring for the coconut extract in the cake and frosting.

 

Use a Cake Mix!

 

Substitute 1 box white cake mix for the Cupcakes above. Make cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, and follow steps 3 and 4 as directed in recipe. For the frosting, substitute 1 container vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting mixed with ¼ teaspoon coconut extract. Bake and cool as directed on box. Frost and garnish as directed in recipe. 22 cupcakes.

 

Contributed to General Mills by Christy Denney of thegirlwhoateeverything.blogspot.com.