Cleaning Out My Refrigerator Cupcakes

I recently cleaned out my fridge and noticed a bunch of left over 'stuff' from cupcake making. Leftover ganache from Monster Cupcakes, leftover lime curd from Lime Coconut Cupcakes, leftover carrot cake jam from Orange Spice Cupcakes, leftover rum caramel apple jam from Caramel Apple Cupcakes, leftover pecan pumpkin butter from Pumpkin Cupcakes, it goes on and on ... yikes!

What to do with all these leftovers? I decided that a Yellow Cake Cupcake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting would compliment all the fillings. The nice thing about these combinations is that we could keep going. So got anything left in your fridge? Some jam, butter, or curd that is getting close to its 'best by' date? Why not fill a cupcake? Cupcakes are better with a surprise in the middle, don't you think?

If you don't like to be surprised, you can do what I did and put different sprinkles on each cupcake to correspond with its filling.

Yellow Cake Cupcakes

preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 box of Duncan Hines Classic Yellow cake mix 

1/3 cup of flour

3 eggs

1 cup of water

1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste

1. Add mix and flour to mixing bowl. Beat on low speed for 10 seconds.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds.
3. Increase to medium speed for 1-2 minutes.

Fill liners to about half. Bake for about 15 minutes or until they spring back to the touch. Set aside to cool. Makes 24 cupcakes. 

Filling

1. Core cooled cupcakes and fill with anything you choose. (I like to overfill them because, why not? Yum)

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 1/2 packages (12 ounces) cream cheese, slightly softened 

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or to taste
3-4 cups powdered sugar
salt to taste

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, cream cheese and softened butter.
2. Add vanilla, extract and salt. Mix well.
3. Add As much powdered sugar to get desired consistency. Mix well.

Place in piping bag and chill until ready to frost cupcakes. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before using or it will melt.