Thank Heaven for Little Swirls: Candy Cane Cupcakes

With the holiday’s right around the corner, I wanted to do something creative to celebrate…and what better way than with candy cane cupcakes! I tried to “think outside the box” and came up with the neat idea of using red gel food coloring and doing red and white striped cupcakes with vanilla frosting and crushed candy canes on top. The end result was fantastic! The peppermint flavor was not too overpowering and the cupcakes were super moist!

So with this idea in mind, my daughters and I headed to the store to buy the ingredients…only to discover the store did not carry classic peppermint candy canes! I was flabbergasted! What store doesn’t carry your traditional, peppermint candy cane? Me, being the determined (some might replace “determined” with something else…lol) person that I am, sought out to look just one more time to see if I missed them down an aisle. That’s when I got the brilliant idea to use Brach’s Star Brites Peppermint candy! Needless to say, I did the happy dance knowing, once again, I was undefeated haha!!

I used Wilton "no taste" red gel food coloring; however, you can also use Betty Crocker, which I have used in the past to make Colorburst Cupcakes.

Candy Cane Cupcakes

1 white cake mix (I prefer Pillsbury)
2 eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil

Red gel good coloring

Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 3 minutes.

Divide batter in half; one for the red stripes and one for the white stripes. Use the red food coloring to color batter to desired intensity.

To get a layered stripe like I used, you'll want to alternate a spoonful of the red colored batter with the regular batter. The batter is thick, so it won't spread on its own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you're working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn't stick to your fingers.

Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry.

Look how nicely they turned out!