Teddy Bear Picnic Cupcakes

So, I was asked to be a 'Room Mom' for my son's pre-school class.  I asked Cutie-Pie and he loved the idea!

My first endeavor was cupcakes for the Teddy Bear Picnic outside.  I got a little too adventurous and decided to make devil's food marshmallow stuffed cupcakes. Yummy... right?  Well, half the cupcakes had the marshmallow float up to the top of the cupcake and disintegrate during baking.  Argh.  The other half had the marshmallow completely melt in the cupcake and have soft yummy middle but... not exactly what I was hoping for.  Luckily, icing can fix almost anything.

Ingredients:

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees

Pillsbury Box Devil's Food Mix
Room Temperature Eggs (Add 1 extra egg from box instructions)
Sub Milk for Water
Sub melted butter for oil
1/2 cut jumbo marshmallows (Freeze)
1 TBLS Confectioner's sugar
2 Pillsbury Vanilla Frosting cups
Softened Cream Cheese
Softened Butter
Sprinkles
Gummy Bear
*No cupcake liners needed
Spray Oil


Instructions:

1. Freeze Marshmallows day before baking in a sealed tight bag with 1 tablespoon of confectioners sugar Shake and coat well so marshmallows don't stick together
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
3. Place racks in middle of oven
4. Oil cupcake pans
5. Add all room temperature wet ingredients into your mixer.  Mix until bubbly and 'fluffy'
6. Add dry ingredients and mix 1 extra minute from instructions
7. Spoon small amount of cake mix into cupcake pan and add 1/2 marshmallow and then top with rest of cake mix.  Fill each cupcake over 3/4 full
8. I had just enough mix for 24 cupcakes but I had to scrape to the very end for the last 2
9. Place cupcakes side by side in oven 
10. Turn down oven to 325 degrees
11. Change pan placements half way through baking.
12. Check with toothpick (remember the marshmallow will cause a gooey filling inside.)
13. Take out of oven and let cool only until you can touch to take out pan and put on cooling racks.
14. ***If you are not using in the next 2 days freeze and then decorate on the day of use.***
15. Start icing
16. Place 1/2 stick of butter and 1/2 a block of cream cheese in mixer and whip on high
17. Add 2 bought icing mix and whip until thick and fluffy
18. Place in Ziploc / Plastic bag and place in refrigerator
19. Cool icing about 1 hour which allows cupcakes to cool completely
20. Now is the time to assembly the 'game boxes' for transport if you don't have a proper cupcake container.
21. Find game box high enough for the icing and decorations. 
22. Line with aluminum foil.  Tape on places needing to be secured... foil to foil and not on the box.
23. Assembling Cupcakes
24. Cut tiny whole at corner of ziploc bag
25. Take a cupcake and place a little icing on bottom and place on plate.
26. In a circular motion start from the outside and go around the cupcake swirling to center.  Pile as high as you would like.  You have 2 containers of icing you'll have enough for 24 cupcakes.  So go crazy!
27. Place in box with foil and sprinkle and place gummy bear on top.  
28. Continue until all cupcakes are done
29. Line box with foil and cover completely.
30. DO NOT REFRIGERATE!  It will dry out cupcakes. 
31. Use next 2 days.
32. **Added freezing marshmallows in sugar after pictures.  This will make the marshmallows stay put.

Marshmallow stuffed Devil's Food Cupcake

Marshmallow 'stuffed' Devil's Food Cupcake with disintegrated center.  Boo.  I should have put less cake mix at bottom before marshmallow.

Devil's Food Marshmallow Stuffed Cupcake with the trimmings for Teddy Bear Picnic.

Game box with correct height for cupcakes

Line with foil for 24 cupcakes

Foil and tape to secure

Ready for Pre-School Teddy Bear Picnic