Sometimes we have the time to do everything from scratch. Okay, that’s not true. I don’t feel like I EVER have the time to do anything from scratch! I live in the real world with stressful days packed with errands and activities and work. Half of this recipe is from the box, but the other half is actually homemade with just four ingredients. These cupcakes leave a little surprise inside for all of your taste testers. Have fun with these and enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This – That One Thing
This frosting is off the charts amazing. A few simple ingredients – butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip. It is so light and velvety it will truly knock your socks off. It is more delicious than any pre-made frosting you can buy off the shelf at your grocery store and certainly has less ingredients. You can actually pronounce all of these ingredients! Do not skip over this one because you’ll be using this frosting for all of your desserts from this point forward.
Ingredients You’ll Need – Quick Snapshot
Here are the ingredients you will need (see quantities below):
- Krusteaz Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix – We could have gone homemade, but boy is this easier
- Eggs/Milk/Oil – For the cake mix instructions
- Chocolate Jell-O Instant Pudding – Add this to the cake batter for extra richness
- Butter – Ingredient 1 of 4 for the most amazing homemade frosting
- Cream Cheese – Ingredient 2 of 4 for the frosting
- Powdered Sugar – Ingredient 3 of 4 – I had no idea how much powdered sugar it took to make great frosting!
- Cool Whip – Ingredient 4 of 4 and this makes it so velvety and smooth
The Process
Who doesn’t love an easy dessert recipe with the most magnificent homemade frosting?
This one is so simple (because we’re using boxed cake mix, but just don’t tell anyone!). The set of ingredients is quite minimal.
Prepare the cake mix as directed on the box. We also add a packet of Jell-O Instant Pudding Mix for extra richness.
While the cupcakes are baking, it is time to make the homemade frosting!
The easiest way to make a frosting piping bag at home is to take a drinking glass from your cabinet and place a ziplock baggie inside and wrap it around the top of the glass.
Next, fill the baggie with your homemade frosting.
Cut a small corner of the baggie (start small, you can always make it bigger if needed).
Take each cupcake and poke a hole in the middle of the cupcake with the handle-end of a wooden spoon.
Fill each cupcake hole with frosting, then frost the top. You’ve now left a delicious surprise inside each cupcake with frosting throughout each bite.
We find the cupcakes and frosting taste even better when refrigerated.
Gluten Free Chocolate Surprise Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake Batter
- 1 box of Kruzteaz Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1 packet of Jell-O chocolate instant pudding mix
Frosting
- 1 stick butter (softened)
- 1 8 oz package of cream cheese (softened)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup cool whip (thawed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 eggs, 1 ½ cups milk, 1 cup vegetable oil and whisk together
- Add the packet of Krusteaz Gluten Free Chocolate Cake mix and whisk together
- Add the packet of Jell-O chocolate instant pudding mix and whisk together
- Add the batter to greased cupcake tins (makes about 24 cupcakes) and cook until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle (about 20-25 minutes)
- While the cupcakes are cooling, start the frosting!
- In a large mixing bowl, blend with a mixer the 1 stick butter and 1 package of cream cheese
- Slowly add the 4 cups of powdered sugar as you continue to mix on low speed
- Once the butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar are all mixed together, add the 1 cup of cool whip and whisk together (it will be thick)
- Once the cupcakes are cooled, take the end of a wooden spoon and poke a hole into the middle of each cupcake
- Pipe frosting into the middle of each cupcake, and frost the top as well leaving a frosting surprise in the middle of each cupcake
- Refrigerate the cupcakes after they are frosted
