Tag Archives: cupcakes

She’s the First: Fun Cupcake Recipes

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Sometimes our sweet tooth is craving a little more than just a plain cupcake.  Try one of these cupcake recipes that are fun to bake and fun to eat!

Cake Batter Ice Cream Cupcakes

What You Need:
1 package vanilla cake mix
Cake Batter Ice Cream
Whipped cream*

*Stabilized whipped cream is recommended for the recipe.  But if you are planning on eating right away, it is not necessary. If you want to try it out, check out this recipe from food.com.

Instructions:

Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Fill cupcake liners ¼ of the way full. Bake until the cake bounces back when touched (after about 10 minutes). Once cooled, put the ice cream on top of the cake and place in the freezer. After about 2 hours, the ice cream and cake should be frozen! Add the stabilized whipped cream and some sprinkles on top and enjoy a cool treat!

Recipe courtesy of bubblynaturecreations.com

Zebra Cupcakes

What You Need:
1 box white cake mix
¼ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
1 package pink frosting

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box. Once the mix is prepared, separate it into two equal parts. Add the cocoa powder to one of the mixes and leave the other one as is. Now that the two mixes are prepared, it’s time to make the cupcakes! Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners. Start by adding a thin layer of the vanilla mix. Next, add a layer of chocolate. Repeat this process until the cup is ¾ full. Bake them until the tops bounce back when touched. Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost with your favorite frosting. I chose pink to give them a girly touch!

Recipe courtesy of vwblog.com

These cupcake recipes can bring some extra fun to any occasion. If you’re looking to try out some other fun recipes, check out Nicole’s tie-dye cupcakes!


Midnight Snack Makeover

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It’s 1 a.m., and you’re nowhere near done with the three papers and two lab reports you have to write – for tomorrow. It’s been hours since your super nutritious dinner and the growling in your stomach has become so loud, it’s nearly impossible to hear yourself think. Where do classy co-eds turn when they’re craving those classic late night indulgences that have the ability to undo a day’s worth of healthy eating and exercise habits?

Your favorite late night snacks have undergone a major health makeover.  Whether you’re craving something salty, sweet, or a little bit of both, you can find good-for-you alternatives to all of them right here.

So relax, whip up one of the following midnight snacks and finish that homework, feeling confident, in-control and healthy.

Craving Pizza?

Who can resist the gooey dream that is a slice of cheese pizza? While this college staple can definitely be enjoyed in moderation, a healthier take can save you calories and cash.  An added bonus? This can be made right in your dorm room!

English Muffin Pizza:

Take half of an English muffin and cover it with a small amount of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Microwave until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Want S’MORE?

This recipe from Hungry Girl will satisfy your craving for this classic summertime snack.

Hungry Girl’s Gimme Gimme S’mores Sandwich Recipe:

1 sheet (4 crackers) low-fat honey graham crackers

¼ cup Cool Whip Free, thawed

1 tsp. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

8 miniature marshmallows

Break graham cracker sheet into two squares. Set aside. In a small bowl, lightly stir together whipped topping, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Don’t over-stir.

Place one graham cracker square on a plate, and top with whipped-topping mixture. Lightly place the other square on top. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Store in the freezer until ready to serve. Enjoy.

Let’s scream for ice cream

Looking for something both sweet and satisfying?  The experts at Self Magazine came up with this easy and delicious recipe for ice cream sandwiches that are big on taste and small on calories and easy to make, too. Talk about a triple threat.

Creamy Cupcakes

Hungry Girl put her healthy touch on another midnight snack: Boston Crème Pie donuts. She turned them into cupcakes, cut out the calories and fat and loaded them up with flavor. Give them a try when you could go for some pie!

Frozen Yogurt Fix

This healthy and easy midnight snack comes from Glamour Magazine. When a craving for frozen yogurt hits, all you have to do is peel two bananas and blend them until they’re nice and creamy. Delicious and nutritious, this recipe is definitely a must-try.

 What are your favorite midnight snacks?

Casey Galasso is junior at Marist College. Follow her on Twitter at @omggcasey. To stay tuned to more articles for classy co-eds, be sure to follow College Lifestyles on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.


DIY: Football Cupcakes

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Everyone loves a good cupcake. Why not sweeten up a tailgating party with this great dessert? CL has a fantastic DIY recipe that your friends will love on game day!

Field Goal Football Cupcakes (Recipe courtesy of cupcakecentral.com)

Reynolds® Baking Cups (Green Party)
1 package (18.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 to 6 tablespoons 2% milk
48 small pretzel rods
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
24 Caramel candies
1 bag (14 ounces) shredded coconut

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, line your muffin pan with the baking cups and set aside. Prepare the cake mix according to the directions on the box. Fill the baking cups ¾ of the way full with the batter and put in the oven to bake.

While the cupcakes are baking, get started on the frosting.  In a large bowl, cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and milk until you reach a good consistency. Mix in the green food coloring to make the frosting grass colored. Also dye coconut with the food coloring, but keep this separate from the frosting for now. Once the cupcakes are cool, frost them and roll them in the coconut to complete the grass look.

Now, it’s time to decorate! Start by lining a cookie sheet with wax paper. Set aside half of the pretzel rods to use as the base of the goal post. Cut each remaining stick into three equal pieces. Use a knife to get a clean break. Next, shape the caramel candies into footballs. Melt the white chocolate chips according to the package directions. Spoon into a plastic sandwich bag and cut off a small corner. Squeeze a dot of white chocolate on each end of one small pretzel piece section (you could also use frosting to do this if you don’t have the white chocolate!). Attach the other two pieces to each end, making a “U” shape on the wax paper. Squeeze a dot of the white chocolate in the middle of the bottom of the “U” and attach one of the uncut pretzels to complete the goal post. Place the goal posts in the refrigerator for about five minutes to set. While the goal posts are in the fridge, pipe thin lines on the caramel footballs for strings. Remove the goal posts from the fridge and carefully put them on your cupcakes. Place the caramel footballs in the coconut grass to complete your edible football field!

If you’re feeling more adventurous, try making the cupcakes homemade! After you’ve had success with these cupcakes, try Rachel’s Halloween Cupcakes!

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DIY: Halloween Cupcakes

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You’ve picked out your costume, you’ve made your Halloween plans but now you need a sweet treat! Why not skip the candy and try creating these adorable Fall-themed cupcakes instead? Bake these for a Halloween party or for the second annual She’s the First Bake-Off this November!

Candy Corn Cupcakes (Courtesy of The Curvy Carrot)

Ingredients:

For the cupcake:

1 cup whole milk

6 large egg whites

2 teaspoons almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 and 1/4 cups cake flour

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened

For the frosting:

3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks and softened

3 tablespoons heavy cream

2 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions:

First you are going to start by making the cupcakes! Start by heating the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the milk, egg whites, and extracts together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Piece by piece, add the butter into the flour mixture and use an electric mixer on medium-low speed if possible. Beat in all but ½ a cup of the milk mixture and beat the batter until smooth and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly beat in the remaining ½ cup of the milk mixture. Pour the batter into cupcake liners within a tray. Bake the cupcakes for a total of 15-20 minutes. (Check often!) Let them cool while you create the frosting.

For the frosting, beat the butter, cream, vanilla, and salt together in a large bowl with the electric mixer, until it’s smooth. Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar. Mix the frosting until it’s light and fluffy (might take 5-10 minutes).  Divide the frosting into three bowls and tint two with yellow and orange food coloring. Hint: For an orange color, add a bit of red to the yellow dye. Finally, put the frostings in pastry bags and pipe the frosting into a candy-corn shape on the cupcakes!

For a simpler recipe: For those of you that are not quite as experienced bakers, don’t fret! There is an alternate way to make these cupcakes, and there is no shame in baking out of a box. Follow the easier directions on the box of Betty Crocker Cake Mix. Also, for the frosting, buy some plain vanilla frosting and dye it accordingly. It’s the same idea, just a bit of a shortcut!

For more information about She’s The First, check out CL’s interview with Brooke Sassman, STF’s summer executive assistant. And don’t forget to follow the organization @shesthefirst!.



Intern Kitchen: Creamy, Dreamy, Low-Calorie Cupcakes

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A tasty and healthy dessert option – Hungry Girl Cupcakes! Photo Credit: Hungry Girl

Cupcakes are a gal’s best friend. Petite and sweet, it’s hard to resist the gooey, chewy confection hiding under layers of candy-colored frosting. The epitome of fun, cupcakes should not come with a side order of guilt! This healthier version of the classic, sweet treat (courtesy of Hungry Girl) has only 114 calories per cake. Put your apron on, step inside the CL Intern Kitchen and bake up your own batch of Boston Crème Pie Cupcakes!

Ingredients:

  • Half of an 18.25-oz. box (about 1 3/4 cups) moist-style yellow cake mix
  • 1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (Ex: Egg Beaters)
  • 3 tbsp. chocolate frosting, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp. light chocolate syrup
  • One 60-calorie sugar-free or no-sugar-added vanilla pudding snack
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 no-calorie sweetener packet (Ex: Splenda or Truvia)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with baking cups or spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, liquid egg substitute and ½ a cup of water. Whisk thoroughly. Evenly distribute the mixture among the cups in your cupcake pan.

3. Bake for about 20-22 minutes.

4. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

Test to see if your cupcakes are baked all the way through by inserting a toothpick into one.  If the toothpick comes out clean, they are done!

5. As cupcakes cool, combine chocolate frosting with chocolate syrup and mix well. Cover and refrigerate.
6. When cupcakes are completely cooled, use a knife or narrow spoon to create a small hole in the center of each cupcake.  Stop about midway through each cake.  Set aside.
7. Open pudding cup.  Stir in vanilla extract and sweetener.
8. Put pudding mixture into a plastic bag.  Seal and snip off the edge.
9. Gently squeeze bag and pipe pudding into cupcake holes.
10. Spread frosting over cupcakes – don’t worry if it mixes with your crème mixture.
11. Serve and enjoy!

Eat these tasty treats in moderation for a not-so-guilty pleasure that satisfies your sweet tooth without the extra calories and fat. Serve them at your next girls night in!

Will you be trying this recipe?

Casey Galasso is a Health & Lifestyles Writer for College Lifestyles. She will be a junior at Marist College in Poughkeepise, NY this fall.  Her hobbies include running, increasing the size of her DVD collection and baking. She is looking forward to a relaxing summer filled with friends, family, warm weather and good books.


Product Review: Cupcake Measuring Spoons from Living Royal

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Love cupcakes?  Love to cook?  We do!  Cupcakes have taken the world by storm, and yes, they are delicious and we could spin hours looking at cupcake recipes and decor tips on Pinterest.  Imagine our delight when the folks at Living Royal combined our love of baking and cupcakes and produced a guilt free product – Cupcake Measuring Spoons ($7.50).

Cupcake Measuring Spoons. LivingRoyal.com

Available in a set of 4 (1/4 tsp, 1/2 tsp, 1 tsp, and 1 Tbsp), these measuring spoons work in home, apartment or dorm kitchen setting.  Bring out your inner Martha Stewart and bake some treats for your family, friends, and roommates.

 

Along with Cupcake Measuring Spoons, Living Royal also offers Heart Measuring Spoons for the chef in all of us.

Disclaimer: We’d like to thank Living Royal for supplying us with a set of Cupcake and Heart Measuring Spoons.  Living Royal is offer a 10% coupon code to all our readers by using the code ‘cars’ during check out.


CL’s Guide to Planning a Cupcake Party

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With so many upcoming holidays (Valentine’s Day, Saint Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and this CL intern’s birthday, to name a few), what classy co-ed doesn’t need a theme? A simple, cost-effective way to celebrate these holidays with your friends is a cupcake party. Cupcakes can be decorated in any way, making them an ideal palette for any celebration. Also, cupcakes can be made in a dorm or apartment without an oven! Let CL show you how.

Step One: Oven or no oven.

If you have an oven in your dorm/apartment, you’re already set. If not, you have  some options. You could go to your local bakery and request un-iced cupcakes. Or, you could by a cupcake maker.

These snazzy little devices make miniature cupcakes, and can be bought at local stores like Target (this CL intern has one and loves it!). You could also request that your friends bring un-iced cupcakes with them.

Step Two: Bakin’ the cakes.

Make the cupcakes about one hour before your guests arrive. This will give the cupcakes  time to cool, which needs to happen so that the icing will not melt while your guests  frost and decorate them. You can either make the cupcakes from scratch or buy mixes from your local grocery store (this CL intern loves Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker). Make sure to make or buy a variety of flavors (i.e. chocolate, vanilla, white, marble). If you make mini cupcakes, set a dozen on each guest’s plate. If the cupakes are of regular size, set a half dozen on each guest’s plate.

Step Three: Icing technology.

Just like with the cupcakes, you can make or buy the icing, and you should make or buy it in more than one flavor (i.e. chocolate, vanilla, orange chocolate, almond, anise). To make the icing different colors, you could use food coloring, but be warned that this will dilute the icing, making it runny and difficult to work with. To avoid this outcome, buy Wilton’s icing colors (which this CL intern recommends, along with anything else Wilton!). These will produce strong colors and not make your icing runny. Wilton’s products can be found at arts and crafts stores like Michaels.

Make the icing colors according to the holiday or event you are celebrating. Then, place the icings into separate bowls in the center of the table – don’t forget to label the flavored icings!

Make sure that you have good spatulas for your guests to spread the icings with. To decorate, you can either use plastic bags, by filling them with icing and then cutting off the bottom points on one side of the bags, or icing bags (another great Wilton’s product). These icing bags will allow your guests to use a variety of icing tips to create patterns and make flowers for their cupcakes. Leave one icing bag out next to each icing bowl.

Step Four: Other toppings, for your consideration.

You can also purchase pre-made sugar flowers for some flair. Sprinkles are always classic. Other topping ideas are edible glitter, cinnamon drops, nonpareils or sugar pearls. In addition to these, you can also put festive figures or symbols on top, as shown below.

Leave these out in small bowls for your guests to use as well.

After these first four steps, you are ready for your friends to come over and create some amazing cupcakes!

Step Five: Cupcake favors.

Allow your guests to take their cupcakes home. Set aside a cupcake box for each guest with their name on it.

Debra Schreiber, a CL senior writer and Duquesne University senior journalism and Spanish major, has fond memories of baking chocolate chip cookies with father growing up. She believes this led to her passion for all things baking. She has most recently taken cake decorating classes at Giant Eagle Market District, Robinson location, and hopes someday to open her own bakery.


Improve Your Sisterhood with a CL’s Girls’ Night In!

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Can you believe that it is already August???  School is almost here!  As we all know, the stress that comes along with new classes, work, and sorority life in general, can really frustrate people.  Your chapter may have been so busying focusing on how to raise more money, how to recruit more girls, or how to look better on campus, all which are extremely important, that they may overlook sisterhood!  All of this stress can really take the fun out of sorority life, which is supposed to be fun!    Host an entire night dedicated to what you do best:  having fun with your sisters, which can help to rebuild any broken sisterhood!  Check out the tips below or CL intern Biana’s post ( http://collegelifestyles.org/2010/08/cls-tips-to-a-fabulous-girls-night-in/ ) and the tips below!

*Serve Fun Food!

image courtesy of carlsjr.com

Everyone knows that the best parts of a meal are the appetizers and desserts!  So, at your sisterhood girls’ night in, serve tasty finger foods that remind you of your restaurants favorite dishes!  Some popular, quick, and healthy ideas include:

-Nachos

Here is a healthy twist on a classic!  On a oven-safe platter, layer baked tortilla chips, which taste just as good as the original!  Then, drain and rinse canned black beans, and mash them well with a fork, or a potato masher.  Place the mashed beans over the chips, and then layer fresh diced tomatoes, sliced scallions, and shredded fat free cheddar cheese.  Place the platter in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted, which should be about five to ten minutes.  Cover the nachos with fat free sour cream or fat free plain Greek yogurt (which is amazing as a sour cream substitute!!!) and enjoy!!!

-Vegetable Platters

Cut up raw carrots, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, or any other vegetable that you have on hand, or that your sisters like, and attractively arrange it on a plate.  Pair the veggies with store bought hummus (hummus is yummus!), so people can dip and enjoy!

-Sweet Potato Skins

Sweet potatoes have a lot more nutrients than white potatoes do!  For a healthy spin on this tried and true classic, wash the potatoes, and prick them with a fork.  Cook them in the microwave for 4 to 5 minutes, or until a fork can be easily inserted.  Cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, and layer them with the toppings of your choice!  Some ideas include fat free sour cream, crumbled low fat turkey bacon, scallions, and fat free cheddar cheese! Yum!

*DIY Desserts!

Some silly cupcake designs!

Serve “do it yourself” desserts!  People love to assemble food themselves, and cupcake decorating would be a fun activity for your sisters to do together!  Purchase or bake enough plain, unfrosted cupcakes for each of your sisters.  On your table or counter top, arrange cans of frosting, along with spreading knives, and a variety of decorations, such as m&m’s, sprinkles, dried coconut, gum drops, or any other type of candy, so that everyone can decorate their cupcake however they would like!

image courtesy of kidscooking.about.com

Another fun DIY dessert is cold s’mores!  Instead of having to go out to roast the marshmallows, have everyone spread a thin layer of marshmallow fluff onto one graham cracker half, and a thin layer of chocolate frosting onto another graham cracker half.  Press the two halves together, and you have a perfect s’more, with a perfect gooey consistency!

*Watch Funny Films!

image courtesy of iwatchstuff.com

Everyone is exhausted from reading literature that gives them a headache!  Give them a break, and provide them with a lighthearted film, where they can relax their minds!  Need a suggestion?  Check out CL intern Briana’s post about chick flicks ( http://collegelifestyles.org/2010/07/this-classy-coeds-favorite-chick-flicks/ )!  My chapter personally loves The House Bunny!

*Get to Really Know Your Sisters!

My pledge class having fun at a girls' night in!

So you may spend hours with your sisters each week, and you may know all about their favorite things to do, but do you know all of their random facts?  Do you know the name of the first boy they kissed?  Or do you know all of the details about how their grandparents came to this country?

Before the guests arrive, type up random questions on paper.  These questions can be about anything!!!  Great ideas include:  favorite childhood vacation, possible names for future children, animal that they would like to be, etc.  Print out these questions, cut them into strips, and put them into a bowl!  Have all of your sisters sit in a circle, and the girls can then pass the bowl around, answering their questions out loud.  Just make sure this is done one at a time so that everyone can hear what they have to say!  Everyone will learn more about one another, and probably have a good laugh at some of the responses!

How do you have fun on a night in?

Christine Palaski is an intern with College Lifestyles.  She is a nursing major and a proud sister of Delta Delta Delta at Adelphi University.  As much as she enjoys going out, she finds it fun to stay in too!


GIFTS for a 21-Year-Old: Cash-Friendly & Creative D-I-Y

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Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

After I read Briana’s post, I glanced up and fixed my eyes upon a cute wine glass that a good friend decorated for me one year for a birthday present and thought, “Perfect for an ‘in my budget’ and affordable 21-year-old present!”.  Then it hit me: I was inspired to write a post just for you!  Here are the cash-friendly ideas and create-your-own/do-it-yourself presents I have done myself, been given, or thought of while brainstorming.  These gifts will identify to a sorority sister, casual co-ed, classy co-ed, comedic co-ed and a great girlfriend.  

1.  I just mentioned a wine glass, but you do not have to choose that one.  You can decide from a martini glass, margarita glass, or even a wine bottle!  Plain ones can be found anywhere for a cheap price: Wal-Mart, TJ Maxx, any craft store, and other similar locations.  If you don’t have any yourself, find a friend that has the painting essentials: paintbrushes (think about cup-ware size when choosing this as well), bright and fun acrylic paint colors and you can choose to dab a wee bit of modge podge over the dried paint for lifetime stay!

paddle12.  This is a very cute one for sorority sisters: order or buy a baby paddle for less than $5 from A.C. Moore or other stores that provide them.  They are as long as one of your lengthier fingers and can be used as a keychain as well.  You can paint or order her initials letters or the numbers ‘2’ and ‘1’. Cut a little bit of string and tell her she can put it on her doorknob, wall, or my favorite – hang from her car’s rearview mirror. 

3.  If not a sorority girl, you can still use the same idea as #2, but without an obvious “fraternity/sorority” paddle and buy a straighter, more board like small keychain, star, or princess crown to decorate however you want to!

4.  I recently made my mom and a friend a pictured collage birthday card at the picture station at Wal-Mart that takes less than 5 minutes!  It was LESS than one dollar!  You could easily put pictures of you and the special birthday girl in the collaged frames and type a little message along with it and maybe add a cute cocktail mixer, margarita salt-top, a lime- anything to go along with it!  It is personable, yet very inexpensive and shows you still care and took time to customize your charming card! 

5.  Buy a poster and write down 21 creative things she will have to do on her birthday with you and her other friends!  A couple of things my friend Anna wrote for our friend Sarah to do were: “Go into your room and find something wacky, tacky, and fun to wear for the rest of the night – and must get approved by Anna and Kayla” – the winner: a backpack. “Randomly yell ‘it’s my birthday!’ or ‘I’m 21!’ throughout the night”.  You get the idea!

6.  Create a “Margarita” Basket.  Buy a basket and pick and choose to add: margarita glass (and decorate – look at #1), mix, salt-top, lime, Bath & Body Works “Island Margarita” home fragrance room spray and/or 4 oz. candle. 

dsc0363427.  Wine stopper and wine glass tassels!  Definitely cash-friendly and very cute accessories! (My friend Abby gave me those in the picture!)


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