Tie Dye Cupcakes (aka Cheating at Baking)

In the last two weeks, I have had marathon days--seven hours at school, working on curriculum development and off to master's courses in the evening for another three hours. This is adding up to almost 10 hours behind a computer a day. So forgive me if I've been a bit absent on the blog front.

BUT!!!

All of this school and work business means grand things. It means that there is a whole lotta baking going on in this little house. Baking is my therapy. When life gets tough, this cookie gets cooking. The last several days have lead me to a delicious dinner of balsamic glazed chicken, super moist chocolate pomegranate cupcakes, dreamy hummus, a patriotic version of my tie dye cupcakes and, to top it all off, milkin' cookies (made for my someday sister in law). And yes, recipes for all of these things will make it here eventually.

Given the impending Independence Day celebrations, and the BBQs, potlucks and parties that are sure to ensue, I felt that the cupcakes were probably the most important to share. Not to mention that dozens of my friends have asked for the recipe and I've never actually gotten around to actually giving it to them. Plus, the name of this blog is BAKE Me Happy... So I should probably focus on the stuff I bake, right?

 photo by Jessica Y.

These cupcakes are all dressed up for the 4th!

But before I spill the beans, I have a confession to make. My quest for amazing cupcakes has lead me to several cupcake "cookbooks" that are mind boggling... These so-called recipes call for ready-made cake mix, with a few bells and whistles thrown in. If you ask me, that's not baking. That's cheating. Bottom line. Taking cake from a box and adding some dried cherries or a splash of rum is kind of a no-brainer. That's not a recipe. In my opinion.

BUT!!!

I make one exception. And that is tie dye cupcakes. They can be done from scratch, but the ready made box (in this one and ONLY circumstance) is a better route, as it gives you a lot more time for fun, creativity and less margin for error.

Tie Dye Cupcakes

1 box white cake mix
3 egg whites
1 1/3 C. water
2 T vegetable oil
Variety of paste style food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

3. In a large bowl, combine water, oil and cake mix until smooth.

4. Determine how many different colors you would like to make; separate the batter into that many bowls. Three to four colors is what I would recommend. Obviously, I left one bowl plain and did red and blue for my festive cupcakes (pictured above).

4. Add the egg whites.

5. Add the food coloring to the divided bowls of batter. Mix until desired colors are reached. The paste food coloring is recommended for this, as you can achieve bright, rich colors without diluting the batter or getting the taste of the food coloring in the final product.

6. Using table spoons, spoon the different colors of batter into the cupcake liners. You can alternate colors for a stacked rainbow effect, or you can fill the cups with the colors side by side. You can randomly add spoonfuls at a time, or follow a specific pattern. This is where you get to get creative!

photo by Jessica Y.

Beautiful tie dye cupcakes prepare to make magic in the oven.

You can leave the batter in layers, or use a toothpick to swirl the colors together. Experiment. See what happens. They all come out fabulous!

7. Place cupcakes in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cupcakes are done when they spring back after being lightly pressed on the top.

8. Unwrap and let them blow your mind!

photo by Jessica Y.

Beautiful, delicious and tie dye. Does it get any better?