Blue Velvet Giants Superbowl Cupcakes

In case you didn't already guess...I'm kinda sorta just a little excited that the Giants are in the Superbowl.

I made blue velvet cupcakes to celebrate. Nothing says Go Big Blue like royal blue cupcakes with sweet buttercream and red non-pareils. Don't you think?

Last time I tried to make a velvet cake, it was a big fat fail. This time, I made sure that I would get it right. It's for the Giants after all. Oh and t-shirts work nicely as backgrounds for cupcake photos. Just sayin'!

When I pulled them out of the oven, I did a little Cruz-style salsa to celebrate the fact that they turned out blue...not mossy, not brown...just beautiful, Giants blue. You can do it too. And you should! Everyone needs a little kitchen salsa in their lives. And some blue velvet cupcakes.

Then I tasted the cupcakes. And I was in a little bit of heaven. Especially since they were incredibly easy and only 6 WW Points+ per cupcake. Even if you don't make these for the Superbowl, you should make them for a random evening...they are just so pretty and yummy. Though I'd rather you make them for the Superbowl.

I just have to decide which of my Giants shirts to wear on Sunday. I'm thinking about my Bradshaw t-shirt (shown above). I like him.

Blue Velvet Giants Superbowl Cupcakes
*Adapted from Betty Crocker
Yields 24 cupcakes
1 cupcake = 6 WW Points+

1 box Supermoist white cake mix
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/4 C buttermilk
1/3 C canola oil
3 eggs
3 bottles blue food coloring
1 toothpick full violet food coloring gel/paste

for the frosting:
1/2 C butter, at room temperature
2 C confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp milk

red nonpareils, if desired

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix cake mix, cocoa powder, eggs, oil and buttermilk together, starting with 30 seconds on low speed, then increasing to medium speed for 1 minute. Add in food coloring (I still have it all over my hands. Classy) and beat for 1 minute more until totally blue and combined. Pour into 2 muffin tins lined with baking cups. Fill about 2/3 full. Bake for 16 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

To make the frosting, beat the butter. Add in sugar, 1 cup at a time, thinning out with milk as necessary. Beat in vanilla. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes. Serve with milk. Eat many.

I know what you're thinking. Is she going to be shoving Giants stuff down our throats all week? Maybe No. But I really love these cupcakes! I hope you like them too!

For some other Giants-themed goodies, you should check out my white chocolate pretzel Giants popcorn...

...and marbled Giants cake bars

Have a great week, everyone!

Questions of the Day:

Will you be watching the Superbowl? Are you just in it for the food and party? I usually am just in it for the party, but not this time!

How was your weekend?

Giants Party

Hi there! It's Monday! I'm happy for a number of reasons.

1. I do not have work today. I love having Mondays off, much more than Fridays, because then I start the week on a Tuesday and somehow it seems like its a less crazy start to the week. Fridays are usually quiet anyway, so I don't really mind being in the office!

2. I have a fun day in NYC planned! Shaun is taking me to get a new camera lens (my Christmas present), then we are having Restaurant Week lunch at Striphouse and then I'm going to my bff Lindsey's to do wedding stuff with her. It doesn't get much better on a day off!

3. Oh yeah...and the Giants crushed the Packers yesterday! Woooo-hoooo!

Shaun and I spent the afternoon and evening at my parents house to watch the game. His parents joined us as well. We dined on way to many snacks and I even created a quick Giants cupcake for the occasion!

We had mini cheeseballs - cheddar and feta

 

a trio of wings - barbeque, buffalo and sesame teriyaki

 

my mom made this amazing cobb salad. love the presentation on this.

 

cold spinach dip with veggies

there was also some Greek layer dip...

and pizza dip on hand

and for dessert? I whipped up these cute Giants-themed cupcakes with some leftover red cupcake liners from Christmas. I used a basic chocolate cake recipe and just whipped up a basic cream cheese frosting with a little blue food coloring mixed in! What can I come up with next week?! Gah!

So that's how we spent Sunday afternoon and evening...cheering on the Giants and stuffing our bellies.

Question of the Day:

How was YOUR weekend?!

Do you prefer to have Mondays or Fridays off from work?

Red & Blue Giants Cake Bars

Yesterday, the Giants beat up on the Falcons.

I'm so happy they did.

Because, you see, I made a blue and red cake for my G-men. That's how I celebrate. With cake.

And if they did not, in fact, beat up on the Falcons, I would feel majorly slightly embarassed to share this cake with you.

It's pretty. And yummy. And the reason that I'm 20 lbs. overweight. Let's pretend that doesn't exist for today.

Because this cake is so soft and fluffy. It's topped with sweet vanilla buttercream. And I actually got the cake color right on this one. Very unlike my Jets cake of yore. Yikes. I'm glad that we were invited to our friends John & Laura's party for the game so that I could redeem myself with this! Plus I got to see my friend Kristen whom I've not seen in quite a while and celebrate in our Giants gear.

 

But back to the cake. After mixing in a heckuva lotta food coloring, I layered the cake batter into a long pan. It swirled on its own. Purdy. If you (gasp) are not in fact a Giants fan, you could easily adapt this cake to fit your own team or holiday or anything you want, really!

Red & Blue Giants Cake Bars
for the cake:
*Adapted from Softasilk Raspberry Laced Vanilla Cake
baking spray with flour
3 C cake flour (I used SOFTASILK®)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 C butter, softened
1 1/4 C sugar
4 large eggs
2/3 C milk
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
red food coloring (as desired, I used half a small bottle)
blue food coloring (as desired, I used a quarter of a small bottle)

frosting:
3/4 C butter, softened
3 C confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 Tbsp milk
sprinkles, as desired

Heat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13x9" pan with baking spray with flour (make sure it's with flour!) Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Beat butter and sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla on medium speed until blended, scraping bowl. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until just blended. Separate batter in half, adding red food coloring to one and blue to the other, mixing each one well (Note: I mixed each one separately in  my mixer, cleaning it out in between mixes). Spread the red batter evenly in the pan. Top with blue batter and carefully spread. Bake for 19-23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. The batter will naturally swirl together in the baking process. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Now, make the frosting. Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 C at a time until completely combined. Add milk as necessary to thin out. Beat in the vanilla extract. Mix on high speed for a few minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy. Spread over the top of the cake (carefully!). Sprinkle with sprinkles. Cut into bars.

Eat many.

I really love this cake. It's going into my permanent collection as a base white cake. Yum.

So that's my tale of celebrating the Giants! Now I just have to top this for next week's game...

Questions of the Day:

What's your favorite kind of cake? I love chocolate with vanilla buttercream!

Have you ever made a sports-themed food? I've made a (failed) Jets cake and Giants & Jets popcorn mixes!