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ICEE Cupcakes – this easy and fun cupcake recipe has a cherry ICEE frosting! Mini cupcakes with icing and a free printable label – kids LOVE THESE!
Post updated 2017
Softball season is officially over. It’s kind of sad, really, because Jordan loved it so much. I will not miss having to get dinner ready for her at 4:00 and packing it up in a cooler for Mel and I. Nor will I miss the post-school night-game whining.
I will miss watching Jordan learn how to catch. And watching her hit, without a tee, for entire games.
Last weekend I volunteered to host the end-of-the-year softball party. For 12 first-graders, their parents, and siblings.
Yes, I’m certifiably insane.
But I love doing it. Even when I was going crazy on Friday trying to get the house clean and do last minute prep and make eight dozen mini cupcakes, when I was growling “why do I do this???” at my husband, I still was having fun.
For the cupcakes, I decided to go with a “softball snack shack” theme. You know, that crap you buy while you’re bored out of your mind watching your kid play and the ones they beg you for: ICEE! In fact, Jordan begs me for an ICEE whenever we go anywhere: the movies, Target, the gas station. She’s in love with that bright cherry flavor.
I made mini cupcakes FYI, that makes a lot of minis. I had no idea how many it would make. Be prepared: probably 3-4 dozen per cake mix box. I think the rule is about 3 minis per 1 regular sized cupcake.
{Just because I majored in math, you didn’t expect me just know that a mix making 24 regular sized cupcakes would make a whole lot of mini ones, right?}
You don’t have to make these from a box mix, by the way. You could use funfetti cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes, or even lemon flavored.
These ICEE cupcakes were the biggest hit! The kids LOVED them, and I was even asked to make a second set for a birthday party the same week.
The frosting is made with cherry jell-o. Joan at Chocolate, Chocolate, and More used Jell-O in cupcakes awhile back and when brainstorming ideas, I came up with these. You add a small box of the cherry Jell-O to the basic buttercream recipe, along with a little milk and/or maraschino cherry juice to thin it out. I piped it onto each mini cupcake using a large circle tip.
I didn’t have fully red straws, so I used some cute ones from my stash. You can also *borrow* the straws from Target. I may have * accidentally* brought home a couple extra with my diet Pepsi fountain drink. Cut them in fourths and they are the perfect size for mini cupcakes.
Here is a link to the printable ICEE logo. I printed them on regular paper and attached them to a paper liner with double stick tape. Using those cute little paper cups would be great too, but I didn’t have any.
I must say, if you’re making cupcakes for a crowd, make minis. People eat more when food is miniature. I had no cupcakes left. The kids ate way too many, but hey, then I didn’t. 🙂
ICEE Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix made and baked as directed in mini cupcake pans about 4 dozen cupcakes
- 1 cup room temperature unsalted butter
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 small box cherry Jell-O mix
- 1-2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice or milk for consistency
- Red straws
- ICEE label and extra cupcake liners as seen in photos
Instructions
- Beat butter until fluffy in a very large bowl. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix well between additions. Beat in salt.
- Add cherry Jell-O powder and beat until combined. Add maraschino cherry juice and/or to the mixture until you get a good frosting consistency.
- Squeeze onto the top of cupcakes in on large mound. Cut each red straw in fourths and stick into icing. If your frosting seems gritty at first, try adding a little cream or milk and mixing, adding more powdered sugar if needed to thicken.
- This makes a LOT of frosting. You can also divide the recipe in half if you need less.
Recipe Video
Recipe Nutrition
If you love cupcakes like this, be sure to try mint chip ice cream cupcakes, ice cream cupcakes, chocolate mini cupcakes, mini butterscotch cone dip cupcakes, and the perfect cupcake recipe using a mix.
I just made the icee cupcakes for my moms birthday tomorrow and i accidentally used way too much cherry juice. the frosting is super runny and gritty =\ any suggestions? ive added almost four cups of sugar by now trying to thicken it up!
Oh no! Usually adding powdered sugar helps the runniness. Hmmmm…possibly add a little more butter? Have you tried chilling it for awhile? That could make the butter that’s already in it harden up a bit, and maybe it will be less runny? That would give the ingredients time to settle together. After a couple hours in the fridge, try mixing and then adding a little more sugar if needed. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
These are too cute. I’m sharing these tomorrow on my Facebook page as part of cupcake week because more people should see them.
These cupcakes are so cute! I love your ideas! Cupcakes are my favorite things, and I think I need to make some of these in the very near future 🙂
Sooo cute! Can you buy this as a kit somewhere?
Unfortunately no, but it’s super easy to do yourself! The printable is above and the red straws were “borrowed” from Target. 🙂
So freakin cute! I’m featuring tonight! Thanks so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout!
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