To start, my favorite: PB&J-cakes!

i. love. this cupcake.

i grew up on pb&j (before my family and i realized that there were actually other vegetarian sandwich options), but i cannot complain. the sweet jelly with the salty butter... shut. up. i mean its really that good, and if you're not salivating just at the thought of one beautiful school lunch sandwich cut in perfect triangles, well then, we might have problems.

if you're that poor, dry-mouthed soul, you can redeem yourself by ramping up your salivary glands with this thought: that glorious sandwich translated into the most delectable sweet treat you've ever had.

its not a novel idea, and i had seen recipes for it all over the place, but none really struck my fancy. in the end, i just did it my own way. i mean how hard can it really be? not hard at all, actually. sandra lee would be so damn proud of me.

now there aren't a lot of (or any) pictures showing the process and that's for two reasons. 1) i made this last semester, with no forethought about posting it up later. and 2) do you really need a picture of me mixing things? lets be honest.

the recipe is here though, and the insanely short ingredient list compared to the insanely long list of reasons why this cupcake is to die for, is awesome. try it - seriously.

yellow cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix
1 can of  soda*

1. mix both ingredients and fill a lined mini cupcake pan to 2/3s full. 
2. bake for 15 min, until a toothpick comes out clean or till you touch the tops and it springs back - or whenever. 
3. let cool for 10 min, then remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.

* i used soda for 2 reasons: didn't have any eggs, and wanted some added sweetness. i used some flat root beer i had lying around. normally, soda works like a charm for cakes made in liners (they are kind of crumbly without any eggs), but the soda being flat made the cakes a little more dense as well. i happened to like that - gave the cupcakes a more bread-like density, more like my beloved sandwich.

jelly filling

1/2 cup smucker's black raspberry jelly (or whatever your fave is)
2 oz cream cheese (1/4 of 1 package), room temp*

1. mix all the ingredients, breaking the jelly up into a thinner consistency. 
2. pour into a piping bag, fitted with a filling tip (i used wilton #230). if not available, just fill a ziploc bag and cut off the tip at corner. 
3. once the cupcakes have cooled, insert the tip 2/3 of the way into a cupcake and gently squeeze the filling in. you should feel the cupcakes expanding slightly in your hand. its okay if a little oozes out of the top, but careful not to overdo it - especially with the mini cupcakes!

* the cream cheese addition was an afterthought, in an attempt to make the jelly a little thicker. you could definitely do without it. either way, the jelly has to get mixed so that its not one big chunk.

peanut butter icing

6 oz cream cheese (remaining 3/4 of 1 package), room temp
1 cup creamy peanut butter 

3-4 cups powdered sugar (at most, 1lb bag)

1. in an electric mixer, cream the cheese. 
2. add peanut butter and cream until blended and smooth. 
3. slowly add sifted powdered sugar until its as sweet and as thick as you'd like it. i'm a sweet tooth - i dumped the whole pound in there. i also got fancy and used some of the leftover jelly mixture, cutting it into the frosting in the hopes of getting a tinge of purple - it worked a little. 
4. fill a piping bag fitted with a tip (i used wilton #18). then, you know - pipe it. again, you can use a ziploc bag with a hole cut in the corner, or just frost it with a butter knife or spatula. 

and then... eat it. and die happy. 

ps: happy birthday to my little cousin radhi!