Recipe of the Week: 8th Birthday Rainbow Cupcake

      Have you ever looked at an item on Neopets and thought "That looks good! I wish I could reach through the screen and take a bite!"? Well, now you can! Well, sort of. Now you, too, can make delicious detectable delights straight from Neopia in the comfort of your own home.

      Disclaimer: If you are under 18 please get an adult to assist you. If you are allergic to any of the ingredients listed please do not attempt to make any of the recipes, or find a substitute for said ingredient. Be safe! We don't want anything to happen to you, but we are not held responsible for any burns, scratches, or any other baking related mishaps.

      Last week we made Orange Kougra Cupcakes. Weren’t they delicious? We must be on a roll, because this week cupcakes are on the menu again. How exciting!

      This week's recipe: 8thRainbow Birthday Cupcake

      Ingredients Needed: Rainbow cupcake liners, cupcake pan, mixing bowls, butter, granule sugar, egg whites, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, milk, gel food coloring (in rainbow colors), powdered sugar, mixer, whisk, oven, oven mitts, rainbow sprinkles, clear vanilla extract

      Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

      Step 2: In your stand mixer cream 1 cup of softened butter and 2 1/3 cups of sugar together for about 2-3 minutes. When you’re done the mixture should look lighter in color, like a pastel yellow. Get assistance with this step if needed

      Step 3: Add 5 egg whites and 1 tbsp of vanilla until fully mixed together.

      Step 4: In a separate bowl, add 3 cups of flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, and 4 tsp of baking powder. Whisk everything together to fully incorporate dry ingredients.

      Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture in your mixing bowl. Add ½ cup of milk and mix together. Continue to add milk and flour ½ cup at a time until you reach the right consistency. It should be thick, but still runny (like regular cake batter).

      Step 6: Add 1 cup of batter to 6 different bowls. If there’s any leftover just distribute as evenly as possible.

      Step 7: Color each bowl of batter with your rainbow gel food coloring. I used red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple.

      Step 8: Using 6 different spoons (1 for each bowl), stir the batter and gel food coloring together until the battery is completely colored with the desired color.

      Step 9: Line the cupcake pan with your rainbow cupcake liners.

      Step 10: The choice is yours: piping bag or spoon.

      Step 11: If you’re using a piping bag, fill 6 piping bags up with the cake batter (you can use one piping bag and keep washing it between, but that will take longer). Add a ¼ inch layer of each color into each liner until the liner is 2/3 of the way full.

      Step 12: If you’re using a spoon, spoon each color (using a different spoon for each) into the cupcake liner. You’ll want to add 1/4 inch of each later until the cupcake liner is about 2/3 of the way full.

      Step 13: Stick the cupcakes in the oven to bake for about 18-20 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and have it come out clean. Get assistance with this step if needed.

      While we’re waiting for these yummy cupcakes to bake, we’ll get to work on the frosting! I love how the frosting on these cupcakes looks like a soft, sweet little cloud, so that’s what we’re aiming for!

      Step 14: In a clean mixing bowl, add 1 cup of softened butter, and whip it for about a minute until it’s lighter in color. If you’re using a stand mixer, a paddle attachment works best for this step.

      Step 15: Add 1 tbsp of clear vanilla extract. You can use regular vanilla, but the frosting won’t be as white. It will be just as delicious, though!

      Step 16: Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tbsp of milk.

      Step 17: Mix together, and continue to add 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tbsp of milk at a time, stirring after each addition, until you reach the desired consistency. There should be no lumps, and it should be super light and fluffy, just like a delicious vanilla cloud!

      Step 18: Pull the cupcakes out of the oven. Get assistance with this step if needed.

      Step 19: Allow the cupcakes to cool for a while until they are no longer warm to the touch. If you put the frosting on top while it’s warm it WILL melt off.

      Step 20: Put your yummy frosting in a piping bag with a closed star tip. It works best if you put the piping bag in a tall glass, drape it over the sides, and scoop the frosting inside. Only fill the piping bag about half of the way full.

      Step 21: Time to frost our cupcakes! Twist the top of the piping bag closed, then hold the piping bag with your dominant hand and the cupcake with your non dominant hand. The trick to perfect cupcake piping is the wrist action. Your wrist should be moving in a circle while you’re frosting the cupcake, and you want to layer each layer of frosting on top of the other until it comes to a point.

      Step 22: Time for the finishing touches! Add rainbow sprinkles on the top of each cupcake. Don’t be afraid to be liberal with them. There’s no such thing as too many sprinkles!

      Step 23: Take a picture, eat, and enjoy! The best part of this recipe is that none of your cupcakes will look the same, because rainbows are always different! Feel free to upload pictures of your creations and Neomail them to me!

      P.S. Need something to cut the sweetness of the cupcake? Why not have a Rainbow Latte to go with?