MyMilitarySavingsHello again!! Thanks for joining me for this month’s cuppy cake diaries! If you are reading along then I am assuming you are intrigued by the sweet and salty combination of chocolate and pretzels and how that can be incorporated into one little fluff of deliciousness. I’ve got two things to tell you up front: This is incredibly easy to make. And you are going to absolutely love it.
This collision of flavors was inspired by my 5th grader that is in love with chocolate pretzels. No, that’s not a strong enough word. She’s obsessed. Nah, that’s not illustrative enough either. Let’s put it this way – when it comes to her chocolate pretzels, she becomes as territorial with them as a saltwater crocodile is of their nest during breeding season. Can you take a moment to picture that? But instead of a sharp toothed, snappy thing in the water lurking around it’s my curly haired 10 year old just waiting to pounce on someone that gets too close before she has finished off her bag of snacks.
Anyway, this child of mine has recently been uprooted from our home in New York and transplanted to our new family headquarters in Georgia. In other words… we have just PCS’d. Now it’s all good and dandy, we are in love with the warmer weather, and we are so much closer to family here, but leaving friends behind is never easy. What really pulled at my heart strings was during my daughter’s last week of school, her buddies brought her bags of chocolate covered pretzels on a few different occasions. I dunno, if you ask me, someone that pays attention to what you like and surprises you with it to see you smile is a pretty good companion in my book. That being said, I wanted to surprise all of her classmates with a going away treat as well, and I put one together that I found quite fitting: Sweet & Salty Fudge Cupcakes with Pretzel Buttercream!
This recipe is for the beginner of all beginners. It’s easy. Fast. And doesn’t even require any fancy piping bags to apply the frosting – just your (clean) fingers! Perfect for a PCS when your kitchen is half-packed up, wouldn’t ya say!?
This is all you’ll need:
- A box of chocolate cake mix – I chose Super Moist Triple Chocolate Fudge because… hello! Why not???
- Ingredients listed on cake mix box – in my case it was oil, water, and eggs
- 2 sticks of butter
- 2 cups confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups of whole pretzels, ground to about 3/4 cup of crumbs
- Chocolate covered pretzels for decoration, optional
Step 1) Bake your cake mix as directed to produce 24 cupcakes. For a more dense cake, substitute whole milk for the water that the box calls for. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Step 2) To prepare frosting, cream together butter and confectioners sugar. Add vanilla extract, give a good stir, and then fold in the pretzel crumbs. I used a blender to chop my pretzels into a fine crumb.
Step 3) The frosting will be so thick from the pretzels that piping it is nearly impossible. Simply scoop a bit on top of each cupcake and then round it out with your fingers.
Step 4) Lick the frosting bowl. Come on, life is short. Oh, and top each cuppy cake with a chocolate pretzel, too, if ya want.
The kids loved these, the teachers loved these, my daughter certainly loved these, and I definitely give them a stamp of approval as well. And with the ease of it, this recipe is staying in my repertoire for quick desserts when I need to please.
Don’t miss out on these cuppy cakes!! Give them a try today, tomorrow, next week, whenever. But save this recipe now! You’ll be glad you did! 🙂
If you’ve missed any of my previous Cupcake Diaries, find them at MyMilitarySavings.com! Last month I was dabbling with lavender… did you see it!?
Until next month… <3
Lasonja Williams
