Red Hot Holiday Trends from Betty Crocker

Betty Crocker is always on the leading edge for dessert trends. And with the assistance of MyBlogSpark they are sharing new ideas and great recipes, so visit http://redhot.bettycrocker.com/trends/

Cupcake Poppers

Trend: Bright Colors, Playful Food

Prep Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Start to Finish: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Makes: 30 Cupcake Popper sandwiches

Ingredients
Cupcakes
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® white cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
1/4 teaspoon each gel or liquid food colors (neon pink, neon purple, neon orange, neon green, classic blue)

Frosting
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Gel or liquid food colors (neon pink, neon purple, neon orange, neon green, classic blue)

Directions1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 60 mini muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Divide batter among 5 small bowls, about 3/4 cup each. Make 5 different colors of batter by adding 1/4 teaspoon food color to each bowl; blend well.

2. Fill each muffin cup with 1 level measuring tablespoon batter, making 12 cupcakes of each color.

3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely, about 10 minutes.

4. In large bowl, beat marshmallow creme and butter with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in powdered sugar until fluffy. Divide frosting among 5 small bowls, about 1/3 cup each. Using the same 5 food colors, lightly tint frosting in each bowl to match the cupcake colors.

5. Assemble each popper using 2 mini cupcakes. Cut tops off each cupcake horizontally (save bottoms for another use). Spread or pipe about 1 tablespoon frosting on cut side of 1 cupcake top. Form a sandwich by placing cut side of second cupcake top on frosting; press lightly. Repeat with remaining cupcake tops. Store loosely covered.

Fun Idea: Using canned or leftover frosting, spread frosting between layers of cupcake bottoms and thread on wooden skewers.

Bright Colors, Playful Food: Food Is Fun Again. Food is more fun than ever, as our favorite foodie bloggers and boutique bakeries have shown. Add some play value to your holiday menu with our recipe for colorful, mini Cupcake Poppers that will bring out the kid in you!

Street Eats and Tweets: Meals Go Mobile. Street food is all the rage, exploding from the coasts to the heartland and even on to reality TV this year. Food truck fans use Twitter to make sure they can find these restaurants-on-wheels and get their hands on the cutting-edge flavors they create. Our recipe for Indian Spiced Mini Donut Muffins, inspired by a Minneapolis food truck, is the perfect find.






Man Up, Eat Up: Beer. Bacon. Good. Beer and bacon for breakfast? Oh yes, say the manly men. And some women. With craft brewing at an all-time high, and the never-ending popularity of bacon, why not combine the two? This recipe for Mancakes covers all your basic manly food groups: beer, bacon, and pancakes. It's the best way to serve up dude food for breakfast.

Head over to  http://redhot.bettycrocker.com/trends/  for more Betty Crocker Trends and Recipes.