A Magically Delicious Way To Cupcake Your Day

by Donovan Eniram

Cereal is a basic staple of breakfast, with those crunchy sweet bits in cold, refreshing milk. A delicious way to start any morning is now in a cupcake! Lucky Charms with those crunchy oats and melt-in-your-mouth marshmallows aren't just for breakfast. These cupcakes, with cereal-milk mixed in the batter to make it moist and fluffy, creamy rich frosting, and tiny bits of cereal sprinkled on top giving a crunchy texture, are the perfect way to start the day. Perhaps this isn’t a nutritious breakfast, but a cupcake for breakfast is okay sometimes! Now let's get into the recipe.

Lucky Charm Cereal Cupcakes

Prep Time ~ 2 hours

Cook Time ~ 15 min

Total Time ~ 2 hours 15 min

Yield ~ 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cereal Milk

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup Lucky Charms oats

Cereal Milk Cupcakes

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

• ¾ cups sugar

• 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil

• 2 large eggs

• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

• ½ cup + 2 tbsp cereal milk

Vanilla Frosting

• ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

• ¼ cup shortening

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• ¾ tsp vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

Garnish:

• Lucky charm marshmallows

• Lucky charm oats

Directions:

Prep Work:

1. Separate the dehydrated marshmallows from frosted oats in separate bowls from one 10 oz box of Lucky Charms cereal.

Cereal Milk:

1. Add the milk and Lucky Charms oats in a bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain the milk and discard the cereal.

Cupcakes:

1. Prepare a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

4. Add the butter, sugar, and oil to a large mixer bowl and beat together for about 3 minutes, until light in color and fluffy.

5. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until mostly combined after each. Add the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until mostly combined. Slowly add the cereal milk and mix until well combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Do not overmix the batter.

7. Fill the cupcake liners about 3/4 full and bake for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the oven and place them on a cooling rack to cool.

Frosting:

1. Add the butter and shortening to a mixer bowl and beat until well combined.

2. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix till smooth. Then add vanilla extract and salt and mix until well combined.

3. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until well combined and smooth.

4. Set aside, covering the bowl to ensure no crust forms.

Garnish:

1. Divide the dehydrated marshmallows into two separate bowls. In one bowl keep the marshmallows whole, and in the second bowl crush the marshmallows into chunks. Avoid turning it into powder, you still want it chunky.

2. Do the same with the oats. Take the crushed oats and mix them in with the crushed marshmallows. Then set all bowls aside.

Decorating:

1. Taking a medium star tip, prepare a piping bag with the frosting.

2. Pipe a spiral tower around the base of the cupcake, leaving a pointy top.

3. Then, taking the crushed cereal mixture, lightly sprinkle bits over the tops of the buttercream. Try not to overcoat it.

4. Now, place 3 to 5 whole marshmallow and oat bits across the buttercream to give a little bit of detail.

5. Add as much or as little toppings as you like and then serve.

Now, with any cupcake, there's always an easy way out. If you want, you can take a white box mix and replace the 1 cup of water with 1 cup of cereal milk and then bake as directed. Frosting can be bought as well, but I suggest adding ½ cup powdered sugar and whipping it till fluffy. The garnish obviously can be done in several ways. You can go for detail and gently place each piece perfectly, but just sprinkling cereal over the top is just as good. Now since the marshmallows are dehydrated, they will absorb moisture from the buttercream which will change the texture of the cupcake. You want the crunchy sweet texture from the cereal, so it's best to serve soon after making. Sealing them in a container and putting them in a cool dry place will have them last for a few days, though the marshmallows will become soft and chewy. How you enjoy them is up to you because everything tastes better when you make it the way you like it!