Cupcakes for Relief Society

I made these for our Relief Society Birthday celebration. I decided this time to not spend lots of time decorating these cupcakes but to focus on the taste so I made yummy flavored frosting instead. I made 5 different kinds: key lime, mint chocolate, plain chocolate, strawberry, & vanilla buttercream with butterscotch ganache.

Mint chocolate: I used a devils food cake mix. The frosting had 4 oz. cream cheese, 4 Tbps. butter, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. mint extract, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar. I used a little green food coloring, piped it on with tip 12 and topped it with chocolate shavings.

Chocolate cupcake: triple chocolate cake mix, and Patti's frosting recipe. Piped on with 1M tip.

Key lime: I used a vanilla cake mix but replaced some of the water with key lime juice (I used Nellie & Joe's brand) about 1/4 cup. For the frosting I creamed 1 cube butter & 8 oz. cream cheese together then added 1 jar of marshmellow cream, key lime juice (about 2 tbsp.), 1 tsp. vanilla, the zest and a little juice from 1 lime, and approx. 2 cups powdered sugar. You may need to add more powdered sugar depending on the consistency you want. I topped it with a slice of lime right before serving.

Strawberry-I used a strawberry cake mix. The frosting had 1 cube butter, 8 oz. cream cheese, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 4 tbsp. pureed strawberries (I used frozen ones that were thawed). I started out with 1/2 cup of pureed strawberries but I cooked it down to make the flavor more intense since it isn't very strong. I would even do more next time and add more sugar if it needs to be thicker. Be careful not to over mix. I also added a slice of strawberry on top right before serving.

Butterscotch ganache: This was my first time trying this and I am hooked. I love this stuff. I used a regular buttercream frosting with a vanilla cake mix. For the ganache you put 3 tbsp. unsalted butter and 6 tbsp. heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan on low heat and heat until just before boiling stage. Pour this over 1 cup butterscotch chips, let sit for 20 seconds then stir until creamy and pour over cupcakes.