I have fond memories of the eighties, just ask my kids! I listen to the eighties channel when we are in the car and sing along to the lyrics. As I was belting out a song recently, my teenage son said, “It’s sad you can remember every song from the eighties, the artist that sings it and the album it comes from, but you can’t remember where you put your car keys.” This was followed by some threats of having him walk home, along with a couple of eighties expressions like, Gag me with a spoon. You wouldn’t believe how difficult that sentence is to work into conversation! This month, while we are celebrating an eighties throwback, I tried to remember some of the best recipes of the decade. The first thing that popped into my mind was Dirt Cake, followed by Red Velvet Cake. I decided to give these two classics a twist by combining them into cupcakes. Add some cream filling to the mix and I scored a homerun in the baking department. Here’s how to make them:
- For Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine , softened
- 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon Red Food Coloring
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoons white vinegar
- Cream filling and Topping:
- 1 stick butter
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Decoration: 2 cups crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, gummy worms or other gummy candies
- To make the cake: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs and red icing color; mix well. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir baking soda into vinegar and fold carefully into batter. Pour batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
- To make the cream filling:
- For the creme filling: Whip together the butter and shortening until light and fluffy
- Sift together the powdered sugar and salt and add it to the butter mixture in batches. Add the milk, then the vanilla, continuing to beat the batter until fluffy. Use a pastry tip to add the filling. Frost the cupcakes with remaining filling.
- Place crushed sandwich cookies on a piece of waxed paper. Roll the tops of the cupcakes in crushed cookies. Add gummy worms or other desired toppings.
Want to make the cupcakes without the hassle? Just purchase a box of Red Velvet cake mix, some vanilla pudding mix, a container of whipped vanilla frosting and the sandwich cookies. Prepare the cake mix as directed on the package and place in muffin cups. Bake as directed. When cooled, pipe in prepared pudding for the centers, add frosting and then roll in crushed sandwich cookies. It won’t be as tasty as the homemade version, but it will do in a pinch.
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Another great recipe that the kiddos would just go crazy over!
I’ve had Red Velvet cake only once before, and it was so delicious! I look forward to trying to actually make it myself 🙂
awesome idea . 🙂
We kicked the cable habit years ago and are primarily a Netflix family. I love your cupcake idea! Oh yum and so cute and clever!
How cute! I love them all! Too cute to eat!
Adorable! My kids would love these (well I would love them too!)
I used to watch Jem when I was little. I was obsessed and had the speaker closet thing and the car and like all of the dolls!
I will forever have a crush on Alex P. Keaton. Those cupcakes sound delicious!
These are too cute. I just love the little bunnies too!
Fun and easy to do! Thanks!
These are so cute, and they sound delicious! I love Red Velvet cupcakes!
I love this idea! they’re too cute, and so colorful!
This is adorable! I wish I was kind of creative!!!!
These are so cute! I love the idea of the dirt. Super cute!
Yum! My daughter would totally enjoy a Red Velvet Cream Filled Dirt Cake Cupcake! They sound delish!
Those are so cute. I love the dirt and carrot.
Yum! My kids love dirt cake and I love red velvet. I deem this combo delicious. 🙂
Oh my – these looks sooo good and cute too!
Oh my… these sound and look amazing. I want one now… HA
YUM!!! Those look absolutely delicious! What a fun treat!
I love making dirt cake and cupcakes. They are always a big hit with the kids.
How super adorable!!! I bet they taste FAR better than dirt! 😉
I Can’t Wait To Make With The Kids Thank You!
Super cute dirt cake! I love how they came out!
what a cute accessory to add to the Easter festivities! I bet these are a huge hit too. 🙂
RED VELVET chocolate filled dirt cake? I am on it. I don’t know how much sharing will get done, because I have a weakness for all things cake and cupcake.
How fun! These look adorable 🙂
Those cupcakes looks so yummy and so original. What a fun idea for Easter! Thanks!
Ooh how fun! I love Red Velvet Cakes, what a fun idea for Easter. These cupcakes are the cutest!
I love an easy recipe like this. It looks and sounds delicious! I wouldn’t mind seeing Family Ties again. I laughed a lot watching that show!
Now this looks beyond amazing!! I love me some dirt cake, and this twist on it is delicious!!!!
i love the 80s!! family ties was one of my favorites. the keatons rocked
also the cupcakes look fab
Red Velvet is one of my favorite desserts and I like the idea of making cupcakes so that you can enjoy smaller portions of it at a time.
I love dirt cake! Comments like ^^ crack me up too. LOL Yours are gorgeous and perfect for Spring.
I don’t know why but the dirt thing grosses me out a little. This looks really great though and I think if I could just get passed it …
These are adorable! I think my boys favorite part would be the DIRT! =)
Oh how fun! The kids would LOVE these! I bet it is yummy too!
What a fun Easter snack. I cannot believe it’s only a few days away!
I love cream filled cupcakes! They always have the best flavor! And those are so cute! Perfect for Easter Weekend!
LOL…love it. As former 80’s teen, that sounds like a conversation I would have with my own kids. Your cupcakes are cute…love how perfect the mound of “dirt” looks.
Dirt cake is definitely a classic, and these cupcakes look super yummy.
Car keys would be much easier to keep track of if they sang to you like 80s music does.
Those dirt-cake cupcakes look yummy! My favorite show growing up was Skippy!
oh my goodness I loved Gem growing up. Such a fun show!
These cupcakes look fantastic
Awe, this is so cute! What a great recipe and fun too! My kids would really get a kick out of these!
A great idea. Sounds yummy and I am a big fan of Red Velvet.
Those look so super yummy. I love red velvet cake! I have just started getting back into baking and cooking now that I am a SAHM. TFS!
Those cupcakes look cute and yummy! I’m pinning these to my Easter board!
I bet these are super yummy! I need to stop looking up all these junk food posts, they are making me hungry for sugar!
I know, right? I think I need to make these ASAP. I’m totally craving red velvet!
Gosh they look adorable and I bet they taste amazing, if my son sees this post be sure I’ll be baking some!!
These looks amazing! I think adults will enjoy these as much as the kids.
what a super cute idea, my kids would get a kick out of this!
That is a great combination! Totally making this for all of our spring celebrations!
Keep on singing Debbie Gibson!
I have never made Dirt Cake, but I used to make a dessert called dirt that was Fantastic. Your cupcakes turned out adoreable.
I love that SO much! What a neat idea and I guarantee that it would be a huge hit with my kiddos.