Peeps make festive cupcake toppers!

Does anyone really eat Peeps? I mean honestly, have you tasted one?! Eck. BUT, I do think they are completely adorable and so nostalgic. What would Easter be without classic Peeps? I made these cute cupcakes for my son's preschool Easter party tomorrow. I wanted something besides Easter sprinkles and I had no royal icing figures that were Easter themed sooo.....that's how Peeps became cupcake toppers. I used my very favorite and ultra easy cream cake cake recipe for the white cupcakes and I used a doctored *gasp* cake mix for the chocolate cupcakes. The icing recipe was basically an American buttercream but with added meringue powder. I found the recipe on Recipezaar.com. Pretty good I'd say. I would make it again. I should have added a bit more powdered sugar though because my icing was not quite stiff enough. But it was sure pretty and so delicious!
Happy Easter!

My preschooler helping remove the Peeps from their boxes!

I wonder if the kids in preschool will actually EAT these Peeps or just toss them?

Cream Cake
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 eggs 3/4 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x9 inch square pan.
2.	Beat eggs in a small bowl until very thick. Add the sugar and the vanilla, beating well.
3.	Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In three parts add the flour mixture alternately with the whipping cream to the egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
4.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Extra Special Buttercream Icing
Recipezaar.com

7 1/2 cups

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup shortening
• 2 lbs powdered sugar (8 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon meringue powder (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla (I used clear vanilla)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2-1 teaspoon clear butter flavoring
• 4-6 ounces whipping cream

1. Cream butter and shortening until fluffy.
2. Add sugar, meringue powder, about half of the cream, and continue creaming until well blended.
3. Add salt, flavorings and enough whipping cream to make the consistency you need.
4. Beat at medium speed until icing is fluffy.
5. You may substitute all shortening for the butter, which will give a pure white icing, but the flavor will not be quite as good.
6. I used butter and real vanilla and the icing turned out a very pale ivory, which I personally prefer to a stark-white icing.
7. The meringue powder gives the icing a light crust, but it remains soft underneath.