I’m deep in the trenches: sprinkles flying at my face, frosting smeared up to my elbows, dried batter caked on every surface. No, I’m not on the set of Cupcake Wars (though producers should feel free to contact me; I’ll bring my A-game).
I’m in the middle of Cupcake Capers.
naked cupfakes!
Cupcake Capers is a 5-day camp where I teach campers to bake, fill, and frost cupcakes. You have to admit, cupcake camp beats pup tents and mosquitoes.
Each year at Cupcake Capers, I’m unsurprised by how much kids love cupcakes, oreos, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and sprinkles. That’s normal. I am surprised, however, by how weird kids are. I should probably be used to this by now — after all, I’m a middle school teacher — but I’m still continually impressed.
Last year, if you’ll remember, two of my kiddos created a pet powdered sugar pile. They religiously guarded it, giving it a wide berth when wiping the counters. They used their fingers to scrawl threatening messages to anyone who dared clean it up. They drew a little face on it à la Tom Hanks’s friend Wilson in the movie Castaway.
There weren’t any powdered sugar piles this year, but there was still plenty of weirdness. This time around it all started with an egg and a sharpie. One of my campers was intent on using said marker to give “Mr. Egg” a face. Despite her pleading, I wouldn’t let her do so before we cracked it for sanitary reasons . . . so she gave the empty eggshell a face afterwards, instead. A surprised face, naturally, because he was shocked at having been split open so unceremoniously.
This was strange enough, but the next day she and her friend showed up to cupcake camp with Mr. and Mrs. Lemon. You can probably guess that these were two lemons with faces drawn on in sharpie. Mrs. Lemon has a bow. Oh, but you’re probably pronouncing their names wrong: it’s lem-OHN, with a French accent.
Yeah. These kids are strange.
Strange in the best way, though. So far (besides indulging in their food anthropomorphization), we’ve made Fauxstess Cupcakes, Creamsicle Cupcakes, Cookie Dough Cupcakes, and Red Velvet Cupcakes. The campers are baking fiends! Every day they get tons better at mixing, filling, and piping frosting onto cupcakes.
Today we also tried something a little different. With our extra time, we made some cupFAKES. Cupfakes are just cupcakes that aren’t actually made of cake. I make several savory versions, but this cupfake was a dessert treat. We used a regular Rice Cereal Treat recipe molded into a cupcake pan to make little cupfakes that we “frosted” with spray whipped cream and topped with sprinkles. Instead of rice cereal, we used fruity varieties: Fruity Pebbles and Cap’N Crunch’s Oops! All Berries.
Apart from being adorable and extremely easy, I was shocked at how flippin’ awesome these things taste! The fruity cereal treats and whipped cream are pretty insane together. After we’re finished, you know, decorating oranges or whatever the heck the kids come up with tomorrow, I know they’re gonna love chowing down on these!
What weird things did you play with as a kid? What weird things have your kids made into toys?
One year ago: Chocolate Pistachio Cream Cupcakes
Two years ago: Tumbleweed Burger
Three years ago: Mango Raspberry Rosecakes
Easy Fruity Cereal Treat Cupfakes
Recipe by: Adapted from Kellogg’s
Yield: about 10-11 cupfakes
These no-bake treats are super quick, easy, and CUTE! Best of all, they are so, so tasty. They would make sweet little birthday “cakes” for a colorful party.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows or 1 package (10 oz) large marshmallows
4 cups fruity cereal (I used 2 cups of Fruity Pebbles and 2 cups of Cap’N Crunch’s Oops! All Berries)
whipped cream for “frosting”
sprinkles
Directions:
Line a cupcake pan with plastic wrap (press it down into each well) and spray it with cooking spray. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the marshmallows until they’re completely melted and then remove the pan from the heat. Add the cereal and stir (I use a spoon coated in cooking spray) until the cereal is completely coated. Spoon a big glob into each cupcake well. Use a sheet of wax paper to press the mixture down and mold it into each well. Let it cool completely.
Remove each “cupfake” and “frost” it with whipped cream. Top with sprinkles. Serve in cupcake papers if you wish! You can store unfrosted cupfakes for two days in an airtight container or in the freezer (separated by wax paper) for up to 6 weeks.
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17 Comments on No-Bake Fruity Cereal Treat Cupfakes
3Pingbacks & Trackbacks on No-Bake Fruity Cereal Treat Cupfakes
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Angela @ the fairy bread chronicles
August 2, 2012 at 6:20 am (12 years ago)those cupfakes are so fun!
and i wish i could have gone on a cupcake camp when i was little 🙁 it sounds like amazing fun!
Coco
August 2, 2012 at 9:16 am (12 years ago)Hahah, Julie, I always love reading your stories about your students. Cupcake Camp sounds flippin’ amazing — how many years have you been doing it?
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
August 2, 2012 at 10:06 am (12 years ago)This is so cute!! Love this idea!
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
August 2, 2012 at 3:13 pm (12 years ago)Sounds like such a fun camp! I totally agree, kids are strange creatures. It’s hard to believe I was one once… 😉 Hope you’re enjoying your summer Julie!
Maranda
August 2, 2012 at 3:31 pm (12 years ago)Hahaha! Kids are so goofy sometimes. But it’s hilarious. I may or may not do things like that now…I plead the fifth!
These cupfakes look like a lot of fun!
DessertForTwo
August 2, 2012 at 4:15 pm (12 years ago)Oh yum! I think I have the taste buds of a kid because I would LOVE these! The whipped cream sounds delicious!
Ala
August 2, 2012 at 6:21 pm (12 years ago)I loved your stories! Last summer, I volunteered as a “helper” for multiple baking camps for kids 6-12 years old. I had the silliest kids who were obsessed with the kitchen fan (for no apparent reason other than that it was fun to stand in front of) and would almost get into quarrels about who got the privilege of cleaning the counters. They also, unfortunately, knew zip about the word “hygiene.” After having my hand sneezed on multiple times as I reached for an ingredient, and after catching more than one young camper going with finger from nose to batter, I was definitely in the interventionist alert at all times! There was also one girl who I asked multiple times *not* to lick the bowl clean because of the raw egg–even though this is something I admit I do in my own kitchen–and every time I caught her doing it, she would be glaring up at me with this super furtive look that would have been even creepy if she hadn’t been so graceless in her bowl licking. Needless to say, I’m glad germs die when heated at high temperatures–but I still can’t look at the food products of kids the same way anymore!
Oops. I rambled a bit there. Thanks for sharing your lovely recipes and anecdotes, as always!
Jenny @ BAKE
August 3, 2012 at 10:15 am (12 years ago)sounds like you’re having a great time and those stories of the kids were cracking me up! these treats look delicious! I love the colours, you just don’t get cereal that bright over here! though we’ve just got fruit loops over here so I’m going to have to see if this recipe will work with them!
JulieD
August 3, 2012 at 11:08 pm (12 years ago)OMG, I need these! These look so perfect…because. I’m a fruity pebbles addict!
Kendra Lee
August 5, 2012 at 4:44 am (12 years ago)This post made me instantly happy and nostalgic. I adore your blog!
Laurie Schwartz
August 5, 2012 at 4:31 pm (12 years ago)My daughter has Celiac disease and I am always looking for fun and good tasting gluten free treats she can bring to parties. Fruity Pebbles are gluten free and most of the other ingrediants you listed are also. I can’t wait to try these with her. Thanks!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel
August 6, 2012 at 1:34 am (12 years ago)I LOVE this idea! So cute for these hot summer months when you want to be festive, but don’t want to die of heat stroke in the name of cupcakes. The sprinklier, the better!
Frank @ Kraemers Culinary Blog
August 7, 2012 at 3:18 am (12 years ago)Cupfakes – this is so creative. Never heard about it before and so simple. Your pictures just look fantastic. Great job.
KC
August 7, 2012 at 9:04 pm (12 years ago)I found your site through Saveur’s Best Food Blogs list, and I’m so glad I did. With all of the food becoming sophisticated and stuffy (I’m sure still delicious), it’s comforting to see someone still having fun. Thanks for your hard work. I’m going to subscribe to your blog.