Cupcakes are always a go-to for bake sales and party treats, but they can be a bit messy if you’re not going to eat them right away. That’s why cupcakes in a cup are such a great alternative! They’re just as delicious and totally portable.
Even better, they’re amazingly easy to make and customize!
I used these 9 oz cups with lids from Amazon and they were the perfect size.
Today I’m making chocolate strawberry cupcakes in a cup, and they are to die for. To make this simple I start with boxed cake mix and tweaked it with these simple tips from Budget Savvy Diva to taste homemade. I truly hate store bought frosting, so I always make my own. I start with this amazing recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything and adjust it based on my needs.
For the strawberry sauce I just whip some up on the stovetop with 2 cups frozen strawberries, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tbsp of cornstarch. In a small saucepan toss in the strawberries and sugar, and bring to a low boil. You’ll want to stir it as it heats to avoid burning. Use a Mix N’ Chop to break the strawberries up into small pieces.
Mix the cornstarch into 1 tbsp of water and add to the strawberries. Let the mixture simmer for a couple minutes, then set it aside. You want the strawberries to cool to room temperature or cooler before adding to the cupcakes.
In an 8-cup POURfect Mixing Bowl, combine the ingredients of your cake mix recipe. Use an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl with a Mix n’ Scraper to make sure everything gets combined.
Spray the muffin tin with cooking spray, making sure each well is completely coated. You know how the cake directions say to fill each well halfway and most of us ignore it? Yeah, don’t do that. If you overfill the wells, the muffins will be too big and you will have to stuff everything in your cups. It will still taste fine, but it will look very… blah.
While the muffins are cooking do step one of the frosting, the thickening agent, on the stovetop. Let it cool and whip up the rest of the frosting. A KitchenAid is your best friend for making this frosting, but you can use any good quality mixer.
The muffins need to cool completely before assembly.
Once you’re ready to assemble, gather all your equipment and food components and go to town. Place a cupcake in the bottom of each cup. They’re probably going to need some help getting down there, so gently push them down so they’re flush against the bottom.
On top of the cupcake, pipe in a layer of frosting and top with strawberry sauce.
Place another cupcake on top of the other, then add more frosting and top with sprinkles! You can make the components ahead and assemble the day of, or just make everything ahead – it keeps pretty well in a cool, dry place for a day or 2.
I brought 3 dozen of these to a recent bake sale and they disappeared, even on a table filled with yummy treats! And they’re easy to customize with whatever cake/ frosting/ fruit combo you prefer. You can leave out the fruit, too. No one really believed you when you said it was healthy because it had fruit in it anyway.
I’m also thinking of giving these as favors at Miss O’s 6th birthday party. They’d be a great takeaway for kids and parents alike.
