These fun Buried Treasure Cupcakes are great for a pirate themed unit or party! The best thing is that you can use your favourite cupcake recipe to make these delicious treats!
Buried Treasure Cupcakes
To make these fun cupcakes, you will need a cake mix packet – or you can make chocolate cupcakes from scratch using the recipe at the bottom of this post. The same goes with the icing. You can use pre-made purchased vanilla icing or make your own from the recipe below.
Once you have made the cupcakes and they are cooled, it is time to add the M&M’s into the centre of them. To do this, use an apple corer to remove a small amount of the cupcake, creating a well in the centre.
Fill this with M&M’s, covering with the cake mixture you took out.
Once you have done this, ice the top of the cupcake.
Then press immediately into the bowl with the crushed biscuits.
To make the buried treasure topper, first you will need to melt the chocolate melts. Then spread a small amount of this melted chocolate on the flat bottom of a Hershey’s Nugget candy.
Dip this wet chocolate into a bowl of gold sprinkles.
Repeat this step using half – 12 – of the Hershey’s nuggets.
On the flat edge of the over half (12) of the candies, spread a thin layer of the melted chocolate and then press this on top of the golden sprinkles on another candy to make a treasure chest.
Dab a small amount of the vanilla icing onto the bottom of the treasure chest and press into the top of the cupcake.
Enjoy!
So yum and fun!
Buried Treasure Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup (150g) Self Raising Flour, sifted
- 1/3 cup (50g) cocoa, sifted
- 1 cup (220g) caster sugar
- 1/3 cup (80g) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mini M&M's
Icing
- 1 1/4 cups (195g) icing sugar
- 2 tsp (10g) butter, softened
- 1 TBSP boiling water
- 1 cup graham crackers, crushed
Buried Treasure
- 24 Hershey's Nuggets candies
- gold sprinkles
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate melts
Instructions
To Make the Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Grease and flour or grease and line a 24cm cake tin and set aside.
- Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix on high for 4 minutes.
- Pour into lined muffin containers and bake for about 12-15 minutes or until the cakes springs back when lightly touched in the centre.
- When cool, create the surprise in the middle of the cupcakes.
- Using a corer, create a well in the middle of each cupcake. Save the part of the cupcake you remove.
- Fill the well of each cupcake with mini M&Ms. Top the well with the removed piece of cupcake.
To Make the Icing
- To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl.
- Add the butter and water, and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.
- Spread a smooth layer of icing over the cupcake and invert the cupcake, pressing into the cookie crumbs. Set the cupcake aside.
Buried Treasure Topper
- Melt the milk chocolate melts in a microwave safe bowl by microwaving for 30 seconds and then stirring vigorously. Repeat in the microwave in 10 second increments as needed until completely melted. Do not overheat as the chocolate will seize. If the chocolate hardens, stir in 1 teaspoon of coconut oil or vegetable shortening.
- Open the nugget candies. Spread a small amount of the melted chocolate on the flat side of a candy. Dip the wet chocolate into the gold sprinkles. Allow to dry.
- Spread the melted chocolate on the flat side of another nugget. Press the wet chocolate against the sprinkles. Allow to set until the chocolate has solidified.
- Dab a tiny amount of icing on the bottom of the treasure chest and press into the top of the cupcake.
Notes
- You could make a packet cake/cupcake mix of your choice instead of using this cupcake recipe.
- You could use pre-made vanilla or white icing which can be purchased from grocery stores instead of making your own.
Pumpkin Life Cycle Readers