CUBcakes!!

In case you didn't notice, we are huge Cub fans (helloooo, we named our daughter Riglee!)! Every other year the Cubs play the Brewers at Miller Park very early in the season. It is always a good rivalry and always a lot of fun. And every other year, three families get together to tailgate and go to the game. The families are the Reulands, the Schmidts, and the Dickens...or as we now call ourselves, the Reuschmidtkens! We all sign up to bring a dish to share for tailgating and we all bring our own beverages [cough cough - cold beer].

This year I signed up to bring a corn/black bean salsa and some cupcakes. I had this great idea to make Cub themed cupcakes....or Cubcakes!!! My vision was a cupcake that the actual cake was a swirl of blue and red batter and then the top would be covered with buttercream and a fondant Cubs logo. In my mind, my cupcake would look like this:

Well, since I know nothing about fondant and didn't want to spend an arm and a leg figuring out how to make it, I decided I'd just make a buttercream logo. And lets be honest, there is no way I am a good enough artist to make the above cupcake...yet ;). So I decided that I would just make a regular cupcake with a homemade buttercream using this recipe from Wilton. I may be biased but they were pretty darn tasty! Let's just say that these Cubcakes were so good that even Brewer fans at work liked them!!

Buttercream Icing

Source: Wilton

Ingredients

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
(Medium Consistency)
1. In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla.
2. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often.
3. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.


Makes about 3 cups of buttercream icing.