1-Up Cupcakes

From the Super Mario video games    

These cupcakes are inspired by the iconic 1-Up mushrooms from the Super Mario games, which grant Mario an extra life when he catches them. Sadly, these cupcakes won’t give you an extra life... Unless we’re talking about the kind of “extra life” you get from the sugar rush after one too many cupcakes. Give it a try and see if you start feeling invincible!

Ingredients

 

For the cakes: 

8 ounces white chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large room temperature egg whites, whipped to soft peaks

1/4 cup canned coconut milk or heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For frosting and topping:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pandan extract (or use vanilla, but you'll need extra food coloring)
• 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
• Green gel food coloring (as needed)
  
• Pinch of salt
• White chocolate buttons or white royal icing 
  

For a super mushroom: Skip the pandan extract in the frosting, or swap it with grenadine and maybe a couple drops of cherry extract. Instead of green food coloring, use red gel food coloring.

 

Directions:

 

To make the cupcakes: 

1. Preheat oven to 340°F. Line three 6-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. 
2. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler or heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
4. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 
5. Slowly mix in the melted white chocolate until fully combined. 
6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and stir gently. Then add 1/3 of the coconut milk and stir until combined. Repeat, alternating flour mixture and coconut milk, until fully incorporated. 
7. In a clean, dry medium mixing bowl, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until just combined. 
8. Divide batter evenly, filling each liner 2/3 full. 
9. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 
10. Let cool completely before frosting

 

To make the frosting:

1. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy. 
2. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, beating well after each addition. 
3. Mix in the pandan extract, salt, and about 2 tablespoons of cream or milk. 
4. Beat until fluffy. Add more cream if it’s too thick, or more powdered sugar if it’s too thin. 
5. Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to use.

 

Finishing touches:

1. Spread the frosting evenly over the tops with a rubber spatula, smoothing it out as much as possible. 
2. Top with white chocolate buttons for the mushrooms spots. Alternatively, create the white spots with white royal icing.
   

 

 

 

This recipe has been reworded for clarity and reformatted. Some adjustments were made to the recipe so that the cupcakes would get a better rise consistently. I have also added a recipe for a pandan buttercream fosting, but you can still use a store bought frosting as the original recipe said if preferred.