Week 33. Happy Birthday, Caleb! Pop Rocks Cupcakes

It was Caleb's surprise birthday party this week and I wanted to make him a super duper awesome special cupcake. My dad suggested Pop Rocks and I took up the challenge!




Pop Rocks Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup boiling water
1 egg
1 cup sour milk (To sour your milk, add one tsp. lemon juice or vinegar to milk (low-fat will work fine) and stir. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.)
1 tsp. (heaping) baking soda
3 cups flour (leveled with a knife to be exact)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup Pop Rocks

Mix the candy into the softened butter. Cream butter (with or without Pop Rocks) and brown sugar. Add boiling water, soured milk, egg and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour and baking soda, mixing well again. Spoon into lined cupcake pans and bake for 18-20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Set cupcakes on a wire rack to cool, and when they have cooled completely frost and decorate. (See below for frosting recipe.)Yields 18 cupcakes.

Fluffy Vanilla Frosting

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat softened butter on medium high speed until creamy. Reduce speed of mixer and gradually add confectioner's sugar, beating until a pale, fluffy frosting forms. Add vanilla and beat until frosting is smooth.

**Hannah's Hints**

* Ok, so these only kind of worked...the pop rocks started popping the minute I added them to the butter. And continued to. But apparently there was still some pop when they were eaten.

* I waited till the very last minute to put the pop rocks on the top, and that was good. I actually bought dollar store pop rocks, so there were 3 or 4 different flavors. Exciting!