Recipe of the Week: Orange Kougra Cupcake

      Have you ever looked at an item on Neopets and thought "That looks good! I wish I could reach through the screen and take a bite!"? Well, now you can! Well, sort of. Now you, too, can make delicious detectable delights straight from Neopia in the comfort of your own home.

      Disclaimer: If you are under 18 please get an adult to assist you. If you are allergic to any of the ingredients listed please do not attempt to make any of the recipes, or find a substitute for said ingredient. Be safe! We don't want anything to happen to you, but we are not held responsible for any burns, scratches, or any other baking related mishaps.

      This week's recipe: Orange Kougra Cupcake

      Ingredients Needed: oven, oven mitts, heat proof spatula, rolling pin, whisk, electric beater (optional), mixing bowls, cupcake pan, non-stick cooking spray, whipped cream, cherries, marshmallows, cocoa powder, orange juice, orange extract, dry orange gelatin mix, vanilla extract, milk, powdered sugar, granule sugar, flour, baking powder, chocolate candy bars, light corn syrup, vegetable shortening

      Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

      Step 2: Spray the inside of your cupcake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Normally we'd be using paper cupcake liners, but this cupcake needs stripes, so we will skip them this time

      Step 3: In a mixing bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, 2 cups of granule sugar, 3 tsp of baking powder, and 1 tsp of salt. Mix together with a whisk to combine

      Step 4: Add 1 box of dry orange gelatin mix. Whisk into the dry ingredients

      Step 5: Add 1 cup milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, and 2 eggs into a separate bowl, and whisk to combine.

      Step 6: Measure out 2/3 cup of hot water. DON’T add it yet!

      Step 7: Add 1/3 cup of orange juice to the measuring cup with hot water. You should have 1 cup of hot water/orange juice mixture. Pour it into the wet ingredients, and whisk to combine.

      Step 8: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using an electric blender, beat for 2 minutes on medium until everything is fully combined. You can also use your whisk for this step, just make sure everything is mixed well.

      Step 9: Fill each compartment of the cupcake pan up 2/3 of the way full

      Step 10: Put it in the oven for 28-32 minutes or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle and have it come out clean. Get assistance with this step if needed.

      Step 11: Remove from oven with caution and oven mitts. Get assistance with this step if needed. Set aside to cool.

      While we wait for the cupcakes to cool, we’ll start making the glaze for the top, and the Kougra stripes!

      Step 13: Add ¾ cup of powdered sugar to a clean, dry mixing bowl

      Step 14: Add 1 tsp of milk to powdered sugar, and whisk to combine. Continue adding 1 tsp of milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency. The glaze should be thick, but pourable.

      Step 15: When the cupcakes are cool pour the glaze slowly and carefully over each one. We want the glaze to cover only the tops, as shown in the picture. Use a spoon for this step if needed.

      Step 16: To make the Kougra stripes, we will be making fondant! Coat the inside of a microwave safe bowl and a heat proof spatula with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 16 oz of mini marshmallows into the bowl.

      Step 17: Microwave the marshmallows for 1 minute. Take them out, stir with a heat proof spatula, and continue microwaving them in 30 minute increments, stirring each time, until they’re all melted.

      Step 18: Chop up the chocolate candy bars until you have ¼ cup of finely chopped chocolate. Get assistance with this step if needed.

      Step 19: In a small heat proof bowl, combine the chocolate, 1 tbsp of cocoa powder, 1 tsp of salt, and 2 tbsp of corn syrup. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir. Continue microwaving in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until everything is melted together.

      Step 20 Add ½ cup of vegetable shortening, and stir. Don’t worry about making everything smooth; it likely won’t be, and that’s ok. Stirring is just to combine everything together.

      Step 21: Add the chocolate mixture to the melted marshmallows. Stir until the mixture is mostly uniform in color. Add 1 cups of powdered sugar and stir until combined. Don’t worry if any lumps remain; they’ll be broken up in the kneading process. The mixture should look and feel similar to dough, continue adding powdered sugar ½ cup at a time until you reach this consistency.

      Step 22: Speaking of which, time to knead the fondant! Pour some powdered sugar on your work station, grease your hands with pan spray or shortening and use them to scrape the marshmallow mixture onto the mound of powdered sugar. Knead the mixture, absorbing as much sugar as the mixture will hold, until a smooth dough forms.

      Step 23: Using assistance if needed, roll the fondant out with a rolling pin and then use your knife to cut four Kougra stripe-like strips of fondant.

      Step 24: Brush the stripes with water. This will allow them to adhere to the cupcake. Wrap the stripes around the cupcakes. They should not touch; refer to the image courtesy of Neopets as a guideline!

      Note: the stripes on the picture are black, but our stripes are going to be brown. Why, you ask? Getting black fondant that is actually black is very difficult. You have to use a LOT of food coloring, and then when you taste it, it tastes very chemically due to the food coloring. Plus, chocolate is better! If you’d prefer black stripes you can try to make it or you can purchase black fondant directly.

      Step 25: As a finishing touch, add a dollop of whipped cream to each cupcake and cherry on top!

      Step 26: Take a picture, eat, and enjoy!

      Mmm, delicious!