Recipe: Pirate’s Bounty Cupcakes

A friend of mine had a birthday last week and as part of my baking ventures this year, I decided to go conceptual again (after the wildly successful Spam cake). There’s a back story about he and his brother’s saying the word “bounty” in a low, deep voice that makes it too hard not to laugh.

Either way, I came up with what I thought to be a hilarious birthday cake concept: a pirate and his bounty of treasures! How perfect, right? And then! I come to find out that the special saying of the word “bounty” came out of Pirates of the Caribbean. Who knew? And how perfect!

I found a recipe on bettycrocker.com for Pirate’s Hidden Treasure cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cups inside. YUM! But mostly I liked the decorating, so I used parts of that recipe. The actual cake and frosting recipe is a mix of 2 other recipes too. I’ve made the cupcakes and the frosting before, but I’ll include the recipes here just in case (since this recipe is a conglomeration of 3 recipes).

continue reading for the recipe

Pirate’s Bounty Cupcakes
makes: 30

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes (based off this recipe)
1 cup boiling hot water
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 t vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
rounded 1/2 t salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature for 30 minutes
30 mini peanut butter cups

Buttercream Frosting (based off this recipe)
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 T vanilla
pinch salt
yellow food coloring

Decorations
Red fruit by the foot (1 package)
M&Ms (1 bag)
black string licorice
chocolate gold coins (you can find these at a party store or halloween store)

DIRECTIONS

Cupcakes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place gold foil cupcake liners in muffin tin.

Whisk together hot water and cocoa powder in a bowl until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add flour and cocoa mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture (batter may look curdled).

Fill cupcake liners just under 2/3 full. Unwrap the peanut butter cups and place one on top of each of the filled cupcake liners. Push them down so the tops of the peanut butter cups are even with the cupcake batter. Then put another dollop of cupcake batter on top – just enough to cover the peanut butter cups.

Bake cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting & Decorating
Beat butter on medium-high speed while adding sugar until combined. Add vanilla and beat for 5-7 minutes until pale and fluffy.

Depending upon how many pirate cupcakes you want to make, frost white frosting on enough cupcakes for pirates. For the remaining golden treasure cupcakes, add enough yellow food coloring to get desired coloring. Top with a chocolate gold coin.

For the pirate decorations, cut a 12-inch piece from 1 fruit by the foot. From the rest of that fruit by the foot, cut 2-inch pieces – 1 for each pirate cupcake you’re making – and cut it into a crescent shape for the top of the kerchief; place on each of the pirate cupcakes.

From the reserved 12-inch piece of fruit by the foot, peel off backing and cut into 1-inch pieces. Cut in half lengthwise and twist the end and add to the side/bottom of the kerchief top for the tie of the kerchief. Do this for the remaining pirate cupcakes.

Add M&Ms for the eyes, using a brown one for the eye patch, and use the black licorice for the eye patch string and the pirate’s mouth.

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