Hamburger Cupcakes

My nieces and nephew love to bake with me (unlike my own children, who just enjoy eating it). Lately on Friday night's while my son is golfing I've been hanging out at their house and last night was no different, except this time they asked me to bring over some stuff to make. I loaded up my laundry basket, looked up some of my "to-bake list" on Pinterest and baked this wonderful little treat. I actually came up with a huge list to make and after about five-hours in the kitchen we didn't exactly make everything we had hoped for, but there is always next Friday night! We did make these adorable little Hamburger Cupcakes, some amazing chicken strips and potatoes and a few other fun little things.

Hamburger Cupcakes
found the cake recipe at Your Cup of Cake
hamburger idea found at  In Words & Pictures by Mimi's Kitchen

(brown cake)
1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix 
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, butter and flour large baking sheet (like a jelly roll pan). You want to make this into a very thin cake, so that you can cut circles for the "burgers".

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add milk, water, oil and extract and whisk together. Sift or pour in cake mix and mix until well combined. Stir in sour cream. Fill pan with chocolate cake mix and bake for about 18-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

(vanilla cake)
1 box Vanilla Cake Mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
add a few drops of copper/tan food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; butter and flour the 24 muffins tins. 

In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs.  Add milk, water, oil and extract and whisk together. Sift or pour in cake mix and mix until well combined. Stir in sour cream. Fill  muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake for 12-18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
from Magnolia Bakery Cookbook, New York City

1-1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
6 tbsp milk
9 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled to lukewarm
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
food coloring (yellow, red and green)

In a large bowl, on medium speed of an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the milk carefully and bet until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and beat well, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat for 3 more minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until creamy and desired consistency.

Divide the frosting into four bowls and color three of them yellow, red and green. We also left a very small amount in the fourth bowl white for mayonnaise, we are the mayonnaise family for sure. Plus you really need something on the bottom bun to hold the cupcake together and a thin layer of white frosting works perfectly.

Hamburger Assembly

Vanilla Cupcakes with Sesame Seeds for the "buns"
Chocolate Sheet Cake for the "burger patties"
White Chocolate Frosting tinted red, yellow and green for the "condiments"

Slice cupcakes into a top and bottom section. Use a small pastry brush to add a little bit of water to the top of the cupcake and then sprinkle the top of the cupcake with sesame seeds.

 Using a round cutter the diameter of your cupcakes, cut the chocolate cake into burger patties.

Put a small dab of white frosting "mayonnaise" on the bottom of the bun (to hold the chocolate "patty' in place) and top with your chocolate "burger patty".

Now add the condiments: Using the red frosting, spread a thick layer on top of the chocolate cake "burger patty", then add another layer on top of the red layer of yellow for the "mustard or cheese", and to help the colors not mix together, we added the green layer of frosting "the lettuce" to the bottom half of the top of the bun. We got the squeeze feeling of all the layers as soon as you put the top of the bun down and lightly push on it, all of the frosting starts to squish out the sides and you get a perfect hamburger.