April Fool's Day Cupcakes

Eggs anyone?



I loved April Fool's Day growing up. Every year I would call both of my grandmothers claiming there was a terrible emergency and they needed to come over right away (I know, so mean, right?), and every year I would fool them. Like a grandmother should, they took that kind of call very seriously. That's probably why I got them each time. 

I haven't played an April Fool's prank in many a year. They stopped working for me after I grew up. Some people just don't have the knack I guess. This year while explaining April Fool's Day to my boys (no, I didn't tell them what I used to do) we decided a fun prank would be in order. So we're playing one on ourselves (giggle, giggle). I saw some "Sunny Side Up Cupcakes" on Fork and Beans last year that I thought would be perfect for us to try.



I doctored a gluten free cake mix to make lemon poppy seed cupcakes and whipped up my favorite almond frosting.

They baked up pretty.

Prepped and ready for the boys to decorate.

I drained the apricot halves on a paper towel and put out a small dish of poppy seeds I called "sprinkles". Ezra doesn't like nuts or seeds, so I have to fool him. April fool him, that is. Hee, hee. I piped the frosting and the boys got to work decorating the cupcakes to look like eggs.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Ha!

We didn't really fool anyone - except maybe my low carb diet. Just a bunch of good, clean, silly, Loverbee cupcake fun.

April Fool's Cupcakes

GLUTEN FREE LEMON POPPY SEED CUPCAKES:
INGREDIENTS

1 gluten free Betty Crocker yellow cake mix

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.

3. Prepare cake mix according to package directions adding in the lemon zest and poppy seeds and subbing 1/3 cup lemon juice for 1/3 cup of the water.

4. Scoop evenly among your 12 cupcake liners and bake about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Cool completely.

ALMOND FROSTING:
INGREDIENTS

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup shortening

4 cups powdered sugar

1 ½ tsp vanilla extact

½ tsp almond extract

1 to 4 Tbsp milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat butter and shortening with a mixer for 30 seconds.

2. Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar until creamy.

3. Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

4. Beat in 2 more cups powdered sugar.

5. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until frosting is piping consistency.

6. Beat for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

PUT THE CUPCAKES TOGETHER:

You'll need 12 drained apricot halves and a teaspoon or so of poppy seeds for decorating. Use a large round tip to pipe frosting onto your cupcakes. Settle an apricot in the center of each cupcake and top with a sprinkling of poppy seeds.