1-up Cupcakes

These Super Mario inspired cupcakes are made with the Magnolia Bakery vanilla cupcake recipe, and a green tea cream cheese frosting. They're perfect to feed a video game player, and in some instances may add exponentially increased levels of happiness to your life!

1-up Cupcakes:
Makes 12 large cupcakes and 24 small cupcakes

2 3/4 cups flour 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325°F, and line cupcake tin.

Cream butter in a large bowl and slowly add the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the dry ingredients in three parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. Fill liners 3/4 full, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. After cupcakes cool off, frost with Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting:

Green Tea Cream Cheese Frosting: makes more than triple enough to frost one batch of these cupcakes. 1 cup butter 8 oz cream cheese 3 cups powdered sugar 2 tablespoons matcha powder

Beat together butter and cream cheese. Sift in sugar and matcha powder.

Reserve 1/4 of your frosting for the light colored spots on the 1-up cupcakes. With the remaining 3/4 of the frosting, add more matcha powder to reach a darker green color. It also helps to add some yellow and blue food coloring to the frosting in order to achieve a visible color difference.

To frost the cupcakes, make a layer of dark green frosting on the cupcake top with a butter knife. Then, with the lighter color of frosting, pipe on small circles, making small spiral shapes with the tip of your frosting bag. A small plastic bag works just fine for this.

And voila!
1-up cupcakes in two different sizes.

Snack on the bite sized ones as you decorate the larger ones, and be sure to share with your friends!