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Ever since I was a kid, I remember my dad putting his candy bars in the freezer because he supposedly enjoyed them more when they were frozen. Amusingly they were always buried under a bag of frozen peas or a box of pierogies, so I tend to think he was attempting to hide them from the rest of us.
Now that I am a full fledged adult, I don’t eat candy bars all that often, but you can bet when I do indulge, those babies get frozen first. This recipe is a little homage to my frozen candy bar loving dad, Bill; although I like to call him Billiam for kicks.
These cupcakes consist of a moist doctored up cake mix recipe with a little surprise in the center, topped with creamy caramel buttercream and a finished with a little sprinkling of chopped Snickers and a caramel drizzle. Are you drooling yet? This recipe is rich, sweet, decadent and every candy bar lover’s dream!
This is definitely a semi-homemade type of dessert; if you’re opposed to doctored up box mixes, no worries, just sub in your favorite chocolate cake recipe. Personally, I think the cake recipe below is pretty rocking and I use it when I am in a hurry or need an incredibly moist cake. I hope you give this recipe a try because it’s definitely a crowd pleaser! Brian used the word incredible to describe these cupcakes and that is not an adjective he tosses around very often.
In other news, you will find my first vlog posted below. Yep, I busted out the video camera, put on my best campy voice and recorded a video detailing my favorite piping tips, and the super technical {note sarcasm} techniques that I use to frost the cupcakes you see on MBA. I promise when I venture into vlog land again, I will lose a little of the cheesiness, but hey, I was nervous! Enjoy watching; I hope my newly acquired Muppet voice gives you a little chuckle! Does anyone like the sound of their voice…mine sure makes me cringe!
Cupcake Piping How-To from My Baking Addiction on Vimeo.
Snickers Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 15.25 ounces devil's food cake mix
- 3.4 ounces instant chocolate pudding mix
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 24-30 Snickers Miniatures frozen, plus more for topping
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ pounds confectioners’ sugar
- ⅓ cup caramel topping plus more for drizzling
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line (2) 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, vanilla and water.
- Evenly divide the batter amongst the prepared pans. {I use a large cookie scoop from OXO to scoop my batter; it holds 3 tablespoons.}
- Gently push a frozen Snickers Miniature bar into the center of the batter and smooth the surface making sure to cover the candy bar with batter.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes thoroughly on wire rack.
For the frosting:
- Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the vanilla extract, salt and caramel syrup and combine well.
- Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, give it a taste and decide if you want to add in more caramel syrup. For thicker frosting you can gradually add in a little more sugar.
- Garnish with chopped Snickers bars and a drizzle of caramel of caramel syrup.
Notes
- Not a fan of Snickers? Sub in your favorite candy bar, just make sure you freeze them first.
- Not a fan of vegetable shortening? No worries, simply sub in butter for the shortening.
- Edited: 6/26/15 due to a change in boxed cake mix content size.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi – would it be OK to leave the cupcakes out overnight if they are unfrosted?
I think that should be fine, Davy. I would recommend storing them in an airtight container to keep them fresh. Let me know how you like them!
I’m not a fan of shortening, so when you mentioned that we can substitute butter for it, can you clarify if we sub half a cup of butter on top of the 2 tablespoons of butter that’s already on the recipe? Thanks. I’d like to try this recipe out. :-)
Hi, Kyang! Substitute 1/2 cup of butter for the 1/2 cup of shortening and add the additional two sticks. I hope you enjoy the cupcakes!
How many cups is 1 1/2 pound of powdered sugar?
Hi, Lisa! It’s about 4 cups. Let me know if I can help any further!
I made these tonight. I did not use shortning but added a little milk. These cupcakes were delicious!! Everyone loved them and couldn’t get enough of them. Great recipe!!
Jolene-
I’m glad the recipe was a success for you. Thanks for stopping by.
-Jamie
Hey I love making these cupcakes! But would there be a drastic taste difference if I use cream cheese instead of shortening?
Jasmine-
I’ve not tried substituting the shortening for cream cheese, but I think you will get a different texture. Let me know if you try it.
-Jamie
Hi I’m making these cupcake the night before I need them.. What’s the best way to store over night so they stay moist and fresh?
Ali-
I would recommend refrigerating them overnight. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie
These cupcakes are delicious and have been a huge hit. I change it up just a bit by using milky ways instead of snickers, since I do not like nuts in my baked goods and I also use Carmel extract in the cupcakes instead of vanilla. Thanks for sharing the recipe
I’m sure this has been asked somewhere.. but any advice on what to do about the smaller cake mix boxes?
Hi Noel,
I covered that in this post: https://www.mybakingaddiction.com/cake-mix-recipe/
– Jamie
THESE ARE AMAZING!!!!!!! Made them for a friend’s birthday and I got tons of requests to make them again people loved them! Super easy to make, I subbed making the frosting for the caramel Dunkin Hines (not sure that is the name) mix in flavor frosting it was still great! Thanks for posting!
I have to thank youor sharing these wonderful cupcake recipes. I fell and broke my arm,which really has limited me for 3 weeks and 3 to go. I’m downloading the recipes and can’t wait to repay my family and friends for all they have done for me with these incredible cupcakes! Thank you,
Annette