Take 5 Cupcakes
If you read MBA on a regular basis, you may recall me mentioning that I teach junior high. Some of my students know that I’m a food blogger as well – in fact, one came back after summer break saying that I shouldn’t be his teacher anymore because he saw my show on Food Network. I laughed it off, but his grandma further explained that he confused me with Rachel Ray and told everyone that his teacher is a famous TV cook! I assure you that Food Network is not in my current or near future, but I sure did get a chuckle out of that one.
I teach in an alternative school, where many of the students in my classroom have made their way to our program because they struggled with maintaining appropriate behavior in a typical setting. However, they are a great group of kids that are willing to learn, we just need to be a little more creative with our approach.
At the beginning of the year, I hung a large illustration of a jar on the wall and told them that once they filled up the jar with 100 marbles I would let them plan a party – my treat. Well, they did it in record time, so one morning I allowed them to compile a list their party ideas. After tallying up their lists which included items such as pizza, popcorn, a movie, and Hot Cheetos, we noticed a definite trend. These kids wanted cupcakes and they specifically stated that store bought cupcakes would not do – they wanted homemade cupcakes with lots of frosting – made by yours truly!
I scanned my pantry and realized that I still had a bag of Take 5 candy bars that I purchased for another project. Immediately I had the idea for Take 5 Cupcakes – what kid doesn’t love chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels and caramel? And combine that awesomeness with cake and frosting – how could they be bad?
I used my favorite doctored up cake mix because it’s easy, delicious and yields a nice, thick batter that is perfect for baking candy bars into. Then I added on a big swirl of peanut butter buttercream, a drizzle of chocolate glaze and finished them off with a piece of a Take 5 candy bar. Pure chocolate peanut butter heaven! The kids loved them and are already eagerly planning their next marble party and more importantly – the next cupcake flavor!
Take 5 Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package devil’s food cake mix (I use Betty Crocker Super Moist)
- 1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 24 Fun Size Take 5 Candy Bars; cut in half
For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 6-8 tablespoons heavy cream (if using milk, amount will be less)
For the Chocolate Glaze
- 4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and water. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined.
3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well. Press 1/2 Fun Size Take 5 candy bar into the center of each cupcake. Use a small spoon to spread the batter over the candy bar.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20-24 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. There may be a small sink hole in the top of the cupcakes from the candy bars, that’s okay - you’ll cover that with frosting. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack. Once cupcakes are cool, prepare your frosting.
For the Peanut Butter Buttercream
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy. Turn your mixer down to low speed and slowly add in the confectioner’s sugar, and continue mixing until well blended.
2. Add vanilla and 4 tablespoons of heavy cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy
3. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes. Prepare Chocolate Glaze.
For the Chocolate Glaze
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm the heavy cream until very hot, but not boiling.
2. Place chocolate pieces in a heat safe bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes. Whisk the cream and chocolate until smooth and thoroughly combined. Whisk in the honey, corn syrup, and vanilla. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Do not let the glaze sit for too long or it will harden up before you spoon it over the frosting.
3. Spoon the glaze on the tops of the frosted cupcakes, allowing it to drip down the sides a little bit. Don’t add too much glaze or it will drip all over your liners.
4. If desired, finish each cupcake with a piece of a Take 5 candy bar.
Notes
Storage
Store cupcakes in the refrigerator. Remove them to room temperature one hour before serving.
Cake adapted from allrecipes, Chocolate Glaze from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
This post may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
What a fun story…I love the innocence of children! Your passion for what you do really shines through!
What a great incentive for the kids! These cupcakes look heavenly!
Awesome cupcakes and your love for the kids really shines through :)
I had a third grade teacher that would do popcorn parties- and we loved them (and her)! What a great idea with getting the kids involved in planning their own party. And having a teacher that makes such yummy cupcakes…SCORE!!!!!
Yum! Take 5’s are my favorite candy bar and I always buy them intending to make something…but they tend to disappear before they end up in a baked good. Oops!
I’ll definitely be making these though…they look too good to resist!
Loved this post! Your students must love you :)
wow those photos are great! and these cupcakes sound amazing! i’ve never had a take 5 bar, but it sounds like i would love it… thanks jamie!
Kids aren’t the only ones who love chocolate, peanut butter, pretzels and caramel. ;-)
First off I want to say that I was so touched by this post! I have a heart for teaching/education, especially for kids who need “extra attention,” so you are my HERO in more ways than one (baker + blogger + teacher = awesome)! I want to thank you for your commitment to your kids, and for meeting their needs. All teachers have so much impact on the future of their kids, which can be very overwhelming for the teachers, so I definitely think they deserve MUCH more appreciation than what they currently receive. It was so good to hear about your party for them! What a DELICIOUS way to connect with them and reinforce good work habits and behavior. :D
For some reason it totally slipped past me that you were a middle school teacher too! I teach 6th and 7th grade language arts and sometimes cooking classes/camps. Aw, love connecting with other teachers :)
I so relate to have the kids want to TASTE the fruits of your labor — my students have been hinting (okay, begging) that they need some dessert for months now (since about the time school started.) I always tell them that it’s hard to bake for so many, but that I will someday — and I think this year someday will actually come :) They’re the fuel behind so many of my stories and posts that they really deserve a treat.
Chocolate & Peanut Butter is always a win win! Love theses, so gorgeous!
What a wonderful incentive for the kids! It sounds like it was a lot of fun and props to you for doing all that. :)
These are absolutely lovely! Nothing like a candy bar cupcake!
These are the most gorgeous and delicious looking cupcakes I have seen in a very long time!
Jamie, these cupcakes are BEYOND gorgeous. And those kids are so lucky to have you as a teacher!! It sounds like you really care about them a lot.
Can you come to teach at my school? I promise I am a nice administrator! :)
What a great story! Congratulations on your kids filling up the jar so quickly – you must have been so proud! …and these cupcakes are worthy of such an accomplishment….they’re amazing!
Mmmm this looks so delicious,…:)
It’s not difficult to see why they are asking specifically for your cupcakes! Whether it is teaching or baking, it is obvious that you do both with alot of passion.
great posting…great!
i have fond memories of my art teacher & the influence she had on me…
kudos to you & your class!!
These chocolate cupcakes are so gorgeous, I would want to keep them rather than eat them!
Kids need to get exposed to a large array of activities, this is how they get inspired and find their own path to career success and life fulfillment. Bravo!
That is too cute about your student thinking you were Rachel Ray! And these cupcakes look great, I like the Take 5 bars!
These look amazing!!! I want one. :)
These look decadent!
Love your cupcake creation! PIN!
Wow, Jamie. That’s all I was going to say, but it told me the comment was too short, and to try again, so I’ll say this, too:
Those are the most beautiful, stunning cupcakes I have ever seen.
One of the things that I loved to do was bake homemade treats for my kids to take to school. We now live in a district that doesn’t allow ANY homemade treats in the school at all. Everything must be store-bought and labelled so that the ingredients can be checked for food allergies. Sigh. :-C Your post brought back nice memories and I loved the story. Good on you.
Oh my goodness! Take 5 candy bars are on of my favorites, although I almost always forget about them because they’re not the typical candy bar. It’s wonderful that you’ve made something so good out of an already good candy bar!
Awww…go kids, congrats on making the goal in record time! I’m so glad that they requested your homemade cupcakes, fab recipe :D
Um, wow!! That’s a cute story. I admire you working in an alternative school. That isn’t always easy!
These look amazing! I really want to try your recipe for the cupcakes especially because I am curious on the doctored up recipe!
*droooling* these look ahhhmazing!! My guy would definitely love these, such a good idea!
LOveeee YOU !!! :D
I want these in my tummy right now!! I love Take 5, yum! Also, I think your party idea is so great-my grandma taught at an alternative high school in my hometown (Massillon, OH) for most of her life and she loved it. :)
I haven’t read thoughts from your previous commenters, so I don’t know what they generally are thinking. However, I don’t care what kind of food you lovingly planned, paid for, prepared and carried to school with you. The fact that you “gave” to them and taught them trust and rewarded them for whatever behavior skills or academic skills were learned, you are a bright and shining star! Oh yea, you are a great blogger as well and your food photos are beautiful and creative. Just remember what you leave with and in those kids in that school is the best gift you are leaving in this world. Kudos! Yes, we do need to be good to ourselves, and continue with the things or actions that maintain balance and keep us happy so that we can “just keep swimming.” Right? Thanks for sharing such a sweet story with all of us. Its good to be reminded of important things in life.
AmyRuth
I love this! They are so beautiful, Jamie!
Lucky kids! I want a party like that! What a great way to reward them.
What a decadent, perfect cupcake!
The world needs more teachers like you. Committed, creative and passionate about their craft. I bet your students love to learn because they enjoy while doing it. Your cupcakes mirror your positive attitude and passion for food. You are an inspiration to many of us…and a generous one at that, for sharing your recipe! Thanks!
OMG these look amazing….Take 5 is one of my fave candy bars so this is pure genius!!!
Wow, these cupcakes look incredible. Take 5 candy bars were one of my guilty pleasures in college… and, now I’m totally craving them. And, I’m craving a cupcake!!
Your students must have adored these cupcakes, everything about them sounds amazing!
I must be missing something because others get it–how did the kids fill the picture of a jar with marbles?
AnnMarie-
The kids filled up this jar by displaying appropriate behaviors. They were able to earn 4 marbles per day. Hope this helps.
-Jamie
I just made this last night, except I replaced the Take 5 with Reese’s minis. This has got to be the best cupcake I have ever had, bar none.
Thanks so very much for the hard work you put into this recipe…
I made these tonight. Wow! I think these are the best cupcakes I’ve ever had :)
Wow I’m impressed. How do you do this gorgeous blog and teach a full time job? And, it’s not just a blog. You put out a very professional display of yummies. Like this one. Wow, again.
I don’t think reading dessert blogs are helping me maintain my weight…
especially ones that contain chocolate…and caramel…and cupcakes…and the sweet-and-salt combo….
These look truly amazing. I’m a take 5 fanatic & your pictures…my mouth is watering.
I absolutely love these cupcakes. I made them for my sisters birthday party. They were a huge hit. Some people (my sister) didnt like the candy bar in the cupcake so I made some with them and some without. The frosting was amazing!!! So smooth and light.
I made chocolate cupcakes with my go to chocolate cupcake recipe and really wanted to make peanut butter frosting, and I came across your beautiful cupcakes on your site. Thanks for the wonderful peanut butter buttercream recipe. I made it with natural creamy peanut butter and it turned out delicious. I used my cupcakes and your amazing peanut butter buttercream and drizzled with chocolate ganache, and it was amazing. Definitely the best peanut butter buttercream I have ever tried. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Lisa-
I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your feedback – have a great day!
-Jamie