Hamburger for Dessert

Burgers. They seem to be a universal food. They are an obvious fit for lunch or dinner. Appetizer? How about sliders. Breakfast? Don’t think that the Steak, Egg and Cheese McBagel is anything but a hamburger (regardless of what it is called). How about dessert? Hmmm. That is where it breaks down.

Until now….

Hamburger Cupcakes

The Ranting Wife makes these for special occasion parties. You’ll be amazed at how they come together.

Mostly this is cake and frosting but there are a few more unusual ingredients: sesame seeds and coconut.

In order to make these you need whoopee pie tins (or muffin top tins).

The white cake mix makes the buns.

The chocolate cake mix makes the burger. So unless you make a double decker, you’ll end up with extra burgers.

The coconut and a little green food coloring make the “shredded lettuce”.

Place a bun down, a ring of ketchup (red frosting), the burger, a ring of mustard (yellow frosting), a bit of the lettuce and then top with a bun.

They are a great hit with kids and adults and perfect for a backyard cookout. You can add some sesame seeds to the top bun for more authenticity.

Hamburger Cupcakes

prep 1 hour ∙ cook 2 hours ∙ makes 12-24 cupcakes ∙ source Duncanhines.com INGREDIENTS

Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic Cake Mix Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil’s Food Cake Mix 2 cans Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Classic Vanilla Frosting Liquid food coloring Sesame seeds Shredded Coconut Cocktail toothpicks 6 Large eggs Water Vegetable oil DIRECTIONS

Bake vanilla cupcakes according to directions on box. DO NOT use cupcake liners, but grease and flour the pan so they easily pop out.

Bake chocolate cupcakes according to directions on box (either use 2 cupcake trays or thoroughly clean between vanilla & chocolate batches). Again, DO NOT use cupcake liners.

When vanilla cupcakes are cool, cut them in half horizontal-wise with a serrated knife to create the “bun.”

When chocolate cupcakes are cool, cut them in half horizontal-wise and save the cupcake top as the “meat.” You can discard the bottoms

Use ample amounts of food coloring to mix a batch of red icing (“ketchup”) and another batch of yellow icing (“mustard”)

Pour some of the coconut in a bowl and pour a few drops of green food coloring in it. Stir with a fork until the coconut is light green in color like “lettuce”

Lightly dampen burger “lids” with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds so they stick a little.

To create the burger layers…put red icing on the bottom bun, then add the “meat,” then add the yellow icing, then sprinkle the lettuce on top, then add the lid.

Finish by using a cocktail toothpick to keep it all together!

Note: If you’re in a hurry, you can purchase the red and yellow pre-colored icing in a tube.

Note: Beware of heavily colored icing, it can stain!