Velvet Eyeball Cupcakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.:

2. Line with 18 liners and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, prepare the cake mix according to package directions until smooth and combined. Stir in the pudding mix until incorporated. Evenly portion the batter among the muffin tins, filling about ¾ of the way full.:

3. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with light moist crumbs. Cool completely, then core the cupcake's centers out by inserting a small paring knife into the cupcake, and gently removing the center of it. Discard the center pieces. Or eat them :-) :

4. Using a small spoon, fill the cupcake cavities with the cherry pie filling, trying to get at least 2 cherries in the center of each cupcake. Set the cupcakes aside.:

5. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and cream with the paddle attachment for about 1-2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, until frosting is light and fluffy. Pour the frosting into a piping bag or the like - we used a catsup squeeze bottle. :

6. Pipe the frosting high onto the cooled & filled cupcakes, ensuring you completely cover the center cavity. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Take your red sparkle gel and begin drawing squiggly lines up and down the sides of the cupcake, centering from the top point of the cupcake. Plop an eyeball onto the top of the cupcake then pop the cupcakes into the fridge for an hour to help the frosting set. :

7. Marvel in your delicious creation

Author's Comments

This is a recipe hack by my lovely 16 year old daughter. She was looking for a cool Halloween treat to make for a party with her friends but was finding mostly sugar-packed recipes online. In short, she dramatically cut the prescribed powdered sugar from 5 ( !!! ) cups to 1. Take my word for it, that’s plenty of sugar. That said, you may chose to extend the frosting if you want it thicker.