Lent is coming. It starts Wednesday in case you haven’t heard yet…

My family usually gives up sweets for Lent. It NEVER EVER fails to be a monstrous challenge. So we (I) like to really load up on Tuesday. Some of you may know it as “Fat Tuesday”. So here we are, making some good ‘ol cupcakes, perfect for Fat Tuesday!

Now because my family and I give up sweets for Lent, that means that there are most likely not going to be too many cupcake and cookie recipes on here for a while…Just warning ya. There will probably be some granola bar and muffin-type recipes on here that will help me control my sweet tooth! We do, however, make exceptions for certain occasions. My sister’s birthday always happens to fall in the middle of Lent and even though she is like a gajillion miles away, in Spain, we will probably still have a slice of pie or cake in honor of her day

These cupcakes are a little bit like my Snickers Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes that I absolutely adore. I can’t get enough of the chocolate mousse filling. It is seriously the easiest thing everrr! No eggs required. Just TWO ingredients!!

I always happen to end up with a bit of extra mousse, which is awesome because you can make little mousse cups like I did above, or frost some cupcakes like I did below.

For this recipe, I used a box mix that we bought during the post-Christmas sales. It is a Christmas funfetti cake mix, but I do recommend buying these mixes when you see them on sale because for one, you can sometimes get them where the sprinkles aren’t yet mixed in.

Two, if the sprinkles are already mixed in the mix, you can just add more multi-colored sprinkles to drown out the holiday-ness of the mix.

Three, the boxed mixes don’t expire for usually about a whole year.

So here you have it. Delicious cupcakes with a delicious little surprise anybody would be happy to discover inside

Chocolate Mousse Stuffed Yellow Cupcakes with Dark Chocolate Buttercream

1 yellow (or funfetti) cake mix (Plus ingredients listed on box to prepare cupcakes)

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups chocolate chips

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

3 1/4 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

3 Tablespoons milk, or as needed

1. Prepare and bake cupcakes as directed on box. Let cool for at least 30 minutes or pop them in the fridge for about 10 minutes if you’re impatient.
2. Meanwhile, prepare mousse by whipping heavy cream until stiff peaks form and it looks like whipped cream. Melt chocolate and gently fold into whipped cream until thoroughly combined. Pipe mousse filling into cooled cupcakes.
3. Prepare buttercream by beating butter and vanilla until creamy. Mix in cocoa powder, salt, and powdered sugar. Add milk as needed until you have achieved your desired consistency for frosting. Frost cupcakes and enjoy! Top with sprinkles or chopped up candy, if desired.

Random Fact of the Day: Women have a better sense of smell than men.

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