Mardi Gras Cupcakes

The Art.

    Happy Mardi Gras, everyone! I have a special treat for you today, in the spirit of fun and extravagance. When I was shopping for gold sprinkles for these cupcakes, I came across these amazing Wilton Colorburst Batter Bits. So, in keeping with the revelry of the Mardi Gras parade, I decided to put confetti in my cupcakes. I bought green, orange, and purple, then baked them into my yellow cake batter, to show off the colors. I really love how it turned out, especially after adorning my cake stand with coordinating beads.

The Science.

    Today, many people will be indulging themselves in all the foods they're giving up for Lent tomorrow (unless you're Greek Orthodox, in which case your fast started on Monday). Thus, the goal of these cupcakes is to be the last hurrah for all those pious souls who want to binge on their favorite sweets before Ash Wednesday. My decorating technique is exactly what is needed, apparently, as people are more likely to consume a higher number of sweets if there is a visual variety [1]. I guess they just have to taste them all to make sure they're equally good. Furthermore, making your foods look prettier makes them more appetizing to consumers, who clearly favor sensory appeal over other considerations, like price and nutrition [2]. Certainly, the entire experience of eating delicious foods--sight, smell, texture, taste--is alluring to everyone. Some research groups go as far to say that there is such a thing as "food addiction," saying that overindulging in naughty foods causes a brain response similar to drug addiction [3]. Of course, this is difficult to prove since we all need to eat. But, there is no denying that the experience of indulging in foods has a hold on all of us, which is why the greatest sacrifice we make for Lent is denying ourselves tasty cupcakes.

The Recipe.

    To make these cupcakes, click these links for the yellow cake cupcakes and vanilla buttercream icing recipes. Remember to fold the batter bits into your cake batter before pouring it into your cupcake pans. 

       To decorate these cupcakes, I took a similar approach as I did for the Quick Birthday Cupcakes, dying my icing three different colors and using different tips and patterns to create unique designs. I used Wilton Icing Colors Violet, Kelley Green, and Golden Yellow to tint my icing. 

I then piped the purple and green with 1M star tips, and the yellow with an 18 star tip. You can experiment with different colors and tips as you choose, to give your cupcakes your own flair. Of course, what Mardi Gras cupcakes would be complete without gold sugar sprinkles!

    These cupcakes are fancy inside and out, with festive frosting on top and colorful confetti on the inside. In case you're not giving up sweets for Lent, you can store these cupcakes at room temperature for a few days, or put them in the freezer until Lent is over. 

1.  Rolls, Barbara et al. "How sensory properties of foods affect feeding behavior." Physiology and Behavior, 1982. Vol. 29(3): pp 409-417.
2.   Jauregui-Lobera, I and Bolano Rios, P. "What motivates consumer's food choice?" Nutrición Hospitalaria, 2011. Vol. 26(6): pp 1313-1321.
3. Pandit, R et al. "Dietary Factors Affect Food Reward and Motivation to Eat." Obesity Facts, 2012. Vol. 20(2): pp 221-242.