Watermelon Cupcakes

As the last huzzah of Summer nears, I thought it would only be appropriate to pay homage to one of my favorite Summertime fruits, watermelon!

I made these watermelon cupcakes with cream cheese whipped cream filling and cream cheese buttercream frosting a few days before I left for VCU.
Now when it comes to baking with watermelon (or any super water dense fruit) it is very hard to get the actual flavor from the fruit without making a mess of your cupcake batter. The solution? Watermelon flavored gelatin! Sounds crazy but it tastes like the real fruit, costs less and is a lot easier to use.

Just add it to a normal vanilla or yellow cake mix and add other ingredients called for on the back of the box (make it 4 eggs though instead of 3 and use milk instead of water). Bake as normal at 350 for 15-18 minutes and done! You can leave them plain or add a filling and frosting of choice. Lime and other citrus fruits compliment the sweetness of the cupcake well by adding a touch of acidity to help balance the flavors.

This is a method that is interchangeable with any other flavored gelatin too so get creative!

Take the time to make the cupcake tops resemble the flavor of choice for added cuteness and to help those eating the cupcakes to identify what the yummy flavor shock their taste buds just experienced!

Have Fun!!!