With my son’s recent eighth birthday, we’ve recently re-entered the world of Cub Scouts again after a 4+ year hiatus since my older son graduated up to Boy Scouts. The Pinewood Derby, Blue and Gold Banquet, and den and pack meetings have become a regular part of our busy calendar. As part of this new world, we’ve had the opportunity to bring treats a few times. I was searching for something easy and cute, when I stumbled across this idea on the Family Fun website….Paw Print Cupcakes. They were easy enough for my son to completely make himself and they were cute and fitting with the Cub Scout theme….perfect!
As he has a fellow den member with an allergy to dairy, I was further challenged to find a way to make the treats allergy friendly as well. We’ve been making this Wacky Cake recipe, which is completely egg and milk free, for years for another friend with allergies. It’s easy to make, doesn’t fall apart, and actually tastes good too, which is more than can be said for most egg free cake recipes I’d tried previously. So we combined the Wacky Cake with some store bought Pillsbury Cream Cheese frosting, which ironically, considering its name, doesn’t contain any dairy at all, and some Oreo cookies, which are also totally dairy free. While the Junior Mints are dairy free as well, they are processed in a plant with other dairy products, so you may need to substitute those for mini-Oreos if you are making these for someone who is deathly allergic to dairy products (it’s fairly uncommon to have that severe an allergy to dairy, but you should check first to make sure).
In any case, allergies are not, these cupcakes are fun and perfect for kid-project on a rainy day! They’d also be perfect for a dog or bear themed birthday party or for a classroom activity.
Enjoy!
The ingredients:
“Wacky Cake”: Dairy Free Chocolate Cake (No eggs, no milk)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. vinegar
5 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 cup cold water
Directions: In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt. Make three wells in the flour mixture. In one put vanilla; in another the vinegar, and in the third the oil. Pour the cold water over the mixture and stir until moistened.
Pour into 8 x 8-inch pan or prepared cupcake tins. Bake at 350°F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it springs back when touched lightly. Makes 1 (8x8-inch) cake or 12 cupcakes. Enjoy!
Paw Print Decorations:
Baked cupcakes
Dairy Free white frosting (see note below)
Oreo cookies (Oreos are totally dairy free)
Junior Mints candies (these are processed in a plant with other dairy products, but do not contain dairy themselves. If someone is severely allergic and cannot even eat product processed in a plant with dairy products, then I recommend mini Oreos instead (found with the snack foods))
**NOTE: I still haven't found a dairy free icing recipe that I totally love, so I usually just buy store bought frosting when I'm cooking for someone with allergies. Many varieties of Pillsbury frostings do not contain any dairy, including vanilla, buttercream, and cream cheese (Yes, I find it ironic and somewhat humorous that they have the word "cream" in the title and do not contain any milk products at all).
Directions: Frost cupcakes with white frosting. Top each cupcake with one Oreo and three Junior Mints to resemble a paw print.
(I’m totally in love with my Cupcake Courier
! My mom got it for me for Christmas and I highly recommend it for anyone who regularly brings cupcakes to activities!)
Enjoy!
As he has a fellow den member with an allergy to dairy, I was further challenged to find a way to make the treats allergy friendly as well. We’ve been making this Wacky Cake recipe, which is completely egg and milk free, for years for another friend with allergies. It’s easy to make, doesn’t fall apart, and actually tastes good too, which is more than can be said for most egg free cake recipes I’d tried previously. So we combined the Wacky Cake with some store bought Pillsbury Cream Cheese frosting, which ironically, considering its name, doesn’t contain any dairy at all, and some Oreo cookies, which are also totally dairy free. While the Junior Mints are dairy free as well, they are processed in a plant with other dairy products, so you may need to substitute those for mini-Oreos if you are making these for someone who is deathly allergic to dairy products (it’s fairly uncommon to have that severe an allergy to dairy, but you should check first to make sure).
In any case, allergies are not, these cupcakes are fun and perfect for kid-project on a rainy day! They’d also be perfect for a dog or bear themed birthday party or for a classroom activity.
Enjoy!
The ingredients:
“Wacky Cake”: Dairy Free Chocolate Cake (No eggs, no milk)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. vinegar
5 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 cup cold water
Directions: In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, sugar, cocoa, soda and salt. Make three wells in the flour mixture. In one put vanilla; in another the vinegar, and in the third the oil. Pour the cold water over the mixture and stir until moistened.
Pour into 8 x 8-inch pan or prepared cupcake tins. Bake at 350°F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it springs back when touched lightly. Makes 1 (8x8-inch) cake or 12 cupcakes. Enjoy!
Paw Print Decorations:
Baked cupcakes
Dairy Free white frosting (see note below)
Oreo cookies (Oreos are totally dairy free)
Junior Mints candies (these are processed in a plant with other dairy products, but do not contain dairy themselves. If someone is severely allergic and cannot even eat product processed in a plant with dairy products, then I recommend mini Oreos instead (found with the snack foods))
**NOTE: I still haven't found a dairy free icing recipe that I totally love, so I usually just buy store bought frosting when I'm cooking for someone with allergies. Many varieties of Pillsbury frostings do not contain any dairy, including vanilla, buttercream, and cream cheese (Yes, I find it ironic and somewhat humorous that they have the word "cream" in the title and do not contain any milk products at all).
Directions: Frost cupcakes with white frosting. Top each cupcake with one Oreo and three Junior Mints to resemble a paw print.
(I’m totally in love with my Cupcake Courier
! My mom got it for me for Christmas and I highly recommend it for anyone who regularly brings cupcakes to activities!) Enjoy!
