Super Mario Goomba Cupcakes

My boyfriend's brothers birthday was coming up and I haven't had a clue what to get him as a present. I remembered then, that he loves Nintendo. Therefore I was checking the internet for all kind of Nintendo related things. I thought then, why not baking a Nintendo controller cake?!

After a bit of researching it seemed to me to much (yes, I am lazy, wasn't in the mood as well and I personally prefer to bake things from scratch). So I thought, well which kind of popular character has Nintendo next to Mario and Luigi? Randomly I looked for Goomba (you know this little brown mushroom with teeth that attacks Mario). I searched for recipes for it and just found ones that I didn't like much, I found a photo by Tomo-Chi though, where the little Goomba cupcakes looked very cute and delicious. 

Inspired by these cupcakes I made my own ones. I chose a classic vanilla cupcake recipe as base and for the frosting a chocolate cream cheese frosting.


GOOMBA CUPCAKES (for 12 cupcakes)

Ingredients:

• 1 bar softened butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup cold milk

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (adapted from the original recipe at allrecipes.com)

• 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate
• 8 ounce cream cheese
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1/8 tbsp. of salt
• 2 tbsp. evaporated milk (I used the sweetened) 

Decoration

• black decorating gel
• white cookie decoration frosting
• chocolate almonds for feet 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. 
2. Cream butter and sugar together. 
3. Add one egg at a time and beat it carefully in. 
4. After you have added the eggs, stir in the vanilla. Make sure everything is well mixed. 
5. In a new bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together. 
6. Add the butter-sugar mix to the the dry ingredients and mix it together. 
7. Stir in slowly the milk and make sure that all ingredients are well mixed. 
8. Have you cupcake pan prepared with cupcake liners and pour the mixture have way in the pan. 
9. Bake it at 350ºF for 18 to 24 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if the cupcake is ready. 
10. Take the cupcakes out of the oven and let them cool down. 
11. For the frosting have all the ingredients at room temperature. 
12. Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until it is soft and fluffy. 
13. Break the chocolate in small pieces and melt it in a double boiler slowly. 
14. Pour the melted chocolate over the cream cheese and mix it until both ingredients are well blended. 
15. Add vanilla and salt to it. 
16. Mix powdered sugar and cocoa powder together, then add it slowly and carefully into the cream cheese mix.
17. Taste the cream cheese chocolate mix, if it is sweet enough for you. If not, then add a little bit more of the confectioners sugar. 
18. Scrape the sides of the bowl and slowly add evaporated milk into the mix until the frosting is spreading consistency. 
19. Spread the frosting on the cooled down cupcakes. Let it harden a little bit and add the whites of the eyes in an oval form on it. 
20. Use the black decorating gel to draw the mouth, eyebrows on it and the pupils.
21. After drawing the mouth on it, use a toothpick to draw the tooth on each side.
22. Last, use the white frosting as "glue" for the feet. Put a drop on the choco almond and attach it to the liner of the cupcake.