Pink Supermoon Cupcakes

Since I wrote my last blog entry, the entire world has shifted. I have been hunkered down at home to “social distance” from my friends and family in an effort to slow the spread of the pandemic Covid-19. Last week I stood outside my parents’ door, glass shielding our touches while we talked. No hugs. I’ve been going through some odd process of grief / guilt / fatigue / overwhelm because the world as we know is not the same, and going forward, no matter what happens-good or bad-my world will never quite be the same. I’ve had guilt over buying sprinkles so I could continue baking as my therapy (I even asked the lady over the phone at one of my favorite sprinkle supply stores, “Are sprinkles ‘essential’)? I’ve had grief about the grocery store. It is crazy to say in past tense-that my daughter Rebel and I *used to go* to the store as a mommy and me activity. I’d let her out of the cart when she’d get bored and she’d dance / twirl to whatever music was playing over the speaker. We’d window shop in the toy aisle. I’d sip on my favorite iced chai, these trips to the store were also a self care thing for me. I haven’t been able to set foot in a grocery store since all of this started.Seeing a store now, with its barren shelves and tape on the floor telling people where to stand, or people with anxious energy making sure we don’t touch each other confirms that everything is different now. And even for something as small as grocery shopping, I am experiencing grief.

In times I feel weary, I try to find beauty. Or if I can’t find beauty, I make it, and play (with my daughter, with frosting and sprinkles, with music, etc). Making things beautiful and playing with texture/food/color/music is my coping mechanism (…..or sometimes I just nap, and that is ok too).

Last weekend, my family and I colored each brick in the front of our house a different rainbow color with chalk. Our entire neighborhood was walking by, loving it and smiling.

A sweet bubbly orb showed up in this photo, I will accept that it might be love and approval from above.

This past week, something else that was really sweet and comforting happened. In the middle of what feels like I am living out a sci-fi movie, a beautiful pink supermoon appeared in the sky. Did you know that a pink supermoon symbolizes renewal and rebirth?

It is perfect timing to reflect on that in the comfort of a soft pink supermoon cupcake infused with blueberries. I made this cupcake to look like the night sky, taste like blue moon ice cream, radiate a warm pink moon candy center, and I sprinkled the sparkling frosting with crunchy falling stars.

Whenever rainbow star sprinkles crunch in my mouth, my teeth come together and I smile. Some say that moon cycles, (the pink supermoon) might be symbolic of the growth of a seed into a flower. Which represents life, and our deepest personal needs ♥.

One of my needs is human connection, I think it is for all of us. But I’ve had to find human connection creatively while social distancing. (I put these rainbow lights in our window as a tiny beacon of joy to people out driving their cars, or to kids going on a “bear hunt” for entertainment).

Pink Moon Cupcake Recipe:

Cupcake Ingredients:
1 box of white cake mix
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup oil
1 box white chocolate instant pudding (not sugar free)
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
4 eggs
1 cup blueberries
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp raspberry or blueberry extract
royal blue gel paste + violet gel paste (add several drops of each until you reach your desired level of blue color).
pink candy melts

Frosting Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup marshmallow cream
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp raspberry or blueberry extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8-10 cups powdered sugar
royal blue gel paste color

Cupcake Baking:
Preheat oven to 325 and line pans with cupcake wrappers. In one large bowl, sift dry ingredients together (cake mix, cocoa powder, instant pudding). Measure the buttermilk with extracts in liquid measuring cup and set aside. In a small bowl, sprinkle flour in with the blueberries (the addition of flour to the blueberries helps the blueberries stay afloat in the cupcakes instead of sinking) In stand mixer, cream eggs and oil together. Alternate the addition of buttermilk and dry ingredients into creamed mixture until incorporated. Add gel paste color to the batter until you reach desired blue color. Fold blueberries into batter with a spatula. Scoop batter into cupcake liners, filling about half full. Bake at 325 for appx 22-24 minutes.

Pink Moons:
While baking, create your pink moons! Melt pink candy melts in microwaveable bowl, in 30 second increments until smooth. Pour the melted candy melts into a small sphere mold. (I used the wells of a plastic artist palette since I didn’t own a sphere mold). Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Once the pink moons have hardened, pop them out and set aside until you decorate.

Frosting Swirls:
In stand mixer using flat beater attachment, whip butter, marshmallow cream, and extracts until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar until it forms stiff peaks (good for piping). Add blue gel paste color until you reach desired blue. Using an open star tip in a piping bag, swirl frosting on the outer edges of cupcake leaving a hole in the center of your frosting swirl. Place your pink moon right in the center of frosting swirl. Sprinkle with stars and edible glitter. Eat the cupcake. Leave one on your neighbor’s doorstep or one for the mailman ♥. Pink supermoon cupcakes for superheroes.