At work, we usually celebrate each others birthdays with some kind of treat. Depending on how busy we are or what time of year it is that could be anything from a store-bought cake, ice cream treat or when we are lucky, a homemade specialty. Last week, Michelle, who is this cute 20 something gal mentioned to someone that she would love to have hamburgers for her birthday. What! I can definitely do that. I figured it would be a great chance to do something that was easy to make but really fun to show off. Why not cheeseburger slider cupcakes! This dessert is so easy and is perfect for any occasion. I might have to break this out again for the 4th of July.
I started off by making a batch of white cake mix cupcakes. The box said 24 cupcakes but my batch made about 18, I like to make sure that the cups are filled to at least 2/3 full so that I get a nice round top but I guess that makes a few less. I also mad a batch of brownies. To simplify this whole process I made a box mix for this too. If I had more time, I probably would have made both of these from scratch but sometimes its just not possible. And, I don’t even think anyone noticed. Once the brownies cooled, I cut them out of the pan with a round cutter. Well, it was actually a small bowl turned upside down which is one of the reasons some of these look mutilated, but once they are sandwiched between all the frosting and cupcakes, you don’t even notice. I love this recipe because it’s so forgiving when you just want to slap your dessert together. A round cookie cutter would have made the process so much easier and cleaner. Let’s just say we had a lot of crumbs we were “cleaning” up.
Using store-bought frosting would seriously make this the easiest cupcake ever, but while I can make a boxed cake mix, I always like to have homemade frosting. So I used this recipe which was perfect. Split the frosting in half and color one bowl with red food coloring and the other with yellow. Using gel food coloring rather than liquid results in a stronger frosting color. I also gently tossed some flaked coconut with liquid green food coloring (the liquid coats the coconut better) to create the “lettuce”.
Assembling the sliders, you just cut the cupcake in half, stack a brownie on the bottom half, yellow frosting in the shape of a square, red frosting to resemble ketchup and some of the flaked coconut. Top the slider with the top half of the cupcake and you’re done!
To add a detailed touch, brush the top with just a smidge of water and add some white sprinkles.
One of the best desserts ever to present at a party. AND, they were delicious. It wasn’t overloaded with frosting and were perfectly balanced with brownie and cake. Yum.
