2 Easy To Make Cupcake Recipes For School Bake Sales

During the school year, I am often asked to bake cupcakes for the school’s athletic events and for their bi-yearly bake sales. When I am considering what type of cupcakes to bake, I normally stay away from the classic flavors as they will receive plenty of those. If you are looking for something just a tad different, then I would like to suggest the following recipes.

You can frost the first recipe with your favorite flavored frosting, however, the second recipe should be left plain with just the cherry topping. Every time I make these for the bake sale, they are a big hit.

Chocolate Bottom Cupcakes

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounce chocolate chips
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cup water
2 tablespoons vinegar
2/3 cup vegetable oil

In a small bowl, cream together the softened cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients together until well mixed. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Spoon batter into each liner approximately 1/2 full. Top that batter with a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until done. This recipe will make 30-32 cupcakes.

Cherry Cream Cheese Cupcakes

3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 (8 ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 box vanilla wafers
1 large can cherry pie filling

In a large bowl, cream together the granulated sugar and softened cream cheese. Add in the eggs, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat mixture with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Place 1 vanilla wafer in each of the liners and then spoon batter on top, filling the liner 3/4 of the way full. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes or until done. Let cupcakes completely cool and then spread cherry pie filling on top.

Transporting: If you do not have a plastic cupcake transporting container, I suggest you purchase some aluminum pans with covers from your local discount store. To keep them stable during transporting, place a piece of rubber matting (like rubber shelf and drawer liner) inside each pan.

Staging Your Home for Successful Fall & Winter Sales

While many people swear by selling homes during the bright spring and summer months, there is really no reason why you can’t sell your home during the darker, cooler months of the year as well. Staging your home is important no matter when during the year you are trying to sell, but it is especially important when you’re putting your property up for sale in the fall and winter months.

The whole purpose of staging your home is to make the atmosphere appear inviting to the prospective buyers; what buyers will find inviting in the winter months is quite different than what they’ll find inviting in the warm summer months. In the summer, home owners tend to stage their homes with a focus towards light, bright, and airy environments. In the darker, cooler months, what we find inviting is quite different than what we see as inviting in the summertime.

When the weather is brisk outside, what many people will find inviting is a warm, cosy home. When the weather is cool, make sure that you turn the heat inside your home up a little so that prospective buyers are comfortable. If you have a gas or electric fireplace, turn it on to add to the ambiance of your home.

While you don’t want your MLS pictures to be dated by seasonal decorations, it is totally fine to use them in your house when you’re staging it for sale. Try to keep your decorating fairly neutral and simple so that prospective buyers can easily see themselves in your space. Don’t let your holiday decorations obscure your home’s assets either, they should just add a touch of the holidays without being overpowering.

Another great way to make prospective buyers feel at home in your house is by using smells. Fresh baking smells are inviting for most people, even if it’s just some store bought cookie dough that you pop in the oven before your home is shown so that the smell pervades the house and buyers feel welcomed by a plate of freshly baked cookies. A crockpot full of warmed spiced apple cider is a great alternative to baking and has a great holiday scent as well.

If you live in an area that has rainy or snowy weather in the fall and winter months, make sure that you take care that people can get to your front door without too much trouble. Keep your driveway ploughed or shovelled when it’s snowy and make sure to keep walkways salted and sanded for safety. During the wet weather, and particularly when there is sand and salt down, make sure that you have ample space by the front door for people to take off their shoes. Use a mat by the front door to collect bits of grit that come in on people’s shoes to help protect your floors as well.

The main concerns when you’re trying to sell your home during the fall and winter months is that, due to the weather and darker days, people find different things inviting than they did in the summer months. Make sure that you focus your staging on fall and winter comfort to make your prospective buyers feel at home in your home.