Cupcake Pebbles Cereal Cupcakes

While I was grocery shopping the other day I happend stumble upon a new cereal, Post Cupcake Pebbles! I haven't had fruity pebbles or chocolate pebbles in a long time, but, I just had to buy a box of the cupcake pebbles. I love cake batter flavor, my favorite ice cream from Maggie Moo's and Coldstone is cake batter, so, I knew I had to try this cereal. I had a bowl of this cereal for breakfast and it was really yummy, it tasted just like cupcake batter!

I happened to notice that there was a cupcake pebbles giant cupcake recipe on the side of the box and I decided I would try it since the cereal was so yummy! I figured it would just be a simple and fun dessert to take over to my Aunt's daycare kids.

The recipe is for a giant cupcake cake, but, I just made 12 regular size cupcakes and I had some mini foil heart shaped tins that I decided to use as well.

I probably wouldn't make these again, the cereal inside the cupcakes just got chewy and no one knew what the chewy things inside were (which is kind of what I thought would happen). But, overall, they were cute and the kids enjoyed them and I will definitely eat the cereal for breakfast!

Ingredients:

-4 cups pebbles cereal, divided
-1 box yellow cake mix, plus required cake ingredients (I used a box of white cake mix)

-2 (16 oz.) containers canned vanilla frosting

Decorations: mini pretzal sticks, chocolate sticks, licorice or rolled cookies. About 30-60 pieces each, depending on thickness.

Food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 inch or 8 inch round cake pans. Place 2 cups of cupcake pebbles cereal in small bowl. Set aside. Prepare cake mix as directed on package and fold in 2 cups of cereal. Divide batter equally between two cake pans. Bake 25-35 minutes for 9 inch pans or 30-40 for 8 inch pans or until the top springs back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool 10 minutes in pans. Invert cakes on cooling racks and cool completely. Once cooled, the cupcake is ready to assemble. Place one cake layer on plate and frost top evenly with 1/2 can of frosting. Sprinkle with 1 cup cereal. Top with second cake layer. Frost sides of cupcake with 1/2 can of frosting-heavier at the top edge to create a slightly flared effect. Adhere decorations around sides of cake, close to each other. Trim as necessary to resemble a cupcake liner. Tint remaining frosting with desired coloring and spread on top to resemble giant cupcake. Sprinkle top with remaining 1 cup of cereal right before serving.

*Instead of making a giant cupcake I made regular cupcakes and mini heart shaped cakes and I used a white cake mix and only 1 can of vanilla frosting. I decorated with sprinkles instead of the cereal because I didn't want the cereal to get soggy if they weren't eaten right away!