Cake Batter Blondies | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

eats: valentine’s day cake batter cupcakes.

3 February, 2015 by Gracie 8 Comments

January is always a tough month. It’s cold, you have to go back to a normal routine after the holidays, but worst of all…there are no themes to be celebrated.

February would be a similar situation if it weren’t for the oh so wonderful holiday of Valentine’s Day. I’m that girl who loves Valentine’s Day, whether I have a special someone to share it with or not! But I love just about any reason to embrace (cheesy) themes, if we’re being honest…

Even if you don’t like Valentine’s Day, you can at least use it as an excuse to treat yourself. So whether you want to make a little something sweet for your guy, your friends, or yourself (I won’t judge), these cute heart-shaped Valentine’s Day Cake Batter Cupcakes are a perfect little gift.

inspired by my original Cake Batter Blondies
yields 10-12 cupcakes

ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix (I always use Betty Crocker)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg, beaten
1/4 – 1/2 cup milk *
1/4 cup red & pink sprinkles
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (optional)
frosting of choice (strawberry is fun because it’s pink!)

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill cupcake pan with cupcake liners + nonstick spray.

Place cake mix in a large bowl, set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and oil.

Add wet mixture to the cake mix and combine as much as possible, then add the milk.

* Add as little milk as possible to just get the batter to come together. You want it to be THICK – almost like a cookie dough.

Mix in the sprinkles and white chocolate chips.

Place batter in lined cupcake pan, 2/3 of the way full.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or just until the tops turn golden. **

Let cool for 20-30 minutes, then add the frosting. Decorate with sprinkles of your choice!

** Don’t be tempted to over-bake!!! That will result in a drier cakelike texture, not the ooey-gooeyness we’re going for!

You can use a regular cupcake pan/liners, but I couldn’t help but go for the heart-shaped look. I found these reusable silicone ones at Michael’s.

Valentine's Day Cake Batter Cupcakes || girlmeetslife.com

{photos by Sam Ruby}

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Do you like Valentine’s Day? Any special plans this year?

snapshots {christmas 2013}.

26 December, 2013 by Gracie 2 Comments

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas!

I didn’t capture most of the day because I was trying to just spend time with my family, but here are a few glimpses

All dressed up for Christmas Eve service.

(and blue eye problems)

All black + some pops of color.

Gotta have a fire going! Even if it’s a fake one

Christmas morning baking. Original CBB’s + red and green M&Ms + sprinkles.

Cream cheese frosting for Preacher’s Cake (which was a huge hit!).

Black + gold + New York. Insert googly-eyed emoji.

So much going on in this picture.

My cousin Joelle. I wish I got the pajamas memo.

Such a cute gift idea! Brownies In A Jar from my Aunt Wendy.

This year’s new addition to our crew (not mine!) – Lulu

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What was the highlight of your Christmas? Any favorite gift(s)?

a workless week.

18 September, 2013 by Gracie 8 Comments

With Jessi’s wedding just two days away, I’m so glad I decided a few months ago to take this whole week off from work. I knew there would be last minute things to be done, and I wanted to help as much as possible.

Other than wedding errands and preparations, though, this week has been full of some simple pleasures as well.

…like Justin’s Vanilla Almond Butter. Um, where have you been all my life?!

…or this beautiful New Wave Caffe New York set I was sent from Villeroy & Boch.

How cute is that? It’s part of Villeroy & Boch’s “Cities of the World” collection. I especially love the mug, which has great images of the Empire State Building and other iconic NYC landmarks. It has definitely made my routine morning coffee just a bit more special.

I also managed to have a much more productive week than I anticipated. Nothing feels as good as accomplishing something you’ve put off for…years.

My productivity was thanks in part to an extremely clean (and de-cluttered) apartment…

(Hey Jess, just realizing you forgot this picture. haha)

…and energizing snacks like this Skinnygirl bar from my Bethenny swag bag. I loved this – it’s like a really hearty granola bar meets a candy bar.

I spent today packing for the weekend, and I paid a visit to my favorite girl Nadia at Arrojo to get my hair done. Fresh blondes – check.

Another great part of the week - as you may have seen on my post from Tuesday - tonight was mine and Jessi’s first Community Group gathering of the season. It was so great getting to know the girls in our group!

I welcomed them with some Cake Batter Blondies, naturally.

And now, I’m going to try to go to bed since we’re leaving super early tomorrow morning. Enjoy the rest of your week, babes

What was the highlight of your week so far?

what i’m loving right now.

9 August, 2013 by Gracie 14 Comments

Quest Bars. I’ve seen them all over blogs for a while, and I’m on the bandwagon now! I’ve tried a handful of the flavors, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is definitely my favorite.

Hot Buns. It just sounds like something that would be “As Seen On TV,” right? haha. But this is actually a great upgrade from a sock bun – it’s so much easier and secures well.

Soul Doctor. I went with Monica last week to see a preview of Soul Doctor – a musical about Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, and his unlikely friendship with Nina Simone. I loved it! The music, choreography, and story were so entertaining and just plain FUN! The show officially opens on August 15 at Circle in the Square Theatre.

weight training. I used to be quite the cardio queen, but now I have a whole new appreciation for the other side of the gym. I’ve only been at it for a couple of weeks, and I already feel stronger and notice a difference in my body. I actually love feeling sore after a good workout!

Benefit Hoola bronzing powder. I used to wear Hoola years ago and recently returned to it. I can’t remember why we ever broke up! It’s one of the best bronzers out there because it applies light and evenly, and it has the perfect shade – not orangey at all.

snack plates. My favorite SnackFace may not be blogging anymore, but her inspiration lives on.

(left: hard boiled eggs, peach + cinnamon, spoonful of walnut butter)
(right: brussels sprouts + spinach + feta cheese, apple + cinnamon, banana + peanut butter)

goldie nails. Usually in the summer I stick to pinks and pastel polishes, but the other day I felt like glamming it up with Sonia Kashuk Golden Ticket. Why not?

What are you loving right now? Any new makeup/beauty products I should try?