Get your kids ready for school with these adorable back to school cupcakes that look like composition notebooks. They're made with a chocolate cake mix, homemade chocolate frosting, and topped with cookies and creme crunch, white fondant, and an apple icing decoration.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake tin with the black cupcake liners.
Combine the chocolate cake mix, eggs, oil and water.
Fill each cupcake cavity two-thirds full.
Bake 18-20 minutes or until done. Insert a toothpick around 18 minutes and it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Frosting
In a mixing bowl, add in the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and heavy cream.
Beat with a hand mixer on medium until most of the powdered sugar is worked in.
Turn hand mixer to high and beat until 1 to 2 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.
Add the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. I used the Wilton 1A tip.
Pipe a mound of chocolate frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes,
Using an off-set spatula, flatten the top of the mound of frosting.
Dip each frosted cupcake into the cookies and creme crunch sprinkles.
Take a small handful of white fondant and gently roll out using a rolling pin. If the fondant sticks, use a little bit of powdered sugar to help make it easier to work with.
Once the fondant is rolled to about ⅛" thick, use a sharp paring knife to cut out rectangles to put on top of each cupcake.
Using the leftover chocolate frosting, add a little frosting to the back of the fondant rectangles and apple icing decorations.