Diet Coke Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing & Luscious Slushy Punch

Oh, these are good. They are your standard box up chocolate Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix made into cupcakes. Instead of eggs and oil and whatever else the mix requires, I pour in a can of diet coke. Why? Mark is a vegan and won't eat ANYTHING that has dairy/eggs/etc. in it. And I was out of eggs ;) The cupcakes are actually low fat BUT then I added the Cream Cheese Peanut Butter Icing! And as you might expect, that completely blows the benefit of lowfat cupcakes out the window. hee hee haw haw haw!

Don't worry, I left some of them icing-free for Mark.

Here is the recipe for this yummy icing:

1. Beat 2 oz (1/2 stick)unsalted butter on medium high until creamy.
2. Add 4.5 oz. cream cheese and 1/2 cup peanut butter
3. Beat until creamy.
4. Add 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar(all at once)and beat on low until smooth.
5. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

**I added another 1/2 cup of PB and a little more powdered sugar...to cut some of the cream cheese taste. SO GOOD but my additions made way more icing than I needed. I've been eating the leftover refrigerated icing with a spoon. Tastes like peanut butter fudge.

I was going to take some of these cupcakes to work with me yesterday. Our town ended up getting some very heavy rain and flooding on Thursday so school was canceled Friday. Next week is Spring Break, so I can't take them next week either. Alas, I will have to find the inner strength and will to eat these myself. Oh, the torture.

To go with the cupcakes, I was planning to prepare some of the THE most delicious punch ever! I don't have a photo 'cause the frozen concoction to which you add 7-Up is in the freezer at school...the punch is red and slushy...just make yourself a mental picture. And yes, it does have 2 1/2 cups of sugar in it! I say a little sugar rush never hurt anyone!

Luscious Slushy Punch

• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 6 cups water
• 2 (3 ounce) packages strawberry flavored gelatin mix
• 1 (46 fluid ounce) can pineapple juice
• 2/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 quart orange juice
• 2 (2 liter) bottles Sprite/7-Up
  

1. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water, and strawberry flavored gelatin. Boil for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. Divide mixture in half, and freeze in 2 separate containers.
2. When ready to serve, place the frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl, and stir in 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda until slushy.

**I let it thaw for a little while before adding the 7-Up so that it starts out a little slushy instead of a big frozen chunk floating in a pool of 7-Up

Would love to hear if anyone tries either of these!