My son and I love to cook together. I enjoy having him in the kitchen with me because we get to bond in the same way that my mother and I bonded when she was teaching me how to cook.
Usually, I’m the head chef and my son is my helper. This time he asked me if we could shift roles. I gladly obliged. He donned his chef’s hat and assumed control of the kitchen. He decided to cook a special Halloween-themed dish and settled on these tasty cupcakes.
Ingredients
1 box Spice Cake mix
1 can Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup
1/2 cup water
2 eggs
1 medium carrot, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup raisins
Dash of Pumpkin Spice
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened apple juice
Coconut flakes
Candy corn
Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F. Place paper liners into muffin-pan cups.
Step 2
Combine the cake mix, soup, water and eggs in a large bowl and mix. At this point my son started to protest.
“Um, Daddy,” he said. “Why are we putting tomato soup into perfectly good cupcake mix?”
“Because it will enhance the flavor and make them more healthy,” I said.
“Daddy, stop kidding,” he said.
“I’m not kidding,” I said.”The soup goes into the mix.”
“Are you serious?” He asked increduously. “Are you trying to make the cupcakes taste horrible?”
“Trust me son,” I said in a calm voice. “The cupcakes will be delicious.”
He looked at me suspiciously and proceeded to add the tomato soup to the mix.
“I hope you’re right,” he said.
Step 3
Stir in the carrots and raisins and mix until batter is smooth.
Step 4
Spoon the batter into the muffin-pan cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 5
Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Stir the confectioners’ sugar and juice in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth.
Step 6
Spread the glaze on the cupcakes. Sprinkle coconut flakes on top and add candy corn.
Step 7
Enjoy (make sure to save some for dad).
After my son sampled the cupcake, I asked him what he thought about it.
“It’s pretty good,” he said. “I like it.”
“Even with the Tomato Soup?” I asked.
“Yes,” he admitted. “Even with the soup. I can’t even taste it.”
That’s the magic of Halloween.
Stay Strong,
