When some of Toby’s classmates decided to have an 80s rock party, the following happened:

1. I got really excited

2. I became sad that I can’t fit into my Rainbow Brite costume

3. I began thinking of ideas for 80s-themed cupcakes

I also went to Forever21, where I was alarmed to learn that acid-washed jeans, distressed and studded denim vests, crop tops and pleather micro-minis are like, totally in. Not to mention the kind of button-down sheer blouses I used to wear with colored denim cutoffs in 1989. It worked out well for me, though, because I had tons of options for a gnarly 80s ensemble.

 

For the cupcakes, I thought neon was in order. I went with a vanilla cupcake recipe from Sweetapolita (it’s delicious!), but you could do this exact same thing with a white cake mix or a different cake recipe.

As you can see, I separated the batter into three equal (ish) parts and dyed them three different neon colors, then spooned them into the pink leopard-print cupcake papers thusly:

 

The result is a sort of psychedelic neon situation that looks really cool when you peel the wrapper off.

 

I topped them with purple buttercream and a sprinkle of Nerds. I would have gone with Pop Rocks, but I couldn’t find any in time. You might check Old Navy, though, if you want to make your own. My friend from work saw some there after the fact.

The cupcakes did have a bit of a food coloring taste (no way to avoid that with bright colors, I fear), but were still quite good. And the Nerds actually added a little something-something to the flavor. Totally worth making again.

So, are you ready to rock? I am!

(P.S. I purchased my “Not!” pin at Claire’s at some point in the late 80s or early 90s, and I used the light pink crimper I’ve had for at least 24 years, but basically everything else is from Forever21. Even the Van Halen sweatshirt.)

Tri-color neon 80s cupcakes (Adapted from Sweetapolita, makes 24 cupcakes)
1 cup whole milk
4 large egg whites and 1 whole egg, at room temperature (it’s easier to separate the eggs when they’re cold, but then you can let the whites and the whole egg sit on the counter for a bit to warm up)
3 teaspoons real vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 of a stick)
6 tablespoons shortening
3 different neon food colors (I prefer gel food coloring, and here I used the pink, green and blue from the Duff brand “electric” color set)
Frosting (recipe below)

Set the butter, milk, egg/egg whites out on the counter for about an hour. Cut the butter into cubes.

Preheat the oven to 350F and put paper cupcake liners into the cup part of two cupcake tins.

Put the egg whites, whole egg, 1/4 cup milk and vanilla in a small bowl or large measuring cup and stir. Set that bowl aside.

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl, if you’d rather use a hand-held electric mixer). Turn the mixer on the lowest speed to stir for about 30 seconds.

Turn off the mixer and put the butter cubes and shortening in the bowl. Blend the mixture for a few seconds , then add the remaining milk and mix on low until the flour is wet. Turn the speed up to medium and mix for another minute or so.

Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl, then add about 1/3 of the egg/milk mixture. Beat for a few seconds after each addition. Add the next 1/3, beat and then add the last 1/3 and beat just until the mixture looks combined (20-30 seconds).

Divide the batter into three roughly equal parts (you can be super precise by weighing everything with a food scale, or just eyeball it). Add several drops of food coloring to each bowl (different colors in each bowl, of course) and stir just until combined (you want to try to avoid overmixing the batter, but this is obviously difficult when adding food coloring).

Use spoons to layer globs (about a tablespoon or so) of each color into the cupcake liners, until the liners are about 2/3 of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for about 15-18 minutes. (Test by sticking a toothpick into the center of one of them. If the toothpick comes out clean, it’s done. I also sometimes test them by gently poking the top of one with my fingertip. If it springs back, it’s done).

Remove the cupcakes from the pans as soon as you can without burning your fingers, then allow to cool on a wire rack. Make sure they’re totally cool before frosting.

Frosting
3 sticks (3/4 pound) butter (set it out on the counter to warm up for about an hour before this)
3-4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
food coloring (I used the purple from the Duff electric set)
Nerds, Pop Rocks or rainbow sprinkles for decorating

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl. Turn the mixer on medium and beat the butter for several minutes, until it gets lighter in color and looks very creamy.

Turn the mixer off and add 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on low to mix, then add another 1 ½ cups powdered sugar and mix in on low. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then turn mixer to medium and beat frosting until well blended.

Add the milk or cream and mix it in on low speed, then turn the mixer up again and beat until the frosting is fluffy. Taste the frosting and add more powdered sugar if needed for sweetness or texture (you can also thin the frosting out by adding more milk or cream).

Once the frosting is the desired flavor and fluffiness, add the food coloring and mix well. Use the frosting right away to frost the cupcakes, then sprinkle each cupcake with some candy or sprinkles.