Under the Big Top Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1.5 teaspoon almond extract 
• 2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder 
• 0.5 cup butter softened
• 1 cup buttermilk 
• 4 large eggs 
• 24 servings food coloring gel in colors your favorite
• 1 cups paper baking 
• 16 oz powdered sugar 
• 0.1 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup shortening 
• 24 servings multicolored confetti sprinkles 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 24 servings sugar circus animals 
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract 
• 1.5 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2.8 cups soft-wheat flour all-purpose
• 3 tablespoons whipping cream 

Equipment

• oven
• hand mixer

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating well.
2. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in extracts. Stir in 1/3 cup multicolored confetti sprinkles.
4. Place paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely.
6. To prepare Vanilla Frosting, beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until blended. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Make 3 cups.
7. Tint Vanilla Frosting with food coloring gels of your choice. Frost each cupcake with tinted frosting.
8. Roll edges of each cupcake in confetti sprinkles, and top each with 1 sugar circus animal.