The BEST Chocolate AND Vanilla Cupcakes PLUS Cool Whip & Pudding Frosting

My boys just turned S-E-V-E-N!! For their birthday party I wanted to make cupcakes (which is a departure from my "Famous Chocolate Cake" as they loving call the Best Chocolate Cake on Earth <click here for recipe> which I have made three times in the last two weeks, one cake for each of my children's classrooms). As much as I love and adore that recipe, I am just tired of making it!!!

So, I asked the boys, "What kind of cupcakes do you want for your party?" Twin A says, "VANILLA!" Twin B says, "CHOCOLATE!" Of course, they both want something different!!! At least they both agreed on chocolate frosting! Okay, next stop, Pinterest.....I was on the hunt for easy, delicious vanilla and chocolate cupcakes AND frosting. And I found all three! Truly amazingly moist vanilla cupcakes, equally scrumptious and moist chocolate cupcakes and unbelievably delectable chocolate frosting! Here are all three recipes! ENJOY!!!

P.S. It is worth noting that the parents at the party ALL had cupcakes themselves! In addition, they took all the leftover cupcakes home to spouses, children, etc. There was not one cupcake left at a birthday party with 16 children (I made around 40 cupcakes). They were really that good!

The recipe for the Chocolate Cupcakes comes from Sally's Baking Addiction:

1 box Devil’s Food Cake Mix
1 small box Jello Chocolate Fudge instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sour cream (or low fat Greek or regular yogurt)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line two 12-cupcake pans with liners. Set aside.

Using a stand or hand held electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, milk and sour cream. Beat until well combined, about 2 minutes.

Scoop the batter evenly into cupcake liners. I got 20 cupcakes using 1/4 cup measuring cup to spoon into the liners.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let cool. Once fully cooled, frost cupcakes.

The recipe for the Vanilla Cupcakes comes from the blog Running Away? I'll Help You Pack: 

1 package (18.25 ounces) plain yellow or vanilla cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 dozen cupcake liners

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place 2 dozen paper liners in cupcake pan.

Place cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds.  Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes longer, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until muffins are slightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the center of one cupcake comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes on a wire rack in pan for 15 minutes.  Remove from pan and sit on wire rack until completely cooled.  Frost.

The recipe for Puddin'Head Frosting comes from Not Just Cute:

1 box of INSTANT chocolate OR vanilla pudding (or whatever flavor you like!!)

Use HALF the amount of specified milk on the back of the pudding box

1 tub of Cool Whip frosting, thawed

Use an electric mixer to mix the pudding and the milk for two minutes. Fold in the cool whip. Put into piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes (or frost a cake or eat it straight out of the bowl because it is THAT good).

<This frosting held it's shape in my air conditioned home for a couple hours at least! I was so impressed with how easy it was to make, how nice it looked and how good it tasted!!!!>