It’s a Peanuts Valentine’s Day! Cupcake Recipe & Party-in-a-Box Giveaway Inside!

This post is brought to you by Snoopy and his amazing PR team.  All opinions are my own, and I will be eating all the cupcakes.

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and being a Peanuts lover, I bet you can already guess my idea of the best kind of Valentine’s party.  Peanuts, obviously.  When you think about it, there certainly was a lot of love, wasn’t there?  We had Sally and Linus, Charlie Brown and his Little Red-Haired Girl, and of course, Snoopy – who doesn’t love Snoopy?

Since Peanuts and Valentine’s Day go together like chocolate and hearts, how about considering a Peanuts-themed Valentine’s Day party this year?  Let me show you just how adorable it can be.

Her Valentine’s Cards Are on the Table: Francesca puts her heart into her Peanuts Galerie Valentine’s cards, which are included in my giveaway along with extra foam hearts and jewels to enhance your card.

Last Saturday, Francesca Capaldi and her friends had their own Peanuts Valentine’s party at the Park Hyatt in Carlsbad, California.  Who is Francesca Capaldi?  I’m glad you asked!  She is a 10-year-old actress you may know from Disney’s Dog with a Blog.  She will also be starring as the voice of the Little Red-Haired Girl in the 3D feature film The Peanuts Movie, opening on November 6, 2015.  (Yes!  A Peanuts movie!  So excited).

Doggone Adorable: Snoopy and his fashionista sister Belle joined Francesca and Skai Jackson from Disney’s “Jessie” for a shot in front of the new Peanuts Movie poster displayed at the party.

Francesca and her party guests enjoyed chocolates, decorated cupcakes, made personal Valentines, tried on clothes from the new Snoopy and Belle apparel line from Target, were visited by Snoopy and his sister Belle, and watched the classic Peanuts special Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown.  By the way, the special is set to air alongside A Charlie Brown Valentine on ABC, February 13^th at 8:00pm EST / 7:00 pm CST.

The Belle of the Valentine’s Ball: Francesca dressed for the occasion in a brand-new dress from the Snoopy and Belle collection at Target.

As a Valentine’s Day gift to you, I have two special surprises for you today.

You Take the Cake: Francesca and Skai Jackson from Disney’s Jessie had a sweet time decorating cupcakes. Now you can create your own “cupcake couture,” following the recipe from the Park Hyatt and using the DecoPac decorations in my giveaway.

First, I have the cupcake recipe Francesca and her friends enjoyed at her Valentine’s Day party – none other than the Old Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes by Chef Franck Riffaud of Park Hyatt Aviara.  Fancy!

5.0 from 7 reviews

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes

 

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Old Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes with Classic Buttercream Frosting

Author: Chef Franck Riffaud of Park Hyatt Aviara

Serves: 16-18 cupcakes

Ingredients

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes

• 3 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp & 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup boiling water
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Classic Buttercream Frosting

• 1 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
• ½ cup milk, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla or other desired flavoring
• 2 pounds confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350º, and line muffin tin with baking cups.
2. Combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla together with a whisk.
3. Place flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a mixing bowl.
4. Using the whip attachment on an electric mixer, add the liquid ingredients that were previously whisked, mixing only until smooth.
5. Boil water and add to cocoa powder, whisking until smooth.
6. Add cocoa mixture to previous batter, let sit for around 10 minutes.
7. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Classic Buttercream Frosting

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl
2. Mix at slow speed until smooth
3. If stiffer icing is needed or if the weather is very warm, add a little more confectioners' sugar

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My next surprise is that you have a chance to win your own Peanuts Valentine’s Day Party-in-a-Box set!  This set has everything (seriously) that you need to re-create Francesca’s party for your own kids.  Here’s what you’ll win:

• Valentine cake and cupcake decorations from DecoPac
• Peanuts Valentines and additional blank cards, foamies, and jewels to use to create custom Valentines of your own
• A $25 Visa card for purchasing the cake/cupcake ingredients and/or card materials
• A copy of the TV special free from iTunes
• A cute and cuddly Belle plush
• Three adorable Peanuts books: Be Loving and Be Awesome (Running Press), feature Charles Schulz’s unique wit and wisdom, and A Valentine for Charlie Brown (Gary Groth)
• Nestle’s Valentine candy
• An autographed card from Francesca Capaldi

This set is so great!  I can’t wait for one lucky winner to throw their own Peanuts party.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway (below) before you go, and make sure you mark November 6^th on your calendar.  You’ll definitely want to be there for opening day of The Peanuts Movie in 3D!

Giveaway is open to US residents who are 18 and older.  Ends 2/9/15.  Good luck!