Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or line a standard muffin tin.

Add cake mix to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer, add in your oil, egg whites, and soda, and mix on medium until well incorporated. Mix in *1/2-3/4 of the jello. (Please note we added a few drops of purple food coloring because weirdly, the jello made the batter turn grey.)

Add batter into the muffin tin until each is about 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand or stand mixer, cream the butter and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).

Mix in the vanilla extract and salt.

Mix in the remaining jello.

Mix the half and half or milk and grape soda together. (If you don’t, the carbonation in the soda will break your frosting)

Slowly mix in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, while adding a bit of the liquid mixture from Step 6 in between each cup. Continue to mix for 1-2 minutes or until creamy and forms stiff peaks, but don’t overmix!

Add in food coloring if desired. Start with 1-2 drops and mix. Continue until color is achieved. Prepare piping bag and fill bag with frosting.

Frost your cupcakes. Add your purple sanding sugar and straw if desired.

We suggest for kids to use ½ the jello in the mixes and ½ in the frosting. For adults, use ¾ of the jello in the mixes and ¼ in the frosting.