Everyone loves cupcakes! Those sweet little bites of sugary goodness; they're small enough to make you feel like you're not wolfing down calories, but big enough to satisfy you! Cupcakes are just life's way of saying, "Go on, it's not that much, just take a bite!"

Whenever you bite down into a moist, fluffy cupcake with colorful icing, your sweet tooth dances and your taste buds sing. So what if we mess with that glorious expectation of sugary goodness and replace it with... meatloaf!?

This recipe for disaster puts meatloaf in the familiar cupcake shape and ices them over with a lovely mashed potato icing.

Step 1: Ingredients

Meatloaf Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground beef
1 egg
1/2 an onion
1 cup oats
Salt and pepper
1 8oz can tomato paste

Mashed Potato "Icing" Ingredients:

Potatoes
Milk
1 tbsp butter
Food coloring

Equipment

Foil cupcake liners
Spoon
Cupcake tin
Butter knife/offset spatula
Bowl
Vegetable peeler
Pot

Step 2: Making the Meatloaf

Meatloaf is relatively easy to make. In a sense, it's kind of like making huge meatballs! You can use your own meatloaf recipe, too. This recipe is my stepgrandmother's, and really easy to use.

First, in a large bowl, break up the ground beef with your hands. You can also use ground chicken, turkey, or pork.

Step 3: Add Salt and Pepper

Add salt and pepper to taste. You can put it as much or as little as you like.

Bear in mind that while you can add as much salt and pepper, less is more. It's always easier to put in more flavor, but harder to get out.

Step 4: Add Oats

Next, add in your cup of oats.

I had pretty big oats, but no worries. As you mix the rest of your ingredients, they'll break down. Mix the oats in until there are no oats on the bottom of your bowl.

Step 5: Add Egg

Add in your egg. The egg acts as a binding agent and helps keep your meatloaf together.

You can use a fork to "squish" the egg into the ground beef. You can also just use your hands to combine them all together. The most effective way I found in mixing things together was to squeeze it with your hands.

Step 6: Add Onions

First, dice your onions into very fine pieces. Half an onion should suffice.

Add in the diced onion. Continue mixing with your hands.

Step 7: Add Tomato Paste

Finally, add in half a can of the tomato paste.

This will be the messiest part of the meatloaf-making. It'll look like you slaughtered something.

Once your meatloaf is all mixed up, you can move on to the next step!

Step 8: Make the Meatloaf Cupcakes

Place foil liners into your cupcake tin.

Use your hands to form balls with the ground beef. The balls should be around the size of the cupcake tin, and should fit in the cupcake liners. Filling them just at the rim of the cupcake liners worked pretty well.

Place each ball of meatloaf into the cupcake liners. Make sure to flatten the top of the meatloaf cupcakes.

Finally, pour some of the tomato paste on top of each meatloaf cupcake.

Step 9: "Baking" the "Cupcakes"

Put your meatloaf cupcakes into the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around 45 minutes.

Once the meatloaf is browned, take it out! You don't want to burn your meatloaf or worse, overcook it (unless you like dry meatloaf). Cut into a cupcake to make sure that it's cooked.

You can also use a meat thermometer; stick the thermometer into the middle of a cupcake. Once it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit, it's done!

Step 10: Mashed Potato Icing

Peel your potatoes and cut them up into smaller pieces. Then, fill a pot with water and boil your potatoes until they are soft. This will take around 10 minutes or so. Once they are soft enough that you can stick a fork in them, drain the water, and put the potatoes in a bowl.

Put the cooked potatoes in a bowl and add the butter and some milk. Mash them with a fork until they have a smooth consistency. Add milk along the way to make the potatoes smooth.

Once you are done, add a few drops of food coloring to the potatoes. Mix the color thoroughly.

Step 11: Assembly

Once your meatloaf has cooled down, take your cupcakes, and spread the mashed potato icing on top using a butter knife or offset spatula.

I spread the icing on by placing a dollop of it on top, turning the meatloaf in one direction while spreading on the icing in the other. To add a more realistic effect, you can make a "swirl" by bringing your butter knife/offset spatula up and twirling your wrist.

Stick a candle in it, and mess with someone's mouth!