Think burnt fast food was impressive? Wait until you try Mutant Cupcakes, made from impossible-to-mess-up cake mix.

Yes, I, the bane of impossible-to-mess-up food, have done it again, and I’m even willing to share the recipe.

First, follow nearly all the instructions: grease the pan, turn the stove to the right setting, and even be uncharacteristically careful when measuring ingredients. Ladle the batter into your 12-muffin tin. Then, and this is crucial, as you fill the last few cups, realize you have tons of batter left. Check the box; discover this mix makes 24 cupcakes, not 12. Stick that pan, with near-overflowing cups, into the oven anyway, and voilà!

The batter will rise over the top and slide, giving the treats that distinctive mutilated mushroom look.

Seriously, if you ever do cook up such an atrocity, let me share the piece of advice that salvaged this mess: icing and sprinkles cover a multitude of sins.