Cupcakes

We love doing cupcakes, especially for first birthdays. It's cute, simple, and just the right size for the birthday child. There is no need for a knife, and plates are optional. Cupcakes also work well for class parties, as some schools and daycares apparently require cupcakes. Best of all, there are so many possibilities with cupcakes. Here are some of the ones we have done:

Baloon Cupcakes (from Family Fun)

Froggy Cupcakes (also from Family Fun, with modifications)


Ladybug cupcakes (my own idea), using mini oreos, chocolate chips, red icing and licorice twizzlers.


If you'd like, you can dress up the ladybugs like this. I didn't feel like piping black icing, so I kept it simple.

I don't have a picture of this idea, but I found some mini cars for a dollar and put them on cupcakes, along with some checkered flags made of toothpicks. Very easy.

If you still want the look of a real cake, try the pull-apart cakes. These are cupcakes lined up together and "joined" with a thick layer of icing, which in turn is decorated. An example is this pull-apart turtle cake from the Betty Crocker website. I've also seen pull apart cakes at my local grocery store.

Want more ideas? An internet search will pull up plenty of cupcake ideas. Here is a list of some of the links I like:

• Betty Crocker
• Family Fun
• Hop Skip Jump
• Coolest Birthday Cakes (do a search for cupcakes)

On a side note, the computer cupcake image up top came from Family Fun's website, but I wasn't able to find any directions on their site.

As time permits, I will post the other cakes that I have done: Noah's Ark, racetrack, race car, and train.