Easy Cupcakes

I’d signed up to bring cupcakes to a pre-Thanksgiving “harvest” event at my kid’s school, and I realized I wasn’t going to have to time for elaborate decorations. Thankfully, premade sugar toppers in pumpkin and owl shapes (I’m pretty sure these are by CakeMate) and leaf-shaped sprinkles came to the rescue. Also, the simple 1M swirl technique adds class to any cupcake.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; chocolate frosting; 1M metal tip and pastry bag; premade pumpkin topper; leaf sprinkles.

How to Make It: Fit 1M tip into pastry bag. Working from the outside of the cupcake inward, squeeze steadily to create a swirly top. Sprinkle with leave sprinkles. Add pumpkin to top. That’s it!

All you need is a gummy shark and a knife (poor sharky!) to make this simple shark cupcake for an ocean-themed party, aquarium visit, or other event.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white, off-white, or light blue frosting; 1 gummy shark; knife or kitchen shears.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Carefully cut the shark slightly above its tail fin. Place the tail and the rest of the shark’s body a short ways apart on the cupcake, so it looks like his midsection is underwater.