Easy Cupcakes

Great for political events, the 4th of July or any patriotic occasion, these fireworks cupcakes are quick and easy to make with just red icing or gel and star-shaped sprinkles.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; red gel or writing icing in tube; large blue star sprinkles (these are by Wilton).

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Use tube icing to draw six red, curved lines going upward from one edge of the cupcake. Add blue star sprinkle to end of each red line.

All you need to top this easy lion cupcake is caramel corn, mini M&Ms and a tube of black writing or gel icing. These would be great for a jungle party or other kid event.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted deep yellow; caramel popcorn; 2 blue mini M&Ms; black writing icing or gel icing in a tube.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. (You should do the eyes, nose and mouth first so you don’t have to reach around the mane). Place 2 blue mini M&Ms, writing side down, for eyes. Use tube icing to draw nose and mouth (muzzle). Add caramel corn in a circle around the cupcake for mane.

Make a panda bear cupcake quickly and easily with candies and frosting. Remember, if you don’t have the types of candy described on hand, substitute something else! They’ll still be cute.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; 2 mini Oreo cookies; 2 Junior Mints; 1 black jellybean; red and white writing icing or gel.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake generously, so the Oreos will have a base in which to stick upright. Add 2 Oreo cookies for ears. Add Junior Mint eyes and pipe white dot in center. Add jellybean nose and pipe mouth beneath it as shown.

There are probably as many ways to make butterfly cupcakes as there are species of butterflies. This version uses mini sugar-coated fruit slices for the wings and chocolate chips for the body. Add some round sprinkles and gel and you’re off and flying!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; 2 mini sugar-coated fruit slices; 4 chocolate chips; black gel writing icing in tube; round pastel sprinkles.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Place chocolate chips in line going from one edge of cupcake toward the center for butterfly body. Add 2 fruit slices, with round edges facing, on opposite sides of “body.” Use gel icing to pipe black antennae. Use dab of white icing to stick sprinkles to wings.

Here’s another twist on easy dotted cupcakes, this time in the popular color combination of pink and brown.
What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted pink; mini brown M&Ms.
How to Make It: Frost cupcake pink. Place mini M&Ms on top of cupcake with the M side down.

This is an easy technique, but it has a neat impact. Simply arrange different-sized M&M candies on top of a cupcake.
What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; mini M&Ms; regular M&Ms; peanut butter M&Ms.
How to Make It: Frost cupcake white. Add M&Ms in various sizes and colors. That’s it!

For a fun various on pig cupcakes, try this version with a ring in its nose.
What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted pink; red mini sugar-coated fruit slice, cut in half; mini pink marshmallow; 2 brown mini M&Ms; red gel or tube icing with round tip.
How to Make It: Frost cupcake pink. Add ears, eyes and nose as shown. Using gel or tube icing, draw U-shape under nose for nose ring.