We have a birthday party for our 1-year old coming up so my next few posts will concentrate on my preparation for the party/cook-out.
I am making Sesame Street cupcakes for the party instead of getting a sheet cake. Cupcakes have become all the rage over the past few years and I can see why – no one has to cut the cake! It’s so easy to pass out cupcakes instead of cutting a cake and making an attempt to make everyone happy (I want the most icing or corner pieces!). We also have the dreaded peanut allergy in our family so by making the cupcakes at home I can ensure that there has been no exposure to nuts (except the human kind). The last thing we want at the party is an ambulance!
I have been stocking up on cake mix when it was on sale at my grocery store and I spent no more than $.75 for each box. I am going to use two boxes – one yellow, one devils food – so I should have around 40 cupcakes. I am also going to make the confectioners sugar icing at home and again, I purchased two boxes of confectioners sugar on sale for $1 each. To complete the cupcakes I have oreos, food coloring (I recommend the paste to get the most vibrant colors), marshmellows and jelly beans. The total cost for the cupcakes is less than $20 which is less than the cost of at sheet cake.
Here is the finished product!
I used the hair and grass decorator tip to make Elmo’s fur. It takes A LOT of food coloring to get Elmo the right shade of red. He still isn’t as red as I would like but the icing will get slightly darker as it sits. His eyes are a large marshmallow cut in half. His nose is a jelly bean and his mouth is half of an Oreo. I used decorator gel for his pupils.
Here is my icing recipe:
1 box 10X confectioners sugar
2/3 cup of Crisco
4 tablespoons of water
Beat in a stand mixture, alternating water and sugar, until combined. This will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
If you don’t have a fancy cake decorating kit, don’t worry. Just buy the tip you need – usually $1-$2 and the disposable decorator bags or use a sandwich bag. There is no need to spend $20+ on an entire kit – unless you plan to decorate even more!
By Melissa
