Decorating Memorial Day Cupcakes
Cupcakes, amped up with patriotic themed decoration, make the perfect Memorial Day treat. Cake is the best celebratory dessert, and cupcakes are even better, as they are easier to serve outdoors, because they don't require silverware, and easier to transport to picnics and barbecues. There are a number of ways to decorate cupcakes. You can use any of these methods on their own or choose to decorate your cupcakes using a variety of these ideas.
Decorating Cupcakes Using Frosting Alone
Supplies
- Cupcakes, preferably homemade
- White frosting, either purchased, such as, or homemade
- Tubes of blue and red frosting, or multi-colored red, white, and blue frosting
- Screw-on cake decorating tips
Instructions
First you will need to frost the cupcakes with the plain white frosting. This will be your background, your canvas, if you will. Once the cupcakes have been frosted, screw a decorating tip onto one of your tubes of frosting. Screw-on decorating tips are very easy to use. Simply unscrew the lid of the tube and screw on the decorating tip in its place. When you squeeze the tube, the frosting inside will be forced through the tip, coming out in the shape of the tip onto your cupcake. Decorating tips come in a variety of shapes. It's fun to experiment with different tips. You can switch tips from tube to tube however you like, as long as you rinse off any remnants of one color frosting before changing the tip to another color. You can make your cupcakes Memorial Day themed simply by adding swirls and patterns in red, white, and blue. Or if you like, you may wish to use a fine decorating tip to draw celebratory symbols like flags, stars, and fireworks, for example.
Decorating Cupcakes Using Edible Sprinkles
Supplies
- Cupcakes, preferably homemade
- Tubs of red, white, and blue frosting
- Sprinkles, candy confetti, star-shaped sprinkles, and other patriotic themed cake decorations
- Larger candy stars and flags
Instructions
Frost each cupcake with red, white, or blue frosting. Sprinkle confetti and sprinkles onto the cupcakes, as desired, and place a larger candy star or flag into the center of each cupcake. Or arrange several stars in a design. For a denser covering of sprinkles, unscrew the shaker lid and empty into a bowl. Dip each cupcake with a twisting motion of your wrist to coat each cupcake in sprinkles.
Arranging Cupcakes to Form a Flag
Supplies
- 70 cupcakes, preferably homemade
- Tubs of red, white, and blue frosting
- White candy stars or a tube of white frosting and fine decorating tip
- Large serving platter
Instructions
Frost 12 of the cupcakes with blue frosting, 32 with red, and 26 with white. Place a white candy star in the center of each blue cupcake or draw a star with the tube of white icing. In the upper left hand corner of your platter, arrange 3 rows of blue cupcakes with 4 cupcakes in each row. Add 6 red cupcakes to the top row, 6 white to the next row, and 6 more red to the bottom row for a total of 10 cupcakes in each row. Below the bottom row, add a row of 10 white cupcakes. Below this 10 red, beneath which place another 10 white. Add a final row of 10 red cupcakes at the bottom of the platter to complete your flag.
Other Ideas
Of course, the most obvious idea is to combine decoration using frosting with decoration using sprinkles. You may also wish to purchase small paper flags attached to tooth picks that can be stuck into each cupcake. If your Memorial Day observance is of a particularly thoughtful nature, you may wish to write "We remember," putting one letter on each cupcake.
