Page 135 - Cupcakes

colors come from the pastes that are sold in little jars. You can find them at

craft stores, cooking stores, and wherever Wilton products are sold.
To dye, put about teaspoon of food coloring paste in a small bowl. Add
2 drops of hot tap water and stir this to thin out the paste. Then add 2
tablespoons of granulated sugar and stir. If needed, add another drop of hot
tap water and continue to stir until the sugar is dyed the right hue. Spread
the sugar out on waxed paper to dry for 20 minutes before using.

VARIATION To make flower-topped cupcakes: Proceed with the butterfly
recipe through step 3. Frost the cupcake bottoms with your choice of color, pale
pink for roses, yellow for daisies, blue for irises—you get the idea. Then cut the
top of the cupcake into petal shapes with a small, sharp paring knife and frost
them individually before placing them back on the cupcake. You might cut the
top into fourths or smaller teardrop pieces and layer these on the cupcake to

resemble petals. Place a dab of frosting in the center and sprinkle it with
chocolate sprinkles if you are creating a sunflower or daisy that needs a brown
center. Color it peach and the petals yellow if you are creating a rose. By dusting
the frosting with dyed sugar to match, your flowers will sparkle on the platter
just as flowers glisten in the sun after a light rain.

Store these cupcakes, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room

temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.