Page 233 - Cupcakes

center of this cupcake. Curls or shavings—it’s a winwin situation.

Cupcake Painting

My children love to paint. Give them a packet of inexpensive watercolors, a
handful of brushes, and a stack of paper and they are set to go. So it seemed
likely that they would enjoy painting cupcakes as well.

To test my theory, I baked some really basic cupcakes. I made
Buttercream Frosting (page 318) using the lower-fat method with just 4
tablespoons of butter. Then I liberally spread the frosting over the cooled
cupcakes. On some I smoothed the frosting for a flat canvas, and on some I
swirled it so they could paint along the lines and create colorful flowers.

Then I gathered food coloring paste in pretty blue, soft green, buttery
yellow, and peach, and four small glass bowls. With a small clean
paintbrush I dabbed about ⅛ teaspoon of the food coloring into each bowl
and added 1 tablespoon water to each. With a clean brush as a whisk, I
mixed the color into the water.

When everything was ready, I let the children have at it. My ten-year-old
daughter, Litton, loved this activity, and the fact that it was storming outside
made the task all the more fun. She created a yellow and peach rose using
the lines of the frosting as a guide. She painted a stained-glass window. She
painted a rainbow. She became a cupcake artist. If you have cupcakes,
white frosting (preferably homemade), food colorings, and children to
entertain, a cupcake painting party is a blast. You could use the batter from