Page 404 - Cupcakes

30 cupcakes of your choice (see “the Cupcake Doctor says”)

Green sugar sprinkles
Round platter at least 15 inches in diameter

32 to 48 hard round red candies, such as Runts, M&M’s, or gumdrops
Pine sprigs for greenery

Small pinecones
Fresh cranberries
Silver roping

Red organdy bow

1. Tint the frosting with the food coloring, blending in 3 to 4 drops of liquid food
coloring or ¼ teaspoon food coloring paste once the frosting is sufficiently
beaten. Place a heaping tablespoon of frosting on each cupcake and swirl to
spread it out with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops
completely. Sprinkle the cupcakes with the sugar sprinkles.

2. Place 9 cupcakes in a circle—¼ inch apart—on the round platter to create the
interior circle of the wreath. Make a larger circle of cupcakes surrounding the
smaller circle, aligning each cupcake with the ¼-inch space between the
cupcakes in the inner circle. The larger circle will take about 12 cupcakes. Top
the inner and outer circles with the remaining 9 cupcakes, balancing them over
the spaces between the circles.

3. Place the red candies randomly on the cupcakes to resemble berries, pressing
them gently into the frosting so they stick.

4. Garnish the outside of the wreath with the pine sprigs, pinecones, cranberries,
and silver roping. Place the bow wherever it looks best to you, and it is ready to
serve.

the Cupcake Doctor says...

For Christmas, I would choose a dark and chocolatey cupcake, or something
fun like Coconut Snowballs (page 66), or Red Velvet Cupcakes (page 36).