Page 414 - Cupcakes

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Pink food coloring paste or red liquid food coloring
17 white or yellow cupcakes, baked in pink cupcake liners

Pink edible glitter (optional)
17-by 15-inch platter or board

3 small Tootsie Rolls or 5 gumdrops all the same color
11 brown M&M’s
Gold dragées (optional)

White decorating icing or food-decorating pen for writing (optional)

1. Prepare the Buttercream Frosting: Spoon about one third of the frosting into a
small bowl and add the cocoa powder. Stir until the cocoa powder is well
blended. Tint the remaining frosting a nice pale pink, using about J teaspoon
pink food coloring paste. If you use liquid food coloring to create the pink, start
with 1 small drop of red and blend it well into the frosting to create a pale pink.

2. Place a heaping tablespoon of chocolate frosting on 5 cupcakes and spread it
out smoothly with a short metal spatula or a spoon, taking care to cover the tops
completely. Place any remaining chocolate frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a
medium tip. Frost the remaining cupcakes with the pink frosting, again
spreading it out smoothly. Sprinkle the pink frosting with pink glitter, if desired.

3. Place a row of 3 pink frosted cupcakes in the center of the platter or board.
Create a handle for the purse by placing the 5 cupcakes in a half-circle,
beginning above the first pink cupcake in the row and ending above the third
cupcake in the row. Below the row of 3 cupcakes, center a row of 4 pink
cupcakes, and below this, center a row of 5 pink cupcakes. Set the platter of
cupcakes aside.

4. If using Tootsie Rolls, place them on a clean work surface and, using a heavy
rolling pin, roll them out to G-inch thickness. Cut 1 flattened Tootsie Roll into an
oval to form the purse’s nameplate. Place it on the center cupcake in the top row.
Cut the remaining 2 flattened Tootsie Rolls into ovals with slightly pointed ends.
Place these on the first and last cupcakes in the bottom row so they resemble the
leather corners on the purse.

If using gumdrops, line up 3 horizontally across the center cupcake in the top