Page 415 - Cupcakes

row. Place 2 each on the first and last cupcakes of the bottom row.

the Cupcake Doctor says...

Instead of the Buttercream Frosting, you can also use the Strawberry Cream
Cheese Frosting (page 341) for the purse and a half recipe of the Dark

Chocolate Buttercream (page 321) for the handle. Another nice decorating
trick is to flatten Starburst Fruit Chews with a rolling pin to create the faux
leather details, and cut out patches and tags for your purse. For one of those
fancy purses with little feet on the bottom, attach a gumdrop to the bottom
edges of the first and last cupcake of the bottom row.

5. With the remaining chocolate frosting in the pastry bag, pipe a dot of frosting

between the first and last chocolate handle cupcake and their adjoining pink
cupcakes. Pipe a dot between each chocolate cupcake and another dot in the
center of each chocolate cupcake. Place an M&M on each dot. Surround the
M&M’s with 5 or 6 gold dragées (optional), pushing them gently into the
buttercream so they adhere.

6. If there’s any chocolate frosting still left, place a thin tip on the pastry bag and
pipe a scalloped border around the outside edges of the purse, starting with the
first cupcake in the bottom row and working your way up the rows, across the
top and down the last cupcake in each row. Then pipe a border along the outside
edge of the bottom row of cupcakes. Pipe a broken border of chocolate frosting
around the nameplate and over the top of the corner pieces to resemble stitching.
With a tube of white decorating icing, write the name of the birthday girl or party
hostess on the Tootsie Roll nameplate, if desired. The Cupcake Purse is ready to
serve. (Remove the gold dragées before eating the cupcakes.)

Store these cupcakes, lightly covered in plastic wrap or waxed paper, at room
temperature for up to 2 days. If using sugar sprinkles, remember that they
will melt into the frosting as the cupcakes are stored, so it’s best to serve
them right away or do the detail decorating the day of the party.