Kitchen Crafty
Whip up some smiles this summer with these
easy, creative cupcake ideas—great for any celebration!

By Creative Cakes' Julie Knapp and Jill Johnstone

Cupcakes are fun, easy and great for all ages. Here are some tips and tricks to make a homemade cupcakes extra-special in three easy steps!

1. Great Beginnings
Start with a box cake mix or your favorite cake recipe. Making homemade frosting is the easiest way to make great cupcakes without too much work. (Our favorite butter cream recipe is from Wilton. Click on the link for instructions. It makes about 3 cups of icing.) Fill butter cream in a piping bag with a large star tip, frost the cupcakes in a circular motion from the outside of the cupcake working your way in toward the middle.

2. Taking Things to a New Level
Pick festive cupcake holders or a decorative cake stand. You can find them at our favorite places, Sur la Table and Michaels.

3. The Finishing Touch
Decorating cupcakes is much easier than you think. Making Fondant flowers is a great way to add an elegant and creative touch. You can buy ready-made fondant at most stores that carry specialty cake products like Michaels—and even Wal-mart! Just roll out the fondant to about 1/8 inch and use cutouts in the shapes of flowers, butterflies, dinosaurs, or whatever matches the theme of your party. Flowers can be molded by pressing flowers into the bottom of unused and clean egg cartons to give them a more realistic look or dried flat on wax paper. Advanced Tip: Color the fondant with icing color (available at Michaels) before you roll out the fondant. Top the cupcakes with sprinkles for more color and fun!

[Editor's note: cupcake fans will love this month's fun finds column... with even more adorable ways to decorate those cute little cakes.]