Theme and Variations

Finally. Cupcakes.

As sad as this may sound, I have been waiting all week to make these cupcakes. The mix and frosting came in a package a couple of weeks ago and caused much excitement. Who knew they had Halloween funfetti cupcakes and matching frosting? Not I. But they are wonderful.

So, I made them this morning. I couldn't wait any longer.

Yes, I use cupcake mixes. I know that kind of disqualifies me from being a "real" cupcake baker, but I figure that if I'm spending hours decorating (which I will admit, I did not do today, but that's beside the point) then I have the right to use the mixes. They always taste good anyway. Plus, cake is really just an excuse to eat frosting.

I had actually never made funfetti cupcakes before. I was so amused. It starts with plain batter.

Then, magically, you have exciting batter. Such a simple concept! But so wonderfully appealing!

I raced to get them into the oven before my laundry needed to be changed over. And I'm happy to announce I won.

Now onto the important part: decorating. So much more fun than lesson planning.

As I said, cupcakes are really just an excuse to eat frosting. So after pouring over multiple cupcake books and websites (yes, there are multiple cupcake books in our apartment, and more at home that I don't have access to right now . . . ) I ended up going with simple designs so I didn't have to buy a ton of groceries or spend a huge amount of time on them. If time wasn't an object, I would probably spend at least one day a week making crazy cupcakes.

Fail. Apparently simple doesn't always mean lovely. So I went even simpler.

As simple as just rolling the edges in sprinkles. And you can't have Halloween foods without candy corn!

Then, sadly, the sprinkles ran out. They really never do put enough in these things. So, I moved on to using fall colored sugars (thanks to my apartment mates for having some on hand!).

So there's my theme and variations. I've always made just one variety of cupcakes at a time before. Maybe this is the beginning of a new era of cupcake baking for me. Stay tuned.

(Oh, and by the way, in case you wondered what cutting through a buttercup sqaush with a bread knife looks like, here you go.)

Happy Harvest, Happy Fall and Happy Halloween!