Decorated Cupcakes: A frugal fun alternative to a traditional cake.
I recently discovered that a box of 30 cupcakes at my local "big box" store costs about $12 versus a half sheet cake which was about $16. Both would be fun frugal options for a kids birthday party, either to take to a classroom or to have at home.
However, the cupcakes had a slight edge over the cake. They're easier to serve, clean up is a breeze, and according to my kids, cupcakes are more fun to eat.
If you make the cupcakes yourself, they cost even less, and decorating them can be fast and fun.
Simple Cupcake Decorating Ideas
Play with different pastry tips: If you have a pastry bag with some tips, experiment with some dots in different sizes to cover the tops of the cupcakes.
Colored Sugar Crystals: The easiest cupcake decorating idea. Frost all your cupcakes with vanilla then jazz them up with sparkling sugars. They're a bit more striking than regular sugar crystals.
Food Coloring: Split up your vanilla frosting into small bowls and use food coloring to create a rainbow of colors. This looks especially nice in springtime. Frost your cupcakes with different pastel colors. (The food coloring box will show you how to mix different shades.)
Use candy: Red Hots, Gumdrops, M&M's, Gummy Candies, Candy Hearts, Skittles; the list goes on and on. Any kind of candy you can think of. Just frost your cupcakes then carefully dip the tops in a bowl of your favorite sweet stuff. Or place the candies on top by hand.
Use fancy cupcake wrappers: Also referred to as cupcake liners, these fancy shmancy paper cups can dress up the simplest cupcake....so you don't have to.
Cupcake Rings: Kids really get jazzed over these. Cupcake rings come in every theme and color you can think of. I usually buy two different rings; one for the girls, and one for the boys. I frost the cupcakes with multi color icing then poke a ring in each one, alternating boy, girl. Then I sprinkle each one with sparkling sugars.
Use Fondant: If you want something a little more unique like creating your own designs for the tops of your cupcakes, make some marshmallow fondant. Roll it out, then use cookie cutters or a sharp knife to cut out designs to place on your cupcakes.
Here's a great tutorial for making and using marshmallow fondant.
If you don't want to make your own fondant you can purchase ready made fondant in different colors. Whichever you choose, fondant is fun to use and looks great on your cupcakes.
Create a Cupcake Birthday Cake: Arrange your decorated cupcakes on a tiered server and create your own tiered cupcake birthday cake.
Dress up a store bought cake: Add decorated cupcakes to a store bought cake. Use a small store bought cake as your focal point then bake and decorate a dozen or more cupcakes in matching colors, then arrange as one presentation.
Next time you're in a pinch just pull out a boxed cake mix and your muffin tins to bake off a dozen tasty treats then use these easy cupcake decorating ideas to make them perfect for any occasion.
Check out all of FFM's fun party games for great frugal fun for any occassion.
A fun party activity that doubles as a treat try making ice cream in a bag. A unique activity that's great for any indoor or outdoor party.
For another ice cream party treat have a table set up for ice cream float making. Vanilla ice cream with different flavored sodas, cups and straws are all you need.
