Happy times with kids call for cheerful cupcakes. Easier to serve than cake, cupcakes require no slicing, no plates, and no forks -- and every child gets her fair share of icing.
The designs on this page start as Chocolate Cupcakes or Vanilla Cupcakes iced with Swiss Meringue Buttercream -- perfect for spreading in thin layers or sculpting into thick mounds (and licking from the bowl).
The cupcakes can be baked a week ahead and frozen, but decorate them no more than a day before serving. Set up an assembly line, and put kids in charge of affixing candy eyes, gumdrop cheeks, and other trimmings. Pack the cupcakes in a shallow plastic container, and stuff crumpled waxed paper in between. Then dole them out and watch kids marvel for a second before opening wide!
Flag Cupcake How-To
Decorate patriotic cupcakes in July with stars piped in blue buttercream and stripes cut from red licorice laces.

Please tell me how to make stripes for
Flag... I tried twillizers and they were not thin enough to look this pretty
However, I will say the flag tops made from pull n' peel twizzlers were SO cute!
Do NOT use the CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe that is recommended. You will see a few people made comments about how it is very thick like a brownie and not very sweet and it is true. I ended up subbing red velvet after the little hockey pucks were ruined. Save yourself the time and sub a different recipe!
These were so much fun to make with my 3 year old son!
His favorite part was licking the bowl, ofcourse! Great recipe!
I'm pretty sure they aren't flat - if you look closely the laces are 3D
Red colored fruit strips would work too.
Do licorice laces come flat ?
So easy to do. Wonderful!