take a bite: SHARK WEEK cupcakes!

Here's the thing-

I was pretty scared of sharks for a solid amount of my life.

Actually.

Wait.

Yeah, no, I'm definitely STILL fully afraid of sharks. I wish I could be one of those people who's like "Sharks are our friends! Beautiful powerful beings" - but I just...can't.

All I think of is TEETH! Big. Huge. Teeth.

So that leads me to talking about Shark Week. I used to be unable to watch it- in college I would stay in my room to avoid it when roommates would watch it. YES I'M THAT LAME. GET OVER IT.

I'm finally at the stage where I think it's not completely horrifying to see seals get annihilated by some great white...and thus, I've learned to love Shark Week (Which starts Aug 10th!).

So clearly that calls for cupcakes, right?

Of course it does.

The recipe itself isn't anything fancy- just a basic white cupcake recipe, and a jar of vanilla frosting...along with some blue food coloring + gummy sharks!

Here's how to make it happen:

Step 1: Dye batter blue & bake away!

Step 2: While cupcakes are cooling completely, add blue food coloring to your frosting, but don't fully mix. 

Step 3: Add a few more drops of food coloring to the frosting so there are dark blue lines running through it- this'll make the waves look even better :)

Step 4: To create your waves, frost your cupcake & using a knife-press down and lift up, creating little curly waves.

Step 5: Add a shark gummy, and you're good to go!

 Alright- tell me friends- what are YOU going to do to celebrate Shark Week?

Anyone else going to make some cupcakes??

xo, lp

oh, and for those of you that REALLY love it, here ya go!:

BOO! CUPCAKES (with a surprise inside!)

 Alright kids. Here it is. My one and only Halloween food post for the year.

What did I go with? BOO cupcakes, clearly! They aren't your usual cupcakes though, they have a super-sweet filling inside, for an extra Halloween treat!

For Valentine's Day Kelly at Studio DIY had the genius idea of using cookie cutters and Airheads to make edible letters on cakes & such. Genius. 

So a few orange Airheads later, I had my BOO cut out:

What you'll need:

- Orange Airheads

- White Frosting (either homemade) or from a container 

- Chocolate cake mix (either homemade) or  from a box

-Orange Food Coloring

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Bake up your cake mix and let cool completely.

Step 2: Cut out the center, fill with orange colored frosting, and top with the cutout.

Step 3: Frost, add your letters, and enjoy!

When I first came up with this recipe I figured it would be great for kids...but I mean, it works for adults too, right?!

What Halloween treats are you making this year?

I can't wait to hear your creative ideas!

xo, lp

SIX FANTASTIC FOURTH CUPCAKES (easy designs that take minutes!)

Let's talk straight for a sec:

I love baking from scratch and all, but sometimes it's a pain in the ass. When you just want something last second it can be a bummer when you don't have all the ingredients at hand. So, at times like this, I bake from a box. AH! GASP! BLASPHEMY! The girl that bakes uses box mixes sometimes?!? 

I know, your vision of my is shattered. Sorry. To help you cope, go eat a box of cupcakes. 

These are 6 super fast, fun 4th of July cupcake decorating ideas. All you need is a box of cupcake mix, some frosting, and the topping of your choice. Have fun!

Don't they look great together? Some fun, some whimsical, some classy. Make a bunch of each to please any crowd!

 Cupcake #1: Swirly Cupcake

This one is super easy, take some white frosting and dye some blue and some red. Swirl plain white along with the two colored frostings and BAM. Pretty swirls.

Cupcake #2: Washi Flag Cupcakes

All you need for this one is a few toothpicks and some washi tape. Just fold over, cut into triangles and you're good to go!

Cupcake #3 The Easiest Candy Cupcake

There are plenty of red & blue candies out there to fulfill this cupcake task. My current favorite is the 4th of July Twizzlers that you can buy at Walgreens. Lemonade/BlueRaspberry flavored. Nom.

Cupcake #4: Layered Swirl Cupcake

This one is the only cupcake that requires a little effort. Open a ziplock and hold it up by one corner. Drip red food coloring down one edge of the bag, and blue down the other- so they come together to a point. Cut the tip off the bag to let excess run out, and then load with white frosting. Squeeze to create ad swirled look!

Cupcake #5: Fruity 4th Cupcake

Just slice up some strawberries (or raspberries or cherries) and add some blueberries. Done!

Cupcake #6: Sprinkle Cupcake

If you don't have blue and red sprinkles, either use M&Ms or color white sugar with food coloring! 

Perfect!

Which one of these decorations would you try?

Let me know!

xo, lp

Looking for more 4th of July fun? Try my Patriotic Frozen Punch or 4 Washi Tape decorations for the 4th.