Patriotic Dessert Celebration: Part Two

This is a really simple desert that anyone can make. It is great for parties with kids. It can also be made into a rectangular cake as well. You can customized to your favorite flavor icing by adding flavoring to the icing as well.

All you need is your choice of cake mix, the ingredients to mix the cake with (eggs, oil, water) 3 containers of white icing and food coloring. You can also add a drop of flavoring to the icing if desired. There are a couple of crafty ingredients that will add that special pizzazz to your cupcake dessert. You will need flag decorated cupcake liners, sandwich bags and in the craft section of your department store there should be star shaped votive candles.

The first step is to mix and cook your cake mix according to the instructions on the back of the cake mix box. Use your flag decorated cupcake liners. While you are baking the cupcakes, start preparing your icing. Taking the white icing add enough blue food coloring to get desired shade of blue and using the other can of icing mix in red food coloring until you have the desired shade of red. Leave one can plain white. Refrigerate until cupcakes are cool.

Fill three sandwich bags with each color of icing. Cutting the tip of the sandwich bag to allow the icing to be piped onto the cupcakes. This will give your cupcakes a more professional presentation then spreading the icing on with a knife. Arrange your cupcakes onto a platter in flag pattern. Red and white stripes with the top left quarter in solid blue. Top each of the cupcakes in the blue square with a star candle.

When ready to serve light the candles and sing "The Star Spangle Banner" or simple sing Happy Birthday to America. This makes an easy dessert that is supper easy to clean up. No plate needed when serving cupcakes and kids absolutely love something that they can eat while playing.

For even more pizzazz you can also find sparkler candles. These look especially good a night. This can also be done in a rectangular cake. Make sure to put a thin layer of white icing down before piping on the individual colors to make sure the cake is fully iced.

This is a great dessert to have the kids help make. Teach them the meaning of the flag and it's significance as you decorate it.