Happy 4th of July

"My country 'tis of thee...
Sweet land of liberty...."

Don't you just love this time of year?

BBQ's, fireworks and friends.

When I was invited to a friend's house this weekend for a fourth of July BBQ, I thought cupcakes would be the perfect thing to bring.  I wanted to make sure that I brought something small just in case someone else brought some other sweets. 

Cupcakes are great for something like this.  They don't take up much space and are perfect for the little kiddies running around.

First thing I thought about was "theme". Yeah I could a July 4th themed cupcake but I thought that would be expected. Right?

So I decided to make BBQ/Picnic themed cupcakes.

First, I had to get the fondant accents ready.  I thought hamburgers, hot dogs, shish kabobs ( pinchos in spanish), pickles and corn on the cob.  It's not as difficult as it sounds...just time consuming.

 First up, the hamburgers.  Here is where your modeling tools, small square cookies cutters and small round cookie cutters will come in handy.  After I colored all my fondant to the exact colors I needed, I started molding the bun and hamburger,cutting the cheese and tomatoes and shaping the lettuce...



Little cheese slices




Time to make the lettuce. 

 When making the lettuce, you will need a shaping foam and a ball tool.  This will give the lettuce the curve it needs to look real.

For the tomatoes, you would use a veiner tool. Although the tomatoes will probably not be seen, I still thought it was important to add the details.




Completed fondant accents

 Once all the pieces were complete,it was time to make the cupcakes..




Can you tell what kind of cupcakes they are?

 That's right I use a hand held mixer for all my cakes and cupcakes.  I have to say that your chances of over mixing the batter is reduced dramatically when you use a hand held mixer.

Once everything is done, its time for the assembly.  Here's the finished product..



CUTE!!!!!!
Price: $40/dozen



Have a great holiday!!!!!