Let's get one thing straight...

In order to avoid giving you the wrong impression of me, it's important you know, I make almost nothing from scratch. (Unless you ask my daughter, who will tell you I made HER from scratch.)  If I DO make something from scratch, I will tell you.  Otherwise, feel confident that my ingredients came out of whatever store mix I purchased using my extreme couponing techniques. (Which means, if there is cake mix or icing involved - it's a safe bet I got it for 50 cents or less.)

I love cupcakes.  Again - I don't love BAKING cupcakes.  I love that there are an unlimited number of ways you can decorate cupcakes.  Furthermore, considering I have a three year old in the house, cupcakes are pretty popular around here.

During the warm months, especially for a July 4th party, I like to add fruit, usually berries. These were made for a barbecue I attended last year.

I have a really hard time making icing look nice when I apply it to cupcakes with a knife or spatula.  So, most of the time I use the Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator.  I think it looks best when applied in a swirl.

To make the cupcakes in the photo, I first made one circle of icing on the outer edge of the top of the cupcake.  Then I placed sliced strawberries and blueberries on top. I tried to arrange them in a pattern that would give it a "star" look. On top of that was a last swirl of icing. The cupcakes were completed with a sprinkle of red white and blue decorating candy.

It was important, especially considering the hot weather, to keep the berries and icing cool, so the finished cupcakes were stored in the refrigerator until it was time to eat them. (Which I usually don't do with cupcakes.)  In doing so, they were able to be a cool treat on a hot day!