Hi friends! Elise here from Polka Dotted Blue Jay with another easy holiday treat – Shamrock Cupcakes for St. Patrick’s Day!
One of my favorite ways to dress up a cupcake is to use powdered sugar on top instead of frosting. It gives a cupcake a whole new look and with this easy to create stencil, your cupcakes can be customized for any holiday or event.
The supply list is easy: just make your cupcakes with your favorite recipe and dye the batter to the color you would like. I used Wiltons Color Right kit to get the perfect shade of St. Patrick’s Day green for my Shamrock Cupcakes; it takes all the guesswork out of mixing the food coloring by telling you how many drops of each color to put into the batter. Bake your cupcakes and be sure to watch so the tops don’t brown.
Once your cupcakes have cooled completely, get ready to decorate! Be sure they are cooled or your powdered sugar will “melt” into the cupcake. I recommend allowing them to cool uncovered at room temperature overnight; covering them can sometimes make the tops of the cupcakes sticky.
To decorate, use a sticker or a cut out of the shape you want as the negative space on the top of your cupcake. In this case, I want the green of my cupcake to show through the powdered sugar as a shamrock – that’s the negative space.
Place the shape on the top of the cupcake and sift the powdered sugar over the top of it. Be sure to go straight down to give your shape the best borders. Carefully remove the shape with a fork or a small pair of tweezers.
Ta-da! Easy Shamrock Cupcakes that look festive and taste delicious.
Try this with your little ones for a holiday craft and treat – just be sure to use aprons and put down a sheet before you start; that powdered sugar can be unwieldy. As with any children’s craft, let them make mistakes and try to do it on their own; creativity and extra cupcakes always go hand-in-hand.
I hope you will try these Shamrock Cupcakes; be sure to tag me with #PDBJaySweetTooth on social media so I can see your beautiful creations.
