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31 Incredible Birthday Cake Designs

Step-by-step recipes, designs and color pics of the easiest (and cutest) birthday cakes for boys and girls

Serves 12

Ingredients:

• 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
• Green food coloring
• 12 unfrosted cupcakes baked in green paper liners*
• ½ cup green decorating sugar
• 12 green gumdrops
• 3 Tbsp granulated white sugar
• Red food coloring
• ½ cup red decorating sugar
• 12 Mallomars
• ½ can (1 cup) chocolate frosting
• 24 brown M&M's Minis
• 1 Tbsp chocolate sprinkles

What you'll need:

• A rolling pin or a heavy bottle
• Kitchen shears or scissors
• 1 resealable sandwich-size plastic bag (Ziploc)

For the leaf cupcakes:

1. Tint 1 cup of the vanilla frosting green with the green food coloring.
2. Spread the green frosting evenly on top of the cupcakes.
3. Place the green decorating sugar into a small bowl. Roll the edge of each cupcake in the green sugar to coat.
4. Using a rolling pin or a clean, heavy bottle, roll out the green gumdrops in the granulated white sugar to flatten. Using kitchen shears or clean scissors, cut each flattened gumdropinto 2 leaves. Arrange the leaves on one edge of a cupcake. Repeat with the remaining gumdrops and cupcakes.

For the ladybugs:

1. Tint 1 cup of the vanilla frosting with the red food coloring.
2. Spoon the red sugar into a small bowl.
3. Cover each Mallomar with red frosting. Roll each frosted Mallomar in red sugar to coat completely.
4. Place one sugar-coated Mallomar on each leaf cupcake.

For the decoration:

1. Spoon the chocolate frosting into a resealable plastic bag and snip a small corner of the bag. Pipe a line of chocolate frosting down the center of the red cookie; pipe an oval onto the front of the red cookie for the ladybug's head.
2. Place 2 brown M&M's Minis on either side of the chocolate line; stick 2 chocolate sprinkles upright into the ladybug's frosting head.
3. Continue with the remaining cupcakes.

Cake Anatomy: