the coals are ready!

I bet you are wondering what is up with the title of this blog. Well, I am here to explain that for you today. I can hear you all screaming "yay" as I type! :) So, tonight is our oldest nieces birthday party/campout/sleepover with friends. Emma had picked out what cupcakes she wanted me to make for the grand party at the beginning of September and I have anxiously been awaiting the time to make them since then!

Well, this week was that time!

They girls were planning on camping out in the backyard, complete with tents and lots of blankets. BUT, mother nature had other plans for Emma's party. Because it is going to be cold tonight...the low is 31, I think they will be sleeping inside. The cupcake she picked go with the former theme of her party; a campout. Emma wanted to stick with these cupcakes even though they will be sleeping inside tonight.

Okay, okay...are you ready for the unveiling?

Here ya go:

These cupcakes started with yellow cake, and then were died black for a coal looking cake. Since Emma asked for yellow cake that is what we did, but you could use chocolate too :) Once they baked I let them cool over night and began to decorate them the next evening. Before crumb coating the cupcakes with frosting I stuck them in the freezer to firm them up a bit and then crumb coated them. The marshmallows were cut in all different sizes and directions so not one cupcake would look uniform. I applied these with dollops of buttercream and stuck them back into the freeze for the time being!

The life stages of a coal cupcake! :)

Once all the marshmallows were applied I died some buttercream frosting to a gray color and then spooned it into a liquid measuring cup to heat it up. Yep, I heated up our frosting. Just stick it in the microwave for about 35 seconds. Trust me, it works!

Now it is time for dipping! I took each cupcake out of the freezer individually when I was ready to dip it. You want them to stay nice and cold so the hot frosting does not melt the marshmallows or pull them away from the cupcakes. 

Don't be afraid to push the cupcake in the frosting! I wanted good coverage so you could not see any white frosting or marshmallows. Once you have it dipped and covered, allow the excess frosting to drip off before setting it onto a cookie sheet to cool and harden.

Apply sprinkles before the frosting sets so they will stick. In these case you want orange and red sugar crystals or nonpareils. I also crushed some Oreo's to use as a topping too! `

And the finished product:

Cute huh?

I can tell you that Emma loved them when we delivered them last night. I was so relieved that she liked them and hope her friends do too! Now I am thinking up ideas for their next birthday...ha!

Hope you have a great Friday and weekend, we have our youngest niece staying the night with us tonight during Emma's birthday festivities. Wish us luck! :) We also might go furniture shopping tomorrow because we really need a new couch...probably more than I need a new Digital SLR Camera. Gotta prioritize, right? I think we will be going to Furniture Row: Sofa Mart first to see if they have a good selection. Anyone have experience with them? Let me know where you recommend shopping for furniture, I would love to hear!

Toodles!