Cupcakes for Picnics
When you think of picnics, you probably picture sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, and all those scrumptious finger foods. Not many picnickers think about bringing dessert—most figure they can just grab some ice cream afterwards, or some just skip it altogether. But who said your sweet tooth has to take a backseat when you’re outdoors? There are lots of ideas for picnic desserts; you just have to know where to look. These days, cupcakes are one of the most popular options. Whether you’re with friends or family, you’re sure to find easy cupcake recipes that will suit the occasion.
So what makes cupcakes the perfect picnic dessert? For one thing, everything about them is just really easy, from baking and decorating to packing and serving. Even a complete beginner can whip up a batch of picnic cupcakes, and no one can tell it’s their first try. In fact, making them is often part of the fun. You can even get your kids to help out and make their own designs. If you’re thinking of making cupcakes for your next picnic day, here are some tips to help you get it right.
Make them suit the occasion.
Since you’re decorating them, you might as well choose a design that goes with the occasion. Make bunny cupcakes for a fun Easter picnic, or create a miniature birthday cake if it’s someone’s birthday. Or for the Fourth of July—one of the most popular days for a picnic—you can top each cupcake with an edible American flag topper. There are lots of ways you can customize your designs; just take a look online and you should get loads of ideas.
Cake toppers are no doubt the easiest way to personalize your cupcakes. All you have to do is frost your cupcakes and stick them on, and they’ll be ready to serve. Most cake decorating shops carry topper sets specific to various occasions, so you shouldn’t have trouble finding the right designs. Some even come with frosting and some utensils—these could come in handy if you’re baking your first batch.
Choose a fun theme.
It’s easy to get carried away and try every cupcake design in the book, especially since they’re so easy. But doing that is not just time-consuming; it also makes your platter look messy and jumbled. To make it more organized, choose a design theme and stick to it. You can have an animal theme and make puppies, butterflies and sheep, or an insect theme with a ladybug and bee cupcake decoration. Or you can just choose two colors and work them into your design.
Whatever you choose, decorating always starts with frosting. Frosting and icing are different—icing is usually stiff and delicate, while frosting is more flat and spread out. You’ll want to stick to frosting recipes if you’re bringing them on a picnic, since it holds its form better than icing. If you’re in a hurry, you can just get some canned frosting and add in some food color as needed.
Stick to fresh, simple flavors.
Picnic menus are generally light, so go for cupcake flavors that will fit right in. It may be tempting to try fancy flavors, but save it for another occasion—for a picnic, you want something simple that everyone will like. Chocolate and vanilla always work, especially if there are kids around. You can also try carrot cupcakes or coconut cupcakes, or a lemon cupcake recipe if you want something that’s not too filling.
Frosting flavors should also be nice and light, but they also have to go well with the cupcake itself. A simple rule to follow is to go for contrast—if it’s a lighter cake, set it off with a slightly richer frosting; if it’s a richer recipe, choose a lighter frosting to balance it out. One thing you can do is bring the cupcakes and the frosting separately, so people can have their cakes plain or frosted. Or you can bring two or more frosting flavors, so they can mix and match.
Prepare them ahead.
Picnics are always hectic, especially if it’s a big one. You want to save as much time as possible. If you’re preparing other dishes besides dessert, you can make the cupcakes a day or two ahead. This saves you a lot of time on the day itself, so you can really sit back and enjoy it. How long the cake lasts depends on the particular ingredients, but most cupcake tips say they keep for about two days. After that they’re still good to eat but they won’t as fresh. Make the frosting on the day itself so that it doesn’t harden—it usually takes about 15 minutes, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem. Pack them in airtight containers. If you’re bringing them already frosted, pack them a bit more tightly so they don’t move around too much.
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