Cupcakes perfect for the Summer! I had seen these a while ago in a cupcake book while browsing the cookbooks in Barnes and Noble (one of my favorite sections of that store…so easy to get lost there…lol) And i never got around to trying them. But since i had some supplies left over from the beach wedding cake, i thought oooo i can finally give it a go!
These are basic chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, with ivory icing and graham cracker crumbs for the “sand” and blue icing for the waves. I just put it on half and half and used a toothpick to “pick up” come of the waves. I wish i had plain white icing, because i think it would have been cool to put some white foam on the waves. But alas, they’re still cute. And i love the little umbrella and mini shell (yes again left over from the beach wedding cake). Gotta love multipurpose desert supplies. Hope everyone is having a safe and happy Summer! 
Where did the summer go? It seems like only a few weeks ago it was June. Alas, so as a tribute to the end of summer, may I present hamburger cupcakes. This idea has been around for a while, and i had been dying to try them. So i made them as a treat for a family vacation, a convenient excuse to play in the ktichen…hehe….and everyone loved them. They look almost too cute to eat!
So after the cupcake tower for the bridal shower, I found myself with a bunch of leftover vanilla cupcakes. Oh what to do? Make a delicious strawberry shortcake trifle! I basically tore up the left over cupcakes and layered the yummy crumbly yellow cake with some mascerated strawberries (mix cut strawberries with some sugar to draw out the juices) and whipped cream. And as a bonus it looks pretty! If your cake sticks to the pan or you have extra cupcakes, when all else fails make a trifle! You can really put whatever you want in one so use your imagination! 
