Hi All,

What a beautiful sunny day here in Ottawa ON.  I am hoping you can help me once again.  I opened my mouth before I really knew what I was getting into and now there is no looking back.  

As the title reads, I'm hosting a group size of 8-10  5y old girls for my daughter's 5th b-day celebration.

I am now on the hook for making a large cupcake cake for which I do not own a mold.  Any suggestions on how to do this without the mold would be greatly appreciated.

I will make cupcakes ahead for the girls to decorate - haven't yet figured out the best way to coordinate decorating with 10 little girls.  Any suggestions for simplicity with great results are appreciated.  I have lots of coloured fondant, will make and colour buttercream frosting but beyond that haven't planned much.  I also found teeny tiny molds and am wondering if you can use fondant in them to get the shape. No time to experiment yet.

I did find some cute cupcake boxes that hold 2 that they can take home as part of their loot bags.

I also have a cake pop maker a friend loaned me but understand there is an easier method.  I'm not so sure about heat and kids together at a table.  I know I could make them in advance.  How to decorate them is not so easy.  I think it involves a lot of  dipping into heated candy melts but am concerned about the girls then trying to put sprinkles onto something that is hot.  

I'm a novice.  Any tips are greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help.  Have a great rest of the week!!!

Liliane

(stressed mama) 

I can't say I envy you but I'm sure they will love it.

Go to Bulk Barn and rent the pan.  It's a $20 deposit usually and a daily rate.  Pretty inexpensive.

For the decorating of the cupcakes, make your buttercream and make bowls of different colours.  Fill fill icing bags with the 1M or other tip you want to use.  I'd grab a few more if necessary at Bulk Barn as well.  Just have them share the different bags.  If you want, make several of each colour. Don't fill them too full.  Remember, little hands.   I'd do white, pink, yellow maybe.  But not too many different colours.

Give them sprinkles, jimmies, coloured sugar, mini smarties, mini jube-jubes, stuff like that again from Bulk Barn.  You can probably get everything you need for decorating from there.  Ask your daughter what she would want if she was decorating a cupcake.  But I wouldn't go overboard.

I'm not sure I would bother with the coloured fondant except perhaps to let them roll it out to cut out flowers, like daisies, or hearts.    Or you can premake these and make them available as part of their decorating.  Just remember, some one might want to cover their whole cupcake with hearts.  So perhaps let them roll and cut it out.

You need it simple for yourself but enjoyable for the kids.

As for the girls decorating their own cupcakes, take it from an old Girl Scout leader, just sit them up to the table with all the supplies in the middle and let them do their thing.  Have several bowls of frosting, sprinkles and tubes of icing in baggies with small holes snipped on the corner.  They will have a blast making their own.  Just step back and snap plenty of pictures.

I wouldn't mess with the fondant either. 

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your comments.  With my husband back from travelling, the real planning can begin.  Great tips that I will definitely implement.  Bulk Barn, here I come!

Have an absolutely sunny-rific weekend.

Always glad to hear your comments/suggestions.

Until the next event,

Thanks bunches!!

Liliane