Tie-Dye Cupcakes

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Hi, I'm Lee Woodruff, and this is Taylor, and we're in the kitchen with Family Fun. These colorful cupcakes are great for a groovy tie dyed birthday party or just a fun baking project for your kids.

You'll need some colored nonpareils, some white icing, light colored cake batter, toothpicks, and colored decorator gel. First, we need to take care of the color inside of the cupcake. To do that, you mix about a half cup of colored nonpareils into the batter. Bake the cupcakes as directed on the box. Once they're done and they've cooled to room temperature, you're ready to ice them. This is where it really gets fun for the kids. After they're frosted, you and your child can make concentric circles or spirals around the top of the cupcake with different colors of the gel icing. Next, take the toothpick, and starting in the center of the cupcake, carefully pull outward so that the gel icing streaks into pretty patterns, like this. You'll need to wipe the toothpick clean each time. Kids will love experimenting with different designs and colors and when you break open the cupcake it's filled with a colorful surprise. To make the party theme even groovier, have the kids make other tie dyed accessories that they can take home.