NEEDED: See the Supply List for techniques used, plus items you can purchase here. You will also need:

• Your favorite cake recipe or mix (4 1/2 - 5 cups batter needed)

Icing colors to be tinted. Use Color Right base colors and QuickCount color formulas to tint icing in the following shades:

• Caribbean Reef: 2 cups white icing + 1 B + 1 Y
• Crimson: 2 cups white icing + 1 C
• Bright and Bold Pink: 2 cups white icing + 10 R + 6 P

Bake cupcakes. Use your favorite cake recipe or mix to make 4 1/2 to 5 cups of batter, then bake and cool cupcakes.

Decorate cupcakes. Prepare three decorating bags with tip 402 and fill with tinted icing. Try each of these:

• Crimson Pull-Out Cupcake (top row, left): With bag positioned at 90° and tip lightly touching the cupcake, squeeze and pull up to desired height. Stop squeezing and pull away. Repeat to cover cupcake in icing.
• Bright and Bold Poinsettia Cupcake (top row, middle): Position bag at 45° angle with curve down. With one end of tip lightly touching cupcake top, use pull-out technique to pipe one petal, relaxing pressure and pulling away to complete petal. Repeat around edge of cupcake, followed by another row of petals overlapping the first.
• Crimson Double Ruffle Cupcake (top row, right): Hold bag with curve of tip down, lightly touching surface. Using up and down zig-zag motion, pipe row of ruffles around edge of cupcake, followed by another row of ruffles overlapping the first.
• Caribbean Reef Curved Ruffle Cupcake (middle row, left): Hold bag with curve of tip up, lightly touching surface. Using up and down zig-zag motion, pipe row of ruffles around edge of cupcake, followed by another row of ruffles overlapping the first.
• Caribbean Reef Closed Petal Cupcake (middle row, right): With bag positioned at 45° angle and curve of tip up, lightly touching edge of cupcake, move tip out slightly as you turn cupcake to form petal. Relax pressure as you move back to starting point. Stop and pull away. Pipe one row of petals around edge of cupcake, followed by another row of petals overlapping the first.
• Bright and Bold Petal Flower Cupcake (bottom row, left): With bag positioned at 45° angle curve of tip down, lightly touching middle of cupcake, squeeze and pull back to form open petal. Pipe one row of petals around edge of cupcake, followed by another row of petals overlapping the first.
• Crimson Triple Ruffle Cupcake (bottom row, middle): With bag positioned at 45° angle and curve of tip lightly touching edge of cupcake, pipe three rows using up and down zig-zag motion. Start with outer two rows and finish with middle row.
• Bright and Bold Single Ruffle Cupcake (bottom row, right): With bag positioned at 45° angle and curve of tip down, lightly touching edge of cupcake, pipe ruffle around cupcake edge using up and down zig-zag motion.