Cupcake Cake

It's been a crazy summer.  So much to do in such a short amount of time created a crunch around Audrey's birthday.  She had just come home from college and was eagerly anticipating a letter to come announcing if she'd gotten in to the college she has been wanting to go to for the last several years.  Her birthday was almost too much to consider in the midst of it all.  Which really says something because up until this year she has always, I mean always, had an idea of what she wanted to do with all the plans thought out.  So I couldn't just let it pass too quietly.  I needed to put something together that was easy, but represented her well.

Our new gluten-free diet programs also contributed to this decision.  I decided to go with cupcakes but didn't want to just make them regular.  Making them into the numbers was a fun idea and I think it came out really well.  Putting the edging decorations and the flowers just gave it that little bit extra that it needed.  The zebra cupcake liners were a hit too.

Audrey had asked if I could make a chai-tea flavor, which I tried to but had to modify when I got started and realized I didn't have the tea in the cupboard like I thought!  Oops.  I did use a black tea with some extra spices to try to mimic the chai flavor.  I didn't get there completely but they turned out well anyway with a light hint of spicy.  I was worried they'd be overpowering, but they were a good balance.  Then I used a cinnamon buttercream on top, and of course - edible glitter!

She received the letter of acceptance a few days later too!!