Mama Wallace's Girls: Dirt Cupcakes for Spring

These are the Dirt Cupcakes topped with spring flowers.

Dirt Cupcakes are nothing like mud pies!! These are yummy! I am going to start out simple. These are made from a box cake mix you buy at the store. Frosting was bought also. Later on I will teach you how to make both from scratch! So start out with your favorite flavor of cupcakes, I like Devil's food cake, any brand.

Follow the directions on the box. Before you try this recipe or any other ask permission first. Maybe even for some help. It can be tricky when you are first starting out. Burns hurt, so please take care and talk to an adult before baking. After the cupcakes are fully cooled you can frost them.

Spread frosting on your cupcake, not too thick or you will have problems with things staying where you want them. When you have it frosted, dip and roll it in cookie crumbs. Dip as soon as it is frosted, before the frosting sets, so the crumbs stick!

I use "Oreo" cookies smashed into crumbs. I like 'fine' crumbs (no big chunks; it should look like dirt).

After all your cupcakes are frosted and dipped and rolled in cookie crumbs, you are ready to make them really cute!

Fondant, this is found at craft stores in the cake decorating sections. Some of the large Wal-Marts carry it in their cake decorating section near crafts, not in the food section. Fondant is sold in white and colored form. I bought the pre-colored kind. It is a little like play dough. Well, a lot like play dough, but this tastes better. You can roll it and shape it into any thing you can think of. Let it dry to make it easier to move and work with after you have finished (for me it was flowers and leaves).

It comes in a box, and you can roll it out like cookie dough and cut out shapes.

I used blue for the larger part of the flower and yellow for the smaller part.

To make them stick together I dip a clean finger in water, tap off the extra and touch a moist spot where I want the fondant to stick together. For the cute little center I used "Nerds" candy, also applied to a moist, NOT WET, spot and pushed into the fondant a little for good measure.

I then made the leaves and sprouts using green fondant. I flattened a small ball of fondant in the palm of my hand and just rolled it up.

Then I rolled out little 'snakes' and formed them into the shapes I liked. Next I put just a little dab of frosting where I wanted it to stick to the cupcake and placed the sprouts and leaves where I liked them. To place the flower I carefully added frosting to the back of the flower.