Happy 4th of July!

What a special day to celebrate!

These crazy little cupcakes are perfect for the kids.

To start, some pretty little cupcake cups.

Cupcakes are so much easier with this little thing here. It is a batter dispenser, something I probably wouldn've never bought. My mom gave this to me and it is awesome!

All filled, they're ready to go into the oven.

I decided to fill these cupcakes with raspberry frosting. So while they were baking I prepared the raspberry sauce. It's a little tedious separating the raspberry seeds...

But the payoff is a beautiful, delicious raspberry sauce.

Next I filled the cupcakes with the raspberry frosting.

Let the icing begin! I used a star tip for a fireworks effect!

These little pinwheels are from Wilton, and they work really well. So after the kids are done with their cupcakes the fun can go on!

And there you have it! A festive vanilla cupcake, filled with raspbery frosting, topped with vanilla flour frosting.

Have a spectacular 4th of July!!!

Flour Frosting-

1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup butter cut in cubes (cool butter)
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
1 1/2- 2 cups powdered sugar

1. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the sugar, flour, salt together. Add the milk and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened into a paste and is slightly bubbly at edges 2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed until cool. Reduce the speed to low and add the butter; beat until thoroughly incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy. If the frosting is too soft, transfer the bowl to the refrigerator to chill slightly: then beat again until it is the proper consistency.
3. Add the vanilla and continue mixing until combined.
4. Add powdered sugar to taste. You can make the frosting more or less stiff by adding more or less powdered sugar.

Raspberry Sauce-
First separate raspberries from the seeds by crushing them over a sieve. Then add sugar to taste, and let simmer over the stove until reduced and thickened. Chill in refrigerator before adding to frosting.