Freedom Is Sweet.

It is almost the 4th of July.


Things I love about the 4th:

• The hot summer weather. This is the kind of weather I pray for when it is below zero and won't stop icing or snowing.
• Watching kids ride their bikes through town, eating pushups, the sherbet dribbling down.  It makes me really nostalgic of the days when summer vacation was my escape from any responsibility.
• Picnic tables with colorful displays of blueberries, strawberries, and cool whip.
• The sound of random crackling fireworks in the distance.
• Spelling words out with sparklers in the night sky.
• Laying down on the cool grass and watching colors light up the sky right when the sun goes down.  Hearing people say "oooh" and "aaaaah".
• Freedom. I can feel it in the air. And I am thankful that I have sweet freedom.

I created this cupcake kaleidoscope for the 4th of July.  I think it might just awaken that 4th of July nostalgia.  And reminds me just how sweet freedom can be.

I baked this one inside the mason jar.
You can do this at home too.
I used red velvet & white cake.

I colored half of the white cake batter blue.  Then put the red velvet, white, and blue cake batter in separate pastry bags. First I piped a layer of red velvet. Second, a layer of white. Third, a layer of blue. The lines don't have to be perfect. It's better if they aren't. Then set on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. The cake batter will overflow a bit, but you can wipe it off easily after you take it out of the oven and let it cool.

After it cooled, I swirled some frosting on top and added sprinkles. For an "Amanda Cupcake" touch I added some edible glitter to the top rim of the jar!

Then I added some sparkly ribbon and a wooden spoon.  (And Yes you can actually eat this out of the jar with the wooden spoon! I did!)  I cut a glittered cardstock heart out and labeled it with the flavor.

This cupcake kaleidoscope is made after the cupcakes were already baked.  This is about creating my own magic in a jar. I just stacked layers of frosting & cupcakes and sprinkles together. 

This was the very pretty and patriotic result.

The grand finale..........................

Oooh! Aaaah!