Lollipop Cupcakes

As I mentioned yesterday I hosted a baby shower last weekend.  My friend is naming her daughter Violet so naturally we had a lot of purple included in the shower!  I saw the idea for lollipop cupcakes at Munkin Munchies and fell in love!  Seriously adorable!! 
C'mon how cute are these!?!  LOVE LOVE them!  I love how the cake is pink and that the lollipop swirl is purple.  Terrific for baby Violet!

Lollipop Cupcakes  Source: Munkin Munchies

Ingredients:

1 box strawberry cake mix
eggs, oil and water as called for on cake mix box
Butter cream or your favorite frosting
food gel in the color you would like for the swirl
clear sugar crystals

Popsicle sticks

curling ribbon

Directions:

1. Bake cupcakes and allow to completely cool.

2. Make your frosting.

3. Using an icing spatula frost the cupcakes using uncolored frosting so that the top is relatively smooth.

4. In a separate bowl, combine a little food gel with some of the frosting until you reach the desire color for your swirls.
5. Place colored frosting in a decorating bag fitted with a small circle tip.  I used Wilton's #4. 
6. Starting in the center of the cupcake draw a swirl pattern moving to the outside of the cupcake.  I don't have a very steady hand, so don't worry if they are not perfect.  They'll  still be cute :)
7. Add clear sugar crystals.
8. Using the tip of a knife make a small slit for the Popsicle stick in the cupcake liner.
9. Insert the Popsicle stick and add the curling ribbon.

This post linked to: Just Something I Whipped Up at The Girl Creative, Sweets for a Saturday #2 at Sweet as a Sugar Cookie, Cupcake Tuesday at Hoosier Homemade