• Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare cupcake tins with liners.
• Prepare cake mix according to package instructions.
• Once batter is made, split into thirds into three bowls.
• Dye one bowl blue.
• Dye one bowl red by adding two drops of pink gel food coloring. Mixing throughly and then
• adding 2 drops of red gel coloring.
• Leave the last bowl white (if using a vanilla mix you can dye it white with white gel coloring.
• Add the 3 batter colors to individual piping bags snipping the end and alternating colors add batter to the cupcake liners about ¾ full.
• Bake for 12-15 mins testing with A toothpick or butter knife around the 12 mins mark.
• Let cupcake cool completely.
• Make frosting.

Buttercream Frosting

• While the cupcakes are cooking, prepare the frosting.
• In a large bowl, beat the butter and vanilla until creamy.
• Gradually add the powdered sugar.
• Add the milk or heavy cream until frosting reaches the desired consistency.
• Split the buttercream into 3 colors.
• Following the same instructions as the batter dye the frosting red and blue.
• Place each color into a piping bag and snip the ends.
• Prep a separate piping bag with a 1M tip .
• Add the 3 piping bags with the colored frosting into the bag with the piping tip. This will create a tri-color frosting.
• Pipe a star into the center of the cupcake.
• Then without releasing pressure pipe a swirl around that tip, applying even pressure.
• Release the pressure when you are about to complete the circle around the center star and then pull away. Repeat for each cupcake.