Pumpkin cupcake with vanilla buttercream is sprinkled with cinnamon and pumpkin spice. The addition of the straw can make it look like a pumpkin spice latte.
Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting are topped with pearl sprinkles and fondant snowflake.
Chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream are decorated with M&Ms as Christmas lights and a frosting Santa hat.
Vanilla and lavender infused cupcakes with vanilla buttercream is topped with edible lavender.
Everyone loves gift baskets and everyone loves cupcakes. If you combine the two, you might have the perfect gift for the baker in your family.
Just because it's the holidays and just because you’re an adult, doesn’t mean you can’t be a little selfish. Fortunately, there are clever ways to avoid anyone noticing. The cleverest of all, of course, is to buy your baker ingredients and maybe some utensils for food. To better mask your evil plan for free food and to create an illusion that they’re the real beneficiary, buy them a basket full of cupcake makings. Cupcakes are fun to make and even more fun to share. While you should feel free to modify your basket as you see fit, here are the four essential elements for any cupcake gift basket.
1. Some light reading
You want to avoid at all cost, eating bad cupcakes. The best way to do that is by including a cookbook in the basket. But before you pull up Amazon and start scrolling, take a look at what some of the local bookstores might have. Literary Leftovers in Battle Ground or Vintage Books on Mill Plain in Vancouver are two great places to start.
2. Do you know the muffin man? He might sell pans
If your GPS is having trouble locating Drury Lane, most places that carry baking goods will have Wilton cupcake pans as well. Most recipes only make a dozen cupcakes, so you should be good with a 12 cup pan. But if the basket is big enough, and you want to ensure there are some leftover cupcakes, which might head your direction, you might want to splurge a little and get them the 24 cup pan.
3. Getting
fancy
If you plan on consuming a good amount of cupcakes that the receiver of your gift has made, you’re of course going to want them to look appetizing. That’s why the third most important part of the cupcake gift basket is cupcake liners and some piping gear. Just like the cupcake pan, you’ll be able to find all sorts of patterned cupcake liners at most stores. The bags are cheap and disposable. The tips are metal and can be rewashed and reused. Furthermore, whipped butter and powdered sugar — sometimes called frosting — usually tastes better when it’s a variety of colors. Throw in a pack of gel food coloring.
4. Getting fancier
If you’re worried that maybe the cupcakes won’t have enough sugar on the inside, it’s a good idea to throw some candy in the basket to inspire decorations: Sprinkles, Oreos, etc.
Clever idea: Use a large mixing bowl as the “basket.”
