Cupcakes in a jar

I have to credit my sister-in-law for this fun idea.

So after I won the “worst aunt of the year” award by missing my niece’s family birthday party, I tried to make up for it by attending her little kid birthday party.

A bunch of seven year olds running around like maniacs, pixie sticks in one hand and water balloon in the other? Count me in. Never mind the fact that I’m probably the last person you want chaperoning your pool party. I think the last time I set foot in a body of water was for my mandatory swim test Freshman year of college. Don’t worry, I passed. Barely.

Anyway, she made the perfect cupcakes for a kid’s outdoor birthday party. They looked exactly like those sand bottles I made at carnivals as a little kid. I was quasi-obsessed and had a special “sand bottle shelf” where I would display my most meticulously layered ones for everyone to see.

I had one “friend” who would shake up her sand bottles, demolishing the perfect rainbow rows into a glittery, mixed-up mess of multicolored sand. Let’s just say we did not stay “friends” for long. If possible, my ten year old self was more neurotic and particular than my grown-up self.  I’m pretty sure watching her shake those bottles induced some sort of dangerous hyperventilation on my end.

Here are the birthday cupcakes (perfectly layered, I might add):

Adorable. It was sort of a pain because she had to dye and layer the batter, but the kids went bonkers for them! Plus, you can bake them right in the jars.  I don’t know if little kids would be excited to get a mason jar as a party favor, but I sure would! (Ha).

To top the cupcakes, I whipped up a simple American buttercream (two sticks of butter, six cups of confectioner’s sugar, and a splash of cream and vanilla). Then we sprinkled some rainbow jimmies on top. 

You could even recreate these with red, blue, and uncolored batter. Sounds like a great forth of July treat to me!