Softball Cupcakes or Cake

Softball Cupcakes or Cake

• 1 box cake mix, any flavor (include ingredients for preparation)
• 1 can vanilla frosting
• 2 teaspoons almond extract (optional)
• 5 drops green food coloring
• 15 drops yellow food coloring
• 1 tube red gel frosting or red shoestring licorice

Preparing the Cupcakes or Cake

• Preheat oven according to cake mix.
  
  
• Prepare cake according to package directions.

Softball Cupcakes:

• Line cupcake tin with paper liners.
  
  
• Pour cake batter evenly into liners 2/3 full.
  
  
• Bake as directed on the cake mix; allow to cool completely before beginning to decorate.
  

Softball Cake:

• Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.
  
  
• Pour batter evenly into pans.
  
  
• Bake as directed on the cake mix; cool 10 minutes, remove from pan, and all to cool on a cooling rack.

• In a small bowl, combine frosting with extract, if desired, and food coloring. Mix until combined and to the desired color.

Softball Cupcakes:

• Frost each cupcake. Decorate with red gel frosting to look like a softball or cut small lengths of red shoestring licorice to use as the lacing.
  
  
• The softball cupcakes could also be individualized by adding each player's number to them.

Softball Cake:

• Place one cake on a platter. Frost the top with some of the frosting. Place other cake on top and frost top and sides of cake.
  
  
• Decorate with red gel frosting to look like a softball.

• Decorating Option: Instead of using red gel frosting, you could cut short lengths of red shoestring licorice and place that on the cupcakes or cake for the red lacing. Also, any writing you may want to do could be done by coloring a little frosting with food coloring. You can use a pastry bag if you have one but a simple option is to use a sealable bag. Just put the colored frosting into the corner of the bag, clip a small tip off the corner, and squeeze the frosting out of the hole as you are writing on the cupcakes or cake.
  
  
• When you are all done decorating it for your special occasion, it is ready to serve.