For the fourth year in a row, Lara Shriftman; lifestyle, fashion, luxury and entertaining expert, has asked us to help with the printables for her sons birthday party. Each years theme has been as notable as the previous years with this year being no exception…..Cupcake Wars. Each year her son, Lucas, helps pick the theme and like Mother, like son, he knows exactly how to pick an entertaining theme.
What we love about this party:
– The organization of the competition portion of this event
– The Cupcake Wars cupcake wraps
– The vast assortment of cupcake decorations
Get more great ideas for baking and dessert decorating parties:
– Little Chef Baking Party
– Patisserie Noel Party
– Little Chef Baking Party
Every year Lucas and I plan his birthday early. Lucas loves to get involved with the theme of his party. The last two years have been sports themed – basketball and tennis. This year he chose something a little more out of the box.
He came home from school one day and watched Cupcake Wars on TV. He was really inspired by Candace Nelson, the host of the show. Being that he loves Sprinkles in Beverly Hills and we’re from LA, he wanted to know if I knew her. Next time we were in LA, Lucas met Candace and started thinking about doing a Cupcake Wars themed party for his 8th birthday.
Lucas and I went to Michael’s to pick out all the stuff to decorate for the Cupcake Wars. Everything he picked out was from Wilton, even decorations that weren’t for the cupcakes. He was so inspired, he even decided to get his own cart. We decided to just stick with Wilton. They’re global leader in cake decorating and bakeware products, in addition to sweet treat making and party products. We used their cupcake trays, assorted paper, mixing bowls, measuring cups, baking cups, spatulas and more. They had all the best baking cups. We got an assortment of baking cups with different patterns.
The party started with Lucas making a speech on the wireless microphone welcoming everyone. He decided his friends would be divided into three teams of 10, each having a team captain. He chose himself, Joey, and Sophia as captains because they do cooking competitions together throughout the year. Each team then chose their team name. Lucas’ team was called “the awesome bakers.”
Because not everyone arrived at the same time, the kids decorated aprons and played chess in the meantime.
The Cupcake Wars were divided into three categories: taste, presentation, and decoration of the stand with your cupcakes. There were four judges – Lucas’ grandmother, Lucas’ nanny Suraida, our friend Blaine, and Anthony Shriver, who was a special guest judge because Lucas’ theme was Best Buddies.
A table on riders was set up for the judges, with bottles of water and signs with chalk where the judges could write their numbers from 1-5 and hold them up. They also had judging sheets.
We decided to roll in a TV so all the kids could watch Cupcake Wars first. As a surprise, Candace Nelson sent a special video message to Lucas. She wished him a happy birthday and gave him a few tips.
Tips from Candace Nelson, owner of Sprinkles and host of Cupcake Wars:
- Taste of the cupcake is most important. Don’t overbake it. Get the flavor and texture right.
- Keep your eye on the clock. Don’t run out of time.
- Make it a beautiful cupcake that is simple, elegant and relevant to the theme.
In the first round, everyone had to make batter from the ingredients they were given. Everybody got the same ingredients. The first round lasted around 30 minutes.
Kids were given Wilton’s Treatology Flavor System, which uses drops of flavor that you can easily combine to create your own recipes. Some of the flavors include Crisp Champagne, Sweet Meyer Lemon, Fresh Basil, Warm Cinnamon Graham, Salted Caramel, Juicy Peach, and Creamy Vanilla Custard.
While the cupcakes were cooking, the kids decorated their stands. There was a table set up with an assortment of stands and decorations for the kids to choose from. The stands used were Wilton’s Display Your Way Cupcake Tower. It’s a customizable cupcake stand that uses one re-usable, customizable design. The clear cupcake tower makes party-matching baking cups stand out to highlight your theme. The see-through core allows you to add customized details that fit your theme. The towers have six display levels and serve up to 25 cupcakes.
When the cupcakes came out and cooled, the kids decorated their cupcakes with icing. Wilton’s icing is the best because it’s so kid friendly. We got decorating icing that included round and star chips in all different colors – yellow, blue, pink, white, black. We also tried out all the different kind of Wilton sprinkles from Chocolate Jimmy’s to Strawberry Candy Crunch to Confetti Heart. The kids loved the different options and they looked great.
Lunch was then served. Lucas picked out the lunch menu. All the kids got mini sliders, mini grilled cheeses, and chicken fingers on one plate. The adults got kale salad with grilled chicken and a Caesar salad wrap cut in half.
The kids’ tables were decorated like the Sprinkles shop. We used the tissue paper Sprinkles uses to wrap the cupcakes as placements. The wooden forks and knives were from Sprinkles, as well as the small wooden cupcake plates. French fries were stuffed in Sprinkles bags, and the cupcake towers were all from the Sprinkles shop.
For the adult table, I used the recipe cards for Lucas’ version of Sprinkle’s cupcakes as placemats. I also did 3-tiered towers of cupcakes that were made in the same colors as the invite – pink, silver and blue. I wrapped them with cupcake wrappers that said “Lucas’ Cupcake Wars.” I added cupcake toppers that had a number 8 and “Lucas’ birthday.” This made up the centerpieces.
The gift bags included two cupcakes that went home in a box, the apron the kids decorated, and a recipe card.
The winning team got a certificate for a cooking lesson with Chef John.
Lucas didn’t want any gifts. All he wanted for his birthday were contributions to his favorite charity, Best Buddies. Best Buddies International is a nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
When Lucas’ birthday festivities are over, he always has to write thank you notes to his guests. This year, since he didn’t ask for presents, the notes thanked guests for their contributions. It shows his appreciation and is a good way to practice handwriting.
CREDITS:
– Party Planning: Lara Shriftman and Lucas Bacardi Shriftman
– Printable Invitation & Printable Decor: Anders Ruff
– Tissue paper placements, wooden forks and knives, small wooden cupcake plates, Sprinkles bags (holding the fried), and the cupcake towers: Sprinkles shop.
Additional SOURCES for your own cupcake decorating party:
– Wilton Edible Toppings
– Wilton Decorating Icing
– Wilton Display Your Way Cupcake Towers
– Wilton Treatology Flavor Systems
– Wilton Bakeware
– Wilton Cupcake Wrappers
– Disposable Wood Forks
– Disposable Wood Knives
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