Made these cuties for a dear friend’s Bachelorette Party this weekend! Most of the process was quick and easy, so I’ll start with the easiest task first: the embellishments.

This is what I do when I don’t have a lot of time – I buy my cute details instead of constructing them myself. The metallic flag picks are by Spritz and the Cupcakes stickers are by Jolee’s Boutique and I even found both scrapbooking items at Target while I was purchasing my cupcake ingredients.

Ok, brace yourself for the not-so-easy part: the frosting is a bit time-consuming, but the girls at the bachelorette party really, really LOVED the outcome which made it all worth it. Also, since it was to be the highlight of the cupcake, I suggest you save some time and just buy a box of Duncan Hines Chocolate Fudge cake mix like I did. No one will care nor will they ask – they’ll be way too into the frosting.

This buttercream recipe has been scaled to make more than enough for 24 medium cupcakes:

Salted Buttercream Frosting Recipe from addapinch.com

4 cups sugar
2 cup buttermilk
1 cup Crisco vegetable shortening
1 cup butter
2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt (plus a bit extra for sprinkling on top)
4 cups confectioner’s sugar

1. Add all ingredients from the first stage of the frosting recipe in a 3-4 quart pot. Stir ingredients with a wooden spoon as cooking over medium-low heat.
2. Cook to softball stage (235-245 degrees on a candy thermometer as well as using the cold water test).
3. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a whip attachment, whip the caramel until it has cooled enough to touch lightly.
4. Add the butter and salt from the second stage of the frosting recipe to the mixing bowl and whip.
5. Add confectioner’s sugar in ½ cup increments, stopping after each to scrape sides of mixing bowl. Turn mixer on high for about 10 seconds after each addition to merge air into the frosting.
6. Adjust the amount of confectioner’s sugar to result in a frosting that will hold it’s shape.
7. Frost cake and store on a cake plate covered with a dome or an airtight container.
8. Best served within 1-3 days.

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