With the 4th of July holiday looming and only a few short days to prepare for our barbecue with friends, my thoughts have turned to the logistics of a fun and festive menu. If you've read any of my previous entertaining posts, you'll know that cupcakes are my specialty, and this holiday is no exception. My clear choice for a dessert offering in this instance will be cupcakes with a patriotic flair. 

Relying on my tried and true method of using boxed cake mix with a twist, I plan on baking vanilla or white cake with vanilla frosting. The festive nature in this case will come more from the paper wrappers and accoutrements than the actual cake itself, but my cake selection stems from the fact that I want a light colored cake as to not bleed through the decorative paper. 

Luckily, I have all of the supplies on hand that I'll need to create something memorable for our guests, including: 

• One box of vanilla or yellow cake mix
• Store bought vanilla frosting
• Wet ingredients for the cake, in this case eggs, water, light sour cream, and applesauce (more on my lower fat substitution method detailed in this post)
• Blue and white cupcake wrappers (purchased originally for a friend's baby shower)
• Red sprinkles (in this case candy cane sprinkles, bought for a Christmastime cupcake)
• Cute, fireworks-inspired picks, snagged on clearance a couple years back after the 4th

If you don't have these items, they shouldn't be too difficult to find. Beyond the obvious stop at the grocery store, check out a craft store like Micheal's or a party story for the festive flair and sprinkles.

I'll follow the quick and easy directions on the box (although thanks to our finicky 1980s stove, I'll underbake them a bit), and after allowing them to cool, I'll give them a fancy frosting flourish. My preferred method is piping on, not spreading, store bought frosting. Thanks to a birthday gift from Alex, I now own a full Wilton cake tip set and disposable piping bags. If you don't have a professional set, worry not. Simply take a large ziplock bag, spoon the frosting into the bag, and snip off one corner of the bag with scissors. Squeeze the frosting out of the snipped corner for a similar, professional look.

Then apply some festive touches like sprinkes, and in this holiday's case, fun cupcake toppers, and you'll end up with a final result that screams "oh say can you see...how beautiful these cupcakes are?"

Looking for a festive adult beverage to wash it all down with? Check out my quick step-by-step instructions on making lemonade coolers, a delightful refreshment perfect for July 4th celebrations..

What are you doing to commemorate the day? Any special entertaining tips or recipes to share? Do you have a quintessential food that signifies the 4th of July to you and your family?

Are you looking for other 4th of July decorating or entertaining ideas? If so, check out the holidays section of our projects page for cocktails, recipes, exterior decor, and more.