Searching online for Independence Day cupcake ideas was an exercise in frustration. Most of them are regular cupcakes with some dumb candy decoration on top made to look like a flag - they look like they are for schoolchildren, and who wants a mouthful of red licorice with buttercream frosting? Blech. So I was forced to make up my own, which always comes out better anyway.
We were going to a BBQ with an undetermined amount of people and the promise of way too much food, so I decided to make minis. That way everyone would get at least one, and probably several if they so desired. I was reminded of one of the beauties of making minis - the perfect ratio of cake to frosting, and the efficiency of the one-bite dessert.
I made my standard Red Velvet recipe, using dark chocolate cocoa this time, which yielded a very dark red/brown color that I liked very much. I topped them with cream cheese frosting, and fresh blueberries, and I had a red, white, and blue dessert that was fit for both kids and adults. The combination of the sweet cakes and frosting with the tart blueberries was excellent, and my husband, who is not always a cupcake fan, said that these were the best that I had ever made. Now that's a happy 4th!
