Cupcakes...Ninja Style

This year, I wanted to make Seth's birthday cake, which is quite a feat for this non-baker.  While perusing the internet (and surprisingly not on Pinterest...I think I may be the only person who is still not a member.), I ran across a cool ninja cupcake idea.  I actually just googled Ninjago Cupcakes, and exactly what I was looking for popped up.  Yay!  The idea looked simple enough, so I thought I could recreate them for Seth's party. 

Insert Ninjago , in the place of Cookie Monster, and this is how I thought it would all turn out:

(photo from thejproject2010.blogspot.com)

But for once, it really was as easy as it looked. 

Here was my example:

(photo from bakingmakesmehappy-brianna.blogspot.com)

And here was my end result:

(photo from my camera)

Not too shabby for a rookie

I had lots of help in the kitchen!  In this season, Seth wants to help with EVERYTHING, so he was more than happy to step up to the cupcaking making task.  I think licking the bowl was the major motivation.

Stirring and taste testing proved to be Seth's greatest strengths in the kitchen.  He is also a mighty fine egg cracker.

He was also very focused and precise in his cupcake batter measuring skills.

   

While Seth was with Tante and Uncle Tim for a birthday treat at Chuck E. Cheese's, Caleb, Eric, and I did the decorating.  I wanted that part to be a surprise for the birthday boy.  I had no cake decorating experience to draw from (and I am pretty sure neither did Eric or Caleb), so I pulled up the internet picture, whipped out my array of colorful icings and we went for it.  It was a lot of fun and not nearly as stressful as I had envisioned!  

And the result was:

Success!!!!

Viola! Ninjago cupcakes, complete with one green ninja for our birthday boy!

Really cute and totally edible. 

And no big mound of icing to dig through.

Just a simple treat that made our five-year-old birthday boy VERY HAPPY!!