A Quinceañera for a Dog (and Cupcakes for the Humans)

A friend called last week with a request I could not turn down: her terrier was turning fifteen, she was throwing a quinceañera, and could I do cupcakes for the humans. Of course I could.

Three designs, one rack

I wanted the tray to tell the story at a glance, so I did three designs. The birthday girl herself, in piped chocolate buttercream — a grass tip for the shaggy coat, black fondant for ears and nose, a little pink tongue. Piñatas, because it's a quinceañera: white vanilla buttercream, a border of rainbow sprinkles, and a stripy piñata pony piped dot by dot in yellow, lavender, and teal. And cactus gardens on cinnamon-sugar tops, with sage-green paddles and lavender blooms, for the desert-party vibe.

The trick with fur

The dog faces are the easiest of the three and the ones people react to most. A grass tip (Wilton 233) pulled up and away in short strokes gives you fur in about thirty seconds per cupcake. The key is a stiff buttercream — if it's soft the strands slump into a blob. Chill the bowl for ten minutes if your kitchen is warm.

The trick with piñatas

Those are slow. Each stripe is a row of tiny dots from a #3 round tip, and a pony takes four colors and maybe six minutes. I only do them for orders with a few days' notice, which is why this design has a 72-hour lead time in the shop.

These are now a regular item — Themed Party Cupcakes — and the theme is up to you. Dog birthdays, baby showers, a going-away party: send me a photo or a color palette and I'll design a dozen around it.