playful chocolate cupcakes & a charming birthday gift

A friend recently asked me to bake some chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for her brother's birthday.  She was open on how to decorate, which finally gave me a chance to play with the goodies in my birthday gift from Michele of Cakewalk Baking... a paper suitcase filled to the brim with fabulous baking supplies including cupcake liners, pastry tips and sprinkles galore! My favorites were the chocolate stars, so I used a few on white frosting coupled with blue sprinkles, and the more traditional chocolate sprinkles with pale blue frosting.  I think they turned out quite cute, don't you?

{images copyright birthday girl 2011}