How to Make a Cupcake Tree Stand

Cupcakes have always been a very popular party treat, but they have just recently begun to steal the show from birthday and other holiday cakes as the main attraction. Having cupcakes instead of cake eliminates the need for cutting and serving utensils and cake plates. It also makes clean up easier. Still, for all their benefits, cupcakes simply laid out on a table or placed in a box can look boring compared to a traditional cake. That problem is easily solved by constructing an easy cupcake tree stand that uniquely displays your cupcakes. These stands do double duty as both a serving item and a party decoration!

Things You'll Need

• Styrofoam cylinder 4-inch dowel rod Hot glue Flower pot Jelly beans Cupcakes with the wrappers removed Piping bag Green frosting

Instructions

1. Chose a Styrofoam cone-shaped cylinder from the floral craft department of your local department store or from a florist. This piece of foam looks something like a Christmas tree---it's triangular in shape. This will be the base or trunk of your cupcake tree stand. Chose a flower pot that the cylinder fits in. If you cannot find a flower pot that you like, you can also use a shallow bowl or serving dish.

2. Run a bead of hot glue in a circle around the flat bottom of the foam cylinder. Place the cylinder in the flower pot, securing the glue to the bottom. Fill in the extra space in the flower pot with jelly beans. These will help weight the cupcake tree down so it doesn't fall over.

3. Stick a dowel rod into the very top of the cylinder, pointing to the ceiling. Take your first cupcake and slide it onto the dowel rod. This creates the top of the tree. Place a cupcake on the side of the cone to measure. Pierce the cone with another dowel rod, then spear the cupcake on the rod. Complete this process until your entire cone is filled with cupcakes. You should have a cupcake tree that resembles an evergreen or Christmas tree.

4. Fill a piping bag with green frosting. Pipe in any areas on the tree that look empty or hollow. You can simply fill them in, or use the frosting to create leaves. You can also use red frosting to pipe on berries. If you'd like a message on your cake, you can pipe it across your cupcakes as if you were piping on the top of a birthday cake.

5. Place a few cupcakes at the base of the tree if you opted to use a platter or bowl rather than a flower pot. This adds a decorative touch and makes the base seem more proportional to the tree.

Tips & Warnings

• You can leave the paper wrapping on the cupcakes if you like. Just cut a thin slit in the bottom so they can still go on the dowel rods.

• Cupcake trees, no matter how well constructed, can fall over easily if bumped. Keep this in mind when transporting and setting up your tree.

Resources

• Floral supplies