Valentine Cupcake Tower

Ok, this is sad. I've stooped so low as to post about box cupcakes and packaged frosting. Call me lazy, call me what you will.....but I just plain forget about Sweet Tooth Tuesday. It's Monday night as I type this and I will be gone all day tomorrow thus leaving no time to prepare a treat for you (I have no excuse for last week's absence though). My eyes scanned the kitchen for options, ingredients, ANYTHING that might form a dessert worth eating. My eyes fell on the pretty red cupcake tower I'd picked up at Walmart the day before. It seemed to pair nicely with the box of cake mix and package of frosting in the pantry. VIOLA! Here we have Sweet Tooth Tuesday....the lazy version! Ok, I'm not going to demean your talents and tell you how to make cupcakes from cake mix.....but I would like to show you my pretty cupcake display. It would be a great idea for a classroom Vday party or to take to the office for all of your coworker Valentine friends!

While I would've loved to whip up some homemade strawberry cupcakes it just wasn't in the cards for this momma who didn't feel like making a late-night run to the store and spending all night making a mess in the kitchen. I solemnly swear to make the tastiest Vday treat you could ever dream of next week to make up for my shortcomings this week (and last week.) But for now, bare with me as I show you how our cupcake making process went. I usually bake during my daughter's naptime but tonight was a little different. I had a baking assistant.....

I guess I should've seen that coming but she always surprises me with how quickly she can create a giant mess. At least it's a cute mess though.....

Oh and I can't forget to give props to my second assistant. He needed some help figuring out what the "red swirly thing" was sitting on the counter....

I remember promising that I'd never make a box cupcake ever again after making my first from scratch cupcakes. I made my promise here. And I broke it tonight. But don't they look mighty pretty though......

I've got to get busy planning next week's Valentine's Day treat!