Since I'm head-over-heels for anything tiny, I just had to try to make cupcakes resembling mini king cakes, and after a bit of thought, I figured out an absurdly easy way to get the look. If you've never seen a king cake, it's a Mardi Gras staple, and you should definitely go Google it right away!

If you're looking for a super quick, super easy (and totally adorable) last-minute party snack, this one's for you. This would be great to send for a children's class party and could even be done with store-bought cupcakes!

For more recipes and tutorials, visit my blog at Shrimp Salad Circus.

Step 1: What You Need

cupcakes
mini donuts, plain old-fashioned variety
white frosting
purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar or Kool-Aid

Step 2: Hack It Up

Carefully cut the top off each cupcake so that the cupcake is flat and level with the wrapper. Set all your muffin tops aside. You can crumble and mix them with frosting at the end to make cake balls!

Step 3: Give It a Dollop

Spread a dollop of frosting on top of the cupcake.

Step 4: Top It Off

Stick the donut on top of the frosting. After you've applied all the donuts, add a bit of milk or water to your frosting to make it runny and drippy. Now, using a spoon, drizzle frosting all around the top of the donut. You want little drips off the edges and everything so that it'll look like a real king cake.

Step 5: Colorize

Now, using either your sanding sugar or Kool-Aid, sprinkle on your Mardi Gras purple, green, and gold!

*A word of warning - if you use Kool-Aid, you get a lethally grape-lime-lemony flavor that's something akin to throwing back a full box of Sour Patch Kids all at once. If this sounds unpleasant to you, I'd opt for the sanding sugar. :D