Summer is upon us and that means all sorts of parties, family gatherings, and everyday fun with our families in our own backyards. But one of the things that gets me is the amount of time that is spent in the kitchen prepping for these parties and when it’s really hot out I’m not a big fan of being in the kitchen all day… even if I do have A/C.

But there are a few ways to cut corners and make things a little easier for everyone. For me it’s making a delicious cake (probably chocolate because it’s my favorite) using Betty Crocker cake mixes and one of the really fun cake recipes & designs that they have on their site.

I absolutely love the ice cream cone cupcakes but the ones on the site are a little boring… I think that they could be jazzed up a little bit. The white frosting is little lackluster so here’s what I’m thinking.

Frosting. All these need is a bit of color and some brightly colored sugar crystals and then they’d be perfectly set for any summer party! Pretty swirls of pink, yellow, and blue will brighten up the cupcakes up and made them ready for summer parties.

See… look how easy it is to make these cupcakes. I bet that cute cupcakes like these would be great for kids to help decorate too!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All thoughts & opinions are my own… and I do love Betty Crocker and cake.