by Melinda Helton-Cromer

Spring is finally here! A beautiful and refreshing season full of delicate flowers, gorgeous baskets, adorable baby animals, and bright, colorful eggs.

These are just a few of the many different symbols of the variousspringtime celebrations.

With all of the upcoming activities, an occasion will surely arise when you would love to have something unique, yet easy to do, to present to your family and friends.

Whether its a small family picnic or a larger school or work function, you"ll definitely impress everyone with a cheerful cupcake cake.

Cupcake cakes are becoming very popular. Little wonder, considering that it does away with the need for a knife to cut a cake with, plates to put each serving on, and the need for a fork or spoon. This means less items to purchase before hand, and less mess and garbage to take care of afterwards.

To begin creating your "cake", you will need to bake a batch of cupcakes. The number needed will vary depending upon the design chosen and of course, the number of servings you plan to provide. I have provided a basic guideline for placement of the cupcakes in a few designs, however, in most cases, you can alter the size as needed, or you can easily create your own design by simply arranging baked cupcakes on a foil covered cake board until you achieve the desired shape and size.