Hi mums, any easy recipe for cupcakes that are kids-friendly? Planning to bake some for my friend's son's first birthday as a simple gesture :)

Applesauce Cupcakes MAKES: 24 cupcakes PREP TIME: 1 Hour START TO FINISH: 2 Hours 5 Minutes Cupcakes: 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 1/4 cups sugar 3 eggs 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup apple juice Vanilla buttercream frosting PREP TIME: 10 Minutes START TO FINISH: 10 Minutes 6 cups powdered sugar 2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 tablespoon vanilla 3 to 4 tablespoons milk 1. In large bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 3 tablespoons of the milk. 2. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Generously frosts 24 cupcakes (about 3 1/2 cups). 1/2 teaspoon red paste food color Decorations: 12 thin pretzel sticks, broken into pieces 16 spearmint leaf gumdrops 12 gummy worm candies, cut in half, if desired 1. Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Grease and flour muffin cups, or spray with baking spray with flour. 2. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; set aside. 3. In large bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1?4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping bowl occasionally. Beat 2 minutes longer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce and vanilla. On low speed, alternately add flour mixture, about 1/3 of mixture at a time, and apple juice, about 1/2 at a time, beating just until blended. 4. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. 5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans; place on cooling racks to cool. 6. Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting as directed. Stir in food color paste. Frost cupcakes. 7. To decorate cupcakes, poke 1 pretzel piece into each cupcake for stem. Cut each gumdrop leaf into 3 slices. Poke 2 gumdrop leaves into top of each cupcake on either side of pretzel stem. Poke half of gummy worm into each cupcake. use a cake mix! Substitute 1 box yellow cake mix for the cupcakes above. Make cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes except—use 1 cup apple juice, 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce and 3 eggs, and add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Bake and cool as directed on box. For the frosting, substitute 1 container vanilla creamy ready-to-spread frosting mixed with 1/2 teaspoon red paste food color. Frost and decorate as directed in recipe.

I found this creative recipe wherein you can easily create ice cream cupcakes! Instead of the usual cupcake containers, you can use ice cream cones as your cupcake container. Best to use the ones with flat bottoms as advised in the article I've read. You can create different cupcake mixtures for variety as well as colourful toppings that will delight kids. For complete steps, you may check this link: http://offbeathome.com/2012/06/ice-cream-cone-cupcakes

You can try baking carrot cake cupcakes -- they are healthier than the usual chocolatey, sugary cupcakes but they taste just as awesome. It contains wholesome ingredients like carrots, raisins, walnuts (you can omit this if you want) and cinnamon. This is a recipe I swear by and it is absolutely yummy! Bake these in colourful cupcake liners and they will be a hit :) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/carrot-cake-cupcakes-recipe.html

I usally buy Better Crookers chocolate cake mix as all you have to do is add eggs, butter and oil. After mixing everything, I'll put the cake mix into a cupcake tray and bake them! :-) While baking the cupcakes, I'll double boil chocolate. When the cupcakes are ready, I'll dip it into the chocolate and add sprinkles! :-)

I know these are for valentine's and not cakes but they're super easy to make and look amazing! You could try using colourful sprinkles for kids :) You can check out the recipe here: http://www.supermommy.com.sg/valentines-day-cookie-recipe/

I absolutely love these! http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/cupcakes-146

thanks