There are hundreds of beautiful (and cute) cupcake decorating ideas out there but sometimes we just don’t have the extra time needed to bake from scratch, make the toppings, and then make it look pretty. Â We have families, jobs, and other responsibilities. Â It’s not easy to find the time to bake, let alone go crazy with decorating.
There are other ways to decorate a cupcake in your own style and for any occasion using shortcuts.  One of those shortcuts is frosting color.  For a Super Bowl party, consider purple frosting on a dark chocolate cupcake if you are a Ravens fan or red frosting on a golden vanilla cupcake if you are  Forty Niners fan.  Simple.  Or maybe just add different color sprinkles on top of plain vanilla frosting.
This would also work for any other theme or holiday – red for Valentine’s Day, pastels for Easter, green for St. Patrick’s Day and so on. Â All you need is some food coloring and you will look like a cupcake decorating genius. Â Â Of course, the easiest and fastest way to bake anything is with a box mix (please don’t tell my mother I said that!). Â Even a can of frosting can be jazzed up with some food coloring.
The frosting color charts below, originally from Food Network Magazine and anna and blue paperie are a great resource for mixing up the right shade of whatever color you need.  The chart includes the amount of drops needed for both made from scratch frosting or frosting from a can.  Add a little color to your cupcakes!
Helpful Tip: Pure white frosting is ideal for dyeing. Don’t add vanilla extract as it will alter the color of the icing.