Construction Cupcake Cake

For cake: Line 2 standard muffin pans with cupcake liners. Prepare mix following instructions on box for cupcakes.

For frosting: In a medium bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and half of powdered sugar on low speed. Add 1/4c milk and vanilla. Mix until combined, should start to look smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar and milk. Combine until smooth. Consistency should be easy to spread but not runny. If frosting is runny, add more powdered sugar. If frosting is too thick, add slightly more milk. Be careful - it's easier to add than to take away!

Assembly: Begin dying the frosting. Make small amounts of the following colors: grey, yellow, orange and white. The remainder will be green for the "work area". Begin frosting the cupcakes with green using tip #12. Place a small dot of frosting on the bottom of each frosted cupcake and put them on the cake board very close together. Repeat until all 24 cupcakes are on the board. They do not have to be equally lined up.

Using an off-set spatula, smooth an area where the inscription will be. Leave the remainder of cupcakes as is. There should be natural peaks and valleys. Using tip #789 fill a bag with grey frosting for the road. Use tip #5, fill a bag with white frosting and draw in the road shoulder lines. Fill another bag, use tip #5, fill in the lane lines. Fill the last bag with orange, use tip #5, make traffic cones on the roads and the inscription.

Last step: Make sure to clean and completely dry the trucks and traffic cones. Carefully place the trucks on the cake to make it seem as though the trucks are either driving on the road or doing construction along side the road. Tip: If you have chocolate cookie sandwiches handy, crush them up and use them as "dirt" in the dump trucks and in front of the bulldozers."