It is officially Graduation Season! If you are hosting a graduation party for a high school senior or college grad, you already know how stressful (and expensive!) the planning can be.
Between the decorations, the food, and the invitations, spending $100 on a custom bakery cake might not be in the budget. Enter the ultimate graduation party dessert hack: Edible Diploma Cupcakes.
These cupcakes look like they came straight from a boutique bakery, but they are secretly the easiest DIY project ever. By using a brilliant shortcut with rolled wafer cookies and candy belts, you can create adorable, edible diplomas that sit perfectly on top of your cupcakes. It is the best graduation cake idea for feeding a crowd on a budget!
🛒 The “Semi-Homemade” Ingredient List
We are keeping this completely stress-free. You don’t need to bake from scratch unless you want to!
The Base:
- 24 Vanilla or Chocolate Cupcakes. (Hack: Use your favorite box mix to save time, or even buy plain unfrosted cupcakes from the grocery store!).
- 2 cups Vanilla Buttercream Frosting.
The “Edible Diplomas” (The Magic Hack!):
- 1 tin Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies (or any brand of rolled wafer cookies, like Piroulines).
- 1 package Pull-and-Peel Twizzlers, Sour Candy Belts (like Airheads Extremes), or thin licorice laces. (Tip: Try to find candies that match your graduate’s school colors!).
👩🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions (Assembly Line Fun!)
Get the kids or the grad to help you with this part—it goes so fast when you do it together!
Step 1: Frost the Cupcakes
Using a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (like a Wilton 1M), pipe a simple, flat swirl of vanilla buttercream onto each cooled cupcake.
Crucial Tip: Do not pipe the frosting into a high, tall mountain. You need a somewhat flat surface for the diploma to rest on so it doesn’t slide off!
Step 2: Cut the Diplomas
Take your rolled Pirouette cookies and use a sharp, serrated knife to carefully cut them in half. Use a gentle “sawing” motion so the fragile cookies don’t shatter! Each half is now one “diploma”.
Step 3: Tie the Ribbons 🎀
Take your sour candy belts or pull-and-peel licorice. Cut them into thin, 3-inch long strips. Carefully wrap one candy strip around the center of each cookie half and tie it in a gentle knot. It looks exactly like a rolled-up paper diploma tied with a ribbon!
Step 4: Crown the Cupcakes
Gently press one finished “edible diploma” right onto the top of the frosted cupcakes.
Step 5: The Aesthetic Finish
To make them look extra festive, add a sprinkle of edible gold stars or sprinkles in the graduate’s school colors around the diploma!
🧊 Make-Ahead & Storage Tips (Do Not Skip!) 🛑
You can bake and frost the cupcakes a day in advance, and you can tie the candy around the cookies ahead of time too.
HOWEVER: Do not place the cookie diplomas onto the frosted cupcakes until 1-2 hours before the party! If you put the cookies on the moist frosting and leave them in the fridge overnight, the cookies will absorb the moisture and become incredibly soggy and chewy. Keep the diplomas in a dry, airtight Tupperware until right before serving!
