1. Bake a dozen cupcakes according to the package directions on a box of cake mix. Use cupcake liners so that the cupcakes don’t stick together. Allow cupcakes to completely cool before arranging them onto a large platter or cake board in a rectangle shape.

2. Slather the vanilla frosting over all of the cupcakes in an even layer, creating a uniform look. You want to connect all your cupcakes with an icing sheet. This gives the illusion of a solid cake, without the need to cut individual pieces.

3. Create three black lines about 1.5 inches apart on the cake using a tube of decorative black icing. Make the lines wavy and overlapping to look like a string of twinkly lights. Add a single black line or two to the top portion of the cake.

4. Add a variety of coloured Smarties along the black lines of icing. Make sure that they are evenly spaced about 1/2″ apart. These Smarties are only available in Canada but colourful M&Ms would totally work too if you need an alternative.

5. Finally, use a tube of decorative black icing to write out the letters of the alphabet under each Smartie “light”.