(First – melt your unsalted butter and let it cool - this ensures it won’t cook your eggs when you add it!) Preheat your oven to 325℉, and prepare 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and sour cream until well combined. Add the cooled melted butter and whisk again until well combined.

Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't overmix. The batter will be fairly thick; this is normal.

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full. (I like to use a cookie scoop for this part!) If desired, add a couple of drops of red food coloring to 9 cupcakes / blue to 6 cupcakes, and swirl the color in with a toothpick.

Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow to cool completely before decorating. (This is a great time to make your frosting!)

Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk and vanilla until frosting reaches a smooth and pipeable and consistency.

Transfer about 1 cup of frosting to a small bowl; divide the remaining frosting in half. Color the smallest bowl navy blue, and one of the other bowls red (leaving the last one white).

(I cored my cupcakes and filled them with chocolate ganache, but this step is 100% optional. To make ganache, microwave 6 ounces semisweet chocolate + 6 ounces heavy whipping cream together in 30-second increments on half power until melted & smooth, then cool until thick enough to transfer to cupcake centers.)

Arrange your cupcakes in a 6-by-4 rectangle. (If you've colored them, place the 6 blue cupcakes to the top left, and the remaining cupcakes in red and white stripes.)

Transfer frostings to piping bags. Pipe blue frosting onto the six top left quarter (2x3) cupcakes, and red and white frosting onto the remaining 9 cupcakes in red and white stripes (see photo).

Cut 6 small fondant stars, and add stars (and sugar pearls if desired) to the blue ones.

And you're done! You'll have an awesome-looking cupcake display.....right up until they all get eaten! Enjoy!