Carnival Cupcake Ideas

When it comes to parties and celebrations, cupcakes are quickly surpassing cakes as the dessert of the day. Carnival-themed parties can be aimed at children or adults, with special cupcakes designed for each occasion. Turn each individual cupcake into a small piece of edible art. Skip the large cake for your party, and create small carnival delights for your guests to enjoy. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Popcorn

Bake cupcakes in vanilla or yellow cake and frost them in white frosting. Cut the bottom of mini marshmallows into an X design. This will cause the marshmallow to expand, creating a popcorn look. Place the marshmallows all over the surface of the cupcake, simulating an overflowing cup of popcorn. Spray a tiny amount of yellow food coloring over the marshmallows to look like butter topping.

Cotton Candy

Frost cupcakes in bright colors. Cut out triangles in white fondant, and place them in the center of the cupcake, with the flat side facing toward the center and the point facing the edge of the cupcake. This will be the cone for the cotton candy. Pull off a bit of commercial, bagged cotton candy and arrange it at the top of the triangle. Sprinkle a frame of colored sprinkles around the edge of the cake.

Ice Cream Cone

Pour cake batter into flat-bottomed ice cream cones. Stand the cones in muffin pans to stabilize them, and bake them according to the cupcake directions. Place white frosting in a pastry bag and pipe it onto the top of the cupcakes, piling it up to make it look like ice cream. Cover the frosting in sprinkles and place a cherry on top.

Balloons

Make white cake batter and place the batter into five individual bowls. Use food coloring to create batter in five bright colors. Bake the cupcakes as usual. Color white frosting to match each color of cake batter. Frost each cupcake with its corresponding color. Cut 18-inch lengths of ribbon. Tie the ribbons in a loose knot at one end. Lay the knot near the bottom of a serving tray and spread the loose ribbon ends out over the surface of the tray. Place a colored cupcake at the end of each ribbon to simulate a bunch of colored balloons.