Ideas for Decorating Cupcakes

Cupcakes are a comforting, single-serving dessert just about everyone loves. While they don't require any decorations to make them delicious, you can update your usual cupcakes for a special occasion. Surprise your friends and family at the next gathering with elegant cupcakes that taste as good as they look. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Frosting Swirl

Give your plain-Jane cupcakes a bakery-style frosting job with the use of an inexpensive piping bag. The finished product is polished and professional, an ideal surface for sprinkles or colored sugar. Attach a star-shaped tip to the piping bag and fill it with frosting. Hold the bag about 1/4-inch above the cupcake at a 90-degree angle. Squeeze the bag and pipe the frosting out into a spiral, starting around the edges and working your way inward. Stop when you reach the center, then pull the piping bag directly upwards. Pipe a second, smaller spiral in the center of the cupcake on top of the first spiral. Once again, start on the outside and work your way inward. Pull the bag directly upward once you reach the center, leaving behind a pointed tip.

Flowers

Add a bit of elegance to simple frosting techniques without any special equipment. Top plain white frosting with edible flowers grown without pesticides. Chamomile, nasturtiums, violets, pansies, snapdragons, geraniums, daises, marigolds and hibiscus are all gorgeous, edible additions. Take it a step further and add sugar to your flowers. Paint the face of the flowers with whipped egg whites, then dip into superfine sugar. Place the finished flowers on a baking sheet or large plate covered with parchment paper. Allow the flowers to dry at room temperature until they are crisp.

Candied Fruit

A slice of candied citrus fruit fits perfectly atop a frosting cupcake. Use oranges and lemons for regular-sized cupcakes and use limes for mini-cupcakes. Grapefruit is not well-suited for cupcake decorating, since the rind will be too tart for eating even after candying. Wash your fruit, skin still on, under hot water. Cut off both ends and discard. Cut the fruit into thin slices and remove any seeds you find. In a large skillet, combine one part water and two parts sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add just enough fruit slices to cover the pan and simmer until the rind is softened and translucent, about 20 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the slices. Remove the fruit slices with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add more fruit to the same pan until fruit or syrup mixture has been depleted. Allow the citrus slices to cool completely before adding them to the top of frosted cupcakes.

Stencils

Store-bought stencils can make plain cupcakes something special. Allow your cupcakes to cool completely before glazing with a simple solution of equal parts confectioners sugar and water. For added flavor, replace the water with fruit juice. Allow the glaze to set, then place a stencil on top of the cupcake. Apply a dusting of confectioner's sugar, then remove the stencil to reveal your design. For colorful cupcakes, combine confectioners sugar and food coloring in a blender.