Interesting Cupcake Ideas

Cupcakes are an ideal alternative to traditional cakes at parties because you can use different flavors to suit any taste preference. Individually wrapped cupcakes are easier to serve than cakes too: they require no cutting and are made in equal portions. Frost cupcakes with tinted frosting to match your party colors, and then add some fun by incorporating interesting elements. Cupcakes can be made to fit any theme you can think of. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Cupcake Cakes

Cupcake "cakes" are easier to serve than traditional sheet cakes yet still allow the same decorating options. You can build a cupcake cake in a variety of shapes, including Christmas trees, teddy bears or even Mickey Mouse. Use coins to practice the placement of your cupcakes, and then follow the pattern with freshly baked cupcakes. Place the cupcakes close together so there are no gaps. Frost the entire shape with one solid color of frosting, and then decorate with other colors to achieve the desired look. To serve, simply pull one cupcake at a time from the pattern, and the icing will pull away with it.

Theme Cupcakes

You can decorate cupcakes individually to coordinate with your party theme. One quick and easy method is to cover each cupcake with a solid color of icing, and then top it with a cupcake topper or small trinket that represents your chosen theme. Pipe thin red frosting onto white cupcakes to look like the stitches on a baseball for your favorite Little League team. Blue-frosted cupcakes with raindrop details and tiny umbrellas are perfect for baby showers, wedding showers and spring-themed parties. Try adding different types of candies and other edible decorations to cupcakes. Add crushed cookies and gummy worms to chocolate-iced cupcakes to make "dirt" cupcakes for a child's birthday party. Crushed graham crackers, blue icing and drink umbrellas are all you need to create cupcakes for a beach party.

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

You can combine the taste of cupcakes with the look of ice cream cones with these fun and easy ice cream cone cupcakes. Place flat-bottom ice cream cones in a muffin tin to stabilize them. Fill the cones halfway with cake batter, and bake according to the package directions until the cakes are cooked thoroughly. Use frosting or a whipped, non-dairy topping to decorate the cupcakes after they have cooled. Swirl the frosting to look like soft-serve ice cream, and then top the "ice cream" with sprinkles and a cherry to get the full effect. Use crushed cookies, peanuts, chocolate sauce and caramel to decorate these ice cream cone cupcakes too.