Cupcake Decorting Ideas

Cupcakes offer both novice and professional cake designers a miniature blank canvas to create fun or formal designs. The best part is that even if you do destroy one cupcake, you probably have a dozen more just waiting to showcase your decorations. Don't be afraid to carve away pieces of the cupcake or "glue" it back together again as long as you only use edible glues such as royal or butter cream icing. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Sculpted Cupcakes

Transform your cupcakes into wild animals, monsters or your favorite fruits with edible ingredients. Once you create the proper shape with candy or baked goods, cover your creation with frosting to give it a sculpted appearance. A mini doughnut placed on top of a cupcake becomes an apple when covered with red, green or yellow frosting. A doughnut hole can be used as the head of a penguin, rubber duck, or panda bear. A cream-filled snack cake such as a Twinkie becomes the head of a friendly whale, man eating shark or the nose of a majestic moose when cut in half and placed on top of a cupcake.

Cupcake Cakes

A cupcake cake consists of a group of cupcakes placed as close together as possible. The frosting is then applied over the top of the grouped cupcakes to give them the appearance of a single cake. Group cupcakes into a circle and cover with pale brown frosting to create a pizza cupcake cake for a bake sale or other function. Top the brown frosting crust with red frosting, shredded white chocolate and "pepperonis" cut from red fruit leather. Another idea is to arrange the cupcakes into the shape of an animal such as a elephant or alligator for a child's birthday party. Celebrate the holidays with cupcakes arranged in a festive wreath pattern and topped with green frosting and round red candies to simulate berries.

Cupcake Icing

The way you apply icing to your cupcakes can make a big difference in their finished appearance. Applying icing with a knife gives frosting a textured look due to the knife marks the icing. Achieve a smooth look by melting your frosting in the microwave and gently dipping the cupcake into it. Another option is to pipe icing onto the cupcakes. Thin piped lines of icing applied haphazardly can look like noodles, yarn or wild hair. A thick swirl of icing applied with a large star decorating tip looks like a swirl of whipped cream and gives simple cupcakes a finished appearance.

Candy Decorations

Scour the candy aisles for ideas when it comes to decorating your cupcakes. You can create faces by using assorted candies as facial features. Jelly beans are similar in shape to ears while a round candy coated chocolate centered on a dot of white frosting simulates eyes. Cut a mouth from a piece of red taffy or use a red heart shape candy as puckered lips.