How to Cover a Cupcake Stand With Tulle

Decorating and covering a cupcake stand with tulle is great way to add a touch of whimsy or elegance. Plain white tulle can be very elegant and is often used at weddings, however tulle comes in almost any color. Just as the options for icing cupcakes are almost endless, the variety of tulle available makes it easy to mix the tulle and cupcakes for the perfect aesthetic combination. This is a fast, simple, and inexpensive way to make an basic, practical cupcake stand an interesting and attractive piece of decor. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Pick out the tulle. Tulle is available at most fabric stores and comes in many varieties. Along with coming in many colors, tulle also features options such as glitter, shimmer, sparkle, dots and oodles of other choices. If you can't find the exact color you desire, you can custom dye the tulle. Know the dimensions of the cupcake stand so you can be sure to purchase enough tulle to cover the stand. Tulle looks best when it is layered and fluffy, so it is more useful to over-estimate the amount you'll need. It is better to have extra than not enough to cover the cupcake stand.

Arrange the cupcakes on the cupcake stand with the stand placed in the designated location.

Wrap the cupcake stand with the tulle. You can start at the top of the stand and work your way to the bottom, or start from the bottom working from the top. There is no one correct method, it all depends on your taste and the look you are trying to achieve. Tulle is a very flexible and forgiving material. You may want to use a small amount of tape around the top of the cupcake stand to better hold the tulle in place. Do not pull the tulle taut to the stand as tulle is intended to look fluffy and billowy.

Get creative with the tulle if you have the time and the desire. Tulle can be shaped into flowers or bows and secured with tape or twist-wire. You can mix different colors of tulle together, or you can add leftover or extra tulle as streamers on the table on which the cupcake stand rests.

Tips

- Sometimes fabric can be cheaper if purchased online. You may find more tulle options by shopping online rather than limiting yourself to your local retailers.

- If the cupcake stand has multiple levels, you might want to add a ring of tulle to each level.

Cupcake Display Ideas

Once you've baked and frosted the cupcakes for your celebration or party, consider how you will display them. Simply setting them out on a platter is always acceptable, but it's also possible to create a more festive showcase for your efforts. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Picket Fence and Flowers

Frost the cupcakes in a variety of pastel shades to resemble flowers for a spring celebration or Easter party. Use a pastry bag to apply some green piping in the shape of a leaf near the edge of each cupcake to create the impression that the cupcakes are flowers. Place them on an elevated cake platter. Build a picket fence with flat craft sticks, which can be found at craft stores. Paint it white and staple a wire to it for stability. Surround the cake with your 'fence'. Fill in the space between the cake plate and the fence with Easter basket grass.

Cupcake Wrappers

Purchase cupcake wrappers in the theme that suits your event. For example, choose a silver filigree wrapper for the cupcakes for a winter wedding. Place them on a silver platter with an elaborate doily for a liner. For a young girl's birthday, try a princess crown cupcake wrapper in pink. Use pink frosting and a princess cupcake topper. Group the cupcakes around a birthday cake which is frosted in the same color.

Cupcake Party Kits

Find a Spongebob Squarepants, Sesame Street or Scooby Doo cupcake party kit for a child's birthday party. These (among many others) come with a display setup designed just for kids who love cupcakes. The paper displays are very colorful and inviting to little ones, so your efforts to catch their attention are sure to succeed.

Cupcake Stand

For a large gathering, you may want to invest in a cupcake stand. They come in square or round tiers of three, four, five or six levels. Make your display of cupcakes a delight to the eye by frosting them all in different colors, or make them all alike for a solid, monochrome effect. Or, try decorating them with attractive toppers that suit the party or theme of your festive occasion. Plastic cupcake stands are available for children's birthday parties. Another possibility is a wire stand, which is shaped to hold cupcake-sized treats. See Resources for more information.

How to Bake Patron Cupcakes

Bake Patron (tequila) cupcakes for your next social function and you will be the hostess with the mostess! These cupcakes are absolutely to die for. If you don't have a special event or party coming up, no problem; you can still bake Patron cupcakes just because they're scrumptious. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Grease your cupcake pan or use cupcake liners. If you are using foil cup liners, don't forget to remove the paper before filling with batter.

In a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients first: flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and lime shavings (about 1/4 tsp.).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry: egg, butter, milk, lime juice, orange liqueur and Patron. Blend well by hand or by mixer on low speed.

Pour batter into prepared cupcake pans. Bake until cupcakes appear medium brown or toothpick comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

For Patron cupcake frosting you can use a basic sweet buttercream frosting or vanilla frosting. Add 1/8 tsp. each lime juice, orange liqueur and Patron to the frosting.

Tips

- Use store-bought cake mix instead of this homemade version by adding Patron tequila, orange liqueur, lime juice and shavings.

- Add food coloring to make cupcakes lime green.

Warning

- These cupcakes are not for children.

Rules for a Cupcake Contest

Few things bring out the child in us like cupcakes or the chance to win prizes. When holding a cupcake contest, there are a few rules that should be posted and observed. Paramount among those are rules of eligibility, including age and residency, as well as deadlines. Including a list of prizes in the rules also is a good idea. Also, list whether there will be any entry fees. Add this to my Recipe Box.

General Rules

Consider whether you want to allow contestants to use box cake mixes or whether you want submissions to be made from scratch. This rule may apply to frostings as well. Also, are the cupcakes to be prepared on-site or can they be baked and decorated elsewhere and brought to the judges?

Submissions

Determine judging criteria in your rules. Some contests base judging on design originality, taste and ease of preparation. Others require contestants to make several types of cupcakes--for instance, a chocolate cupcake, a yellow cupcake and a wildcard cupcake that is left up to the contestant’s imagination. Contestants should bring copies of the recipes for their submissions, or you can set a deadline for recipes to be submitted.

Tasting and Visual Presentation

Stipulate how many samples are to be brought for judges. Also indicate whether photos of the cupcakes can be e-mailed or mailed prior to the contest or whether they will be judged on-site for appearance. As with the recipe, make certain the deadline for photo submissions is clear in the rules.

Additional Stipulations

If contestants use nuts in their cupcakes or frostings, they should make this clear to judges prior to tasting. Even the smallest allergy to nuts can cause anaphylaxis, so it’s better to nix a cupcake rather than cart off a judge. This also should apply to other potential food allergies, including coconut, which is a common flavoring in cupcakes, and gluten. Also, make sure you include contact information should any questions arise before the deadline.

How to Create Colorful Cupcake Stands for Selling Cupcakes

Do you need to make money or what to experiment in doing something different? Selling cupcakes is all the rage. You can create your own cupcake stands at craft fairs or bake sales that will interest buyers and help you sell cupcakes.

Here are a few tips to help you sell cupcakes with cupcake stands. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Figure out cool cupcake holders you can use. Several stores offer wire cupcake holders that will hold cupcakes in a triangular figuration. These cupcake holder options will gain visual interest to intrigue buyers. You can also make your own cupcake holder by stacking books and placing colorful table cloths over the top. Several weddings I've been to lately have included a cupcake wedding cake. Foam tiers can be bought from Sam's Club or your local grocery store. Line each foam team of the cupcake holder with cupcakes and viola, you have a visual statement for your cupcake stands.

Use interesting cupcake liners. If you are going for the look of classy cupcakes, use gold or silver cupcake liners. If you are hosting your cupcake stand for a birthday or special occasion use birthday cupcake liners or seasonal liners. Cupcake liners bring additional visual interest and define the overall product you have created.

Consider what you can use for cupcake decorations. Use a colorful frosting, or special sprinkles for a classic cupcake. If you want to use unique cupcake decorations you can use fondant, special cake decorations, or candy to create unique looks. Toasted coconut is another great cupcake decoration that adds an appeal to your cupcake design.

Figure out unique flavors that will make your cupcake stand apart from the rest. The flavors don't have to be over-the-top, just try to think of a unique flavor or decorating combination to make your cupcake your own.

Have fun! Cupcakes are so much fun to make and sell. They can brighten anyone's day.

How to Grease a Cupcake Pan

When greasing a cupcake pan, be sure to have some nonstick baking spray or shortening and to keep the pan clean and dry. Start baking correctly with tips from a professional chef in this free video about greasing a cupcake pan.

Video Transcript

Hi, I'm Sue Walker and I'm going to show you how to grease a cupcake pan. The things you will need are your cupcake pan and either nonstick baking spray or shortening. You want to make sure that your cupcake pan is clean and dry. Take your pan and hold it over the sink. I spray each individual cupcake area and I try not to get too much on the edges of the pan. After spraying, I take a paper towel and wipe off any coating that gets on the edges of the pan and all around the cupcakes. This will help prevent any stains or burning that will form on the edges from the baking. If you are using shortening, take a paper towel and scoop out some shortening. Rub each cupcake hole with the shortening on the bottom and the sides and you are ready to pour your batter. And that is how to grease a cupcake pan.

Bunny Cupcake Ideas

Bunny cupcakes are perfect for Easter and other springtime celebrations, but you don't have to wait for Easter to try out one of these bunny cupcake ideas. Surprise anyone who loves cuddly animals with a special treat or keep kids busy by helping them create bunny cupcakes using frosting and their favorite candies. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Simple Bunny Cupcakes

Fashion a bunny head on top of cupcakes with white frosting and marshmallows. Start by frosting cupcakes with tinted icing in any shade you desire. Top each cupcake with a spoonful of white frosting to represent the bunny's head. Create ears by cutting large marshmallows lengthwise into four long sections with kitchen scissors. Dip one of the cut sides of each marshmallow piece into pink decorator sugar. Now gently push two marshmallow bunny ears into the mound of white frosting on each cupcake. Add small candies or sprinkles to create eyes, nose and whiskers on each bunny's face.

Bunny Face Cupcakes

Use white fondant to create more elaborate bunny face cupcakes. You can purchase Fondant pre-made or as a dry mix in cake decorating stores or craft stores. Roll the fondant out 1/8 inch thick with a rolling pin dusted with confectioners' sugar. Cut bunny ear shapes out of the fondant with a knife and place them on a baking sheet. Allow the ears to dry overnight. Once the ears are dry and stiff, brush the middle of each ear with a clean, dampened paint brush. Sprinkle pink decorator sugar onto the center of each ear to complete the look of bunny ears.

Assemble the cupcakes by frosting standard size cupcakes with white frosting. Pipe two small mounds of frosting onto the center of each cupcake with an open tip to create the bunny's snout. Add a pink jelly bean for the nose, two white gum squares for teeth and candy coated chocolates for eyes. Press two fondant ears into the top of each cupcake.

Rabbit Hole Cupcakes

Instead of decorating each cupcake with a bunny, create a grassy cupcake field with a few bunny bottoms disappearing into their rabbit holes. This method is great when you need to make a large number of cupcakes but you don't have time to hand decorate each one. Start by frosting 20 cupcakes green to represent grass. Frost four cupcakes with chocolate frosting and then dip the cupcakes into crushed chocolate sandwich cookies. Slice the top off of eight white circus peanuts to create a flat peanut shape which will become a rabbit foot. Attach two feet to each chocolate cupcake with a little additional frosting. Add a mini marshmallow to represent the bunny's tail.

Cute Ribbon Ideas for Cupcakes

Cupcakes are a popular option for nearly any occasion. Even brides are choosing cupcakes over traditional tiered wedding cakes. Adding ribbons to the cupcakes dresses them up for the occasion, whether it's a kids' party or a wedding. The options for ribbon accents are varied, allowing you to find an option that fits your preference. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Fondant Ribbon

Fondant is a popular option for decorating cakes and cupcakes. It is a pliable, edible material that resembles play dough and can be made in any flavor. You can also tint the fondant to match the color of your cupcakes. Practice with fondant to make a ribbon that you like. Rolling the fondant flat and cutting it into strips creates the pieces for the loops. Once you make as many loops as you want, place a crumpled paper towel or wax paper inside to hold the shape until the fondant hardens. The hardened bow goes on top of an iced cupcake to complete the design.

Curling Ribbon

If you're looking for an easy ribbon idea, curling ribbon is an inedible option. You'll find curling ribbon in the gift wrap section of any store. It comes in a wide range of colors making it easy to match your party color scheme. Curl the ribbon into a spiral shape and place a few strands on top of each iced cupcake, mixing different colors to make the cupcakes more colorful. The ribbon looks cute with large, round sprinkles on top of the icing.

Ribbon Band

A length of ribbon around the paper cupcake liner is a more subtle way to decorate your baked goodies. Choose a ribbon that coordinates with the cupcake design and use a hot glue gun or glue dots to hold it in place. Glue dots are available at craft stores and eliminate the strings that sometimes form with hot glue. Add a bow, button, silk flower or other embellishment where the ribbon ends meet to dress up the cupcake liners even more.

Balloons

This cute cupcake arrangement idea also makes use of curling ribbon. The cupcakes are iced in various bright colors to resemble balloons. Colorful curling ribbon creates the strings of the balloons. Tape the ends of the ribbons down to the cake board where each cupcake will go. The cupcakes will cover the tape once you place them on the board. Arrange them so they resemble a bunch of balloons. The other ends of the strings are gathered and tied together to complete the balloon cupcakes.

Flower Cupcake Ideas

Cupcakes offer a tasty alternative to traditional cakes for almost any celebration. Birthdays, showers, even weddings feature cupcakes. Flowers are a popular choice for topping cakes and cupcakes. Whether you want an elegant flower cupcake topper or a funky flower topper, there are many ways to decorate your flower cupcakes. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Fondant

Fondant offers more options than traditional icing. It is a sugar-based product that resembles Play-Doh in texture. You can roll out the fondant or mold it into various shapes. For a simple flower cupcake topper, roll the fondant into a sheet. Use a flower-shaped cookie cutter to make the flower toppers. Regular cookie cutters work with fondant, or you can purchase special fondant cutters. Choose a cookie cutter that is small enough so the flowers will fit neatly on top of the cupcake.

Edible Flowers

Using real flowers on top of the cupcakes adds an elegant touch to the design. The flower selection is essential when placing real flowers on top of a cupcake or cake. Make sure you choose an edible bloom. Examples of edible flowers are daisies, lavender, roses, violets and fruit tree blossoms such as apple, peach and orange blossoms. Some flowers are toxic, so only use edible varieties as cupcake toppers. Flowers can cause allergic reactions, so consider this option carefully. Choose flowers that haven't been sprayed with pesticides. Wash the flowers to remove any dirt. Inspect them for bugs before using them on the cupcakes. Removing the pistils and stamens gets rid of the pollen on the flowers, which can bother some people.

Silk Flowers

Because there are some safety concerns about using real flowers, silk flowers offer a fine alternative for cupcake toppers. Craft stores sell a variety of silk flowers that resemble almost any real flower. Many of them look realistic so your cupcakes will still look elegant. You also don't have to worry about silk flowers wilting like real flowers.

Flower Cupcake Arrangement

For a variation on the flower theme, place the cupcakes so they resemble a flower on the serving tray. Ice each cupcake a solid color depending on how you want your flower to look. Ice one cupcake yellow to represent the center of the flower. Place the yellow flower in the middle of the tray. Arrange the other cupcakes around it to create the flower.

Pretty Cupcake Ideas

Cupcakes are a good canvas to create a masterpiece. Using simple ingredients such as raw sugar, sugar cookies and edible decorations, you can create your own pretty cupcakes that are appealing and delicious. These cupcakes will sparkle and stand upright when all is said and done. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Crystallized Cupcakes

One easy way to create sparkly cupcakes is with the use of raw sugar. Instead of fine, minuscule sugar particles, raw sugar is chunkier and thicker, and the particles stand out more. Bake cupcakes according to the box directions and set aside to cool. Use any color frosting to create these cupcakes, but soft colors help accent the look of the raw sugar. Create the right color by adding food coloring to vanilla frosting. After frosting the cupcakes, simply sprinkle the raw sugar over the cupcakes, or you can dip the top of the cupcakes into a bowl of the raw sugar. You will want a crystallized effect, so the more sprinkled raw sugar, the better.

Multi-Colored Cupcakes

Bite into these cupcakes to see a surprising array of colors. Mix the cupcake batter according to the box directions. Separate the batter into as many colors as wanted. For example, divide the batter into thirds for a three-layer cupcake. Add food coloring to each batter, such as purple, pink and yellow. Fill one-third of the baking cups with the first colored batter, then repeat with each of the other colored batters, layering on top. Bake the cupcakes per the box directions and let cool. Frost the cupcakes with desired colors.

Sugar Cookie Cupcakes

Garnish your cupcakes with small sugar cookies for a pretty topping. Mix the cookie dough batter per box directions and roll out. Cut out shapes such as a heart, flower, etc., that are small enough to fit on top of the cupcakes. Let the cookies cool and set aside. Bake cupcakes according to the box directions and let cool. Coordinate the color of the sugar cookie icing with the cupcake frosting. Ice the sugar cookies with a pink or white gel. Place small edible silver balls around the outside of the iced sugar cookie to create a border. You can find the decorations in your local baking supplies store. Frost the cookies with pink or white frosting and place the sugar cookie into the cupcake so that it stands upright.

Butterfly Cupcake Ideas

Delicate, fluttering wings of butterflies capture the imagination of adults and kids alike. These creatures also inspire beautiful cupcake decorating ideas. Butterfly cupcakes work well for a variety of celebrations including birthdays, showers and weddings. Spring and summer events mesh well with the butterfly theme, but the butterfly cupcakes can be used year round. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Chocolate Butterflies

Melted chocolate allows you to create delicate butterfly wings for a cupcake topper. Draw a simple butterfly wing template. Make two separate wings, one for each side. Place the templates under a piece of wax paper. Melt the chocolate according to the package directions. Chocolate wafers used for candy making are ideal because they harden without adding anything extra. They also come in a variety of colors so you can customize the look of your butterflies. Place the melted chocolate in a pastry bag. Snip off the tip of the bag so the chocolate can come out. Trace the wing template on the wax paper with chocolate. You can leave it as just an outline or fill it in for a solid wing. Try using different colors for a more interesting look. Once the wings are hardened, press them into the icing on the cupcake so they stand up. Make the body of the butterfly with icing.

Pretzel Wings

This butterfly cupcake idea is a much easier way to decorate the cupcakes. Use candy or icing to make the body of the butterfly down the middle of the cupcake. Take two small pretzels and press them into the icing so they stick up off of the cupcake. The side of the pretzel with the two curved edges should face up to create the look of wings. You can also dip the pretzels in melted chocolate and let them harden before placing them on the cupcakes. Choose chocolate wafers in any color for bright butterfly wings.

Butterfly Sprinkles

Another simple option is to use butterfly sprinkles to top the cupcakes. Find sprinkles shaped like butterflies in the cake decorating section of craft stores. Specialty stores that sell baking supplies might also carry the sprinkles. Start by icing the cupcakes with a large swirl of colored icing. Shake the sprinkles on top of the icing and the cupcakes are done.

Cupcake Cake

The cupcake cake is an alternative to a sheet cake. The cupcakes are arranged in a particular shape and then iced with one layer of icing to make them look like one big cake. Place the cupcakes on a cake board in the shape of a butterfly. A bit of icing on the bottom of each cupcake will hold it in place to make decorating easier. Spread a layer of icing over the cupcake tops to create the base color for the butterfly. Add stripes, dots, swirls and other designs to the butterfly to complete the decoration.

Fruit Butterflies

This butterfly cupcake design uses fruit slices as the wings. You can use either real fruit slices or candy fruit slices. The curved edge of the fruit slice goes in toward the body of the butterfly. Cut a small slice in the outer edge of each fruit slice wing to create the look of the two separate wings. If you're using candy fruit slices, use a gummy worm to create the body of the butterfly. For real fruit slices, using icing to make the body.

Animal Cupcake Ideas

Depart from the traditional sheet cakes at your next birthday party in favor of cupcakes. These sweet little treats come in individual serving sizes so you won't spend the entire party stuck at the food table cutting cake. An animal-themed party lends itself well to a variety of cupcake designs. Many of the decorating ideas are easy to adapt to the specific type of animals you're featuring at the party. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Animal Faces

Decorate each cupcake top as the animal's face. Cover the cupcake with a layer of frosting in a color that coordinates with the animal. For example, use orange frosting for a tiger or green frosting for a frog. If the animal is furry, use a grass icing tip which has several small holes in it. This tip makes the icing resemble fur. Add the facial details of the animal using either frosting or fondant. Fondant allows you to shape the facial features and stick them in the frosting base. If you choose frosting, use a pastry bag with an attached icing tip to draw the features on the cake. Add any other details such as stripes on a tiger or spots on a cow.

Fondant Animals

Fondant works well to create three-dimensional animal cupcake toppers. You can either purchase pre-made fondant at the store or make your own. Gum paste also works for the animal figures. Tint the fondant to match the desired color for the animal. Craft stores also sell colored fondant so you don't have to mess with food coloring. Model the fondant into the animal shapes much the same way you would use play dough. Use contrasting colors of fondant to add details to the animals. Let the fondant animals harden for a few days so they hold their shape. Place them on top of an iced cupcake to complete the design.

Animal Prints

Instead of actually creating an animal on the cupcake, ice it to resemble an animal print. This option works with both frosting and fondant. Ice the cake in the background color. Add the print with another color. For example, for zebra print cupcakes, ice them white. Use a pastry bag fitted with a decorating tip to draw on the zebra stripes using black icing. Tiger stripes, leopard spots and cow spots are just a few other options that work well.

Cupcake Cake

For a different twist, arrange the cupcakes into the shape of an animal. Glue the cupcakes into place on a cake board using a dab of frosting. Ice all of the cupcake tops as one unit using a color that fits the selected animal. For example, if the cupcakes are arranged in the shape of a dog, you might use brown frosting as the base color. Use additional colors of icing to add the details of the animal. The cake resembles a large cake but is easy to serve because the guests just grab a cupcake.

Plastic Animal Toppers

This decorating option takes the least amount of work. Ice the cupcakes in any color. You can use a decorating tip to make a swirl of frosting or ice them smooth. Another option is to use a grass decorating tip and green frosting to make a grassy covering. Place a new, clean plastic animal toy on the top of each cupcake. The animals tie the cupcakes to the theme and give each guest a little toy to take home.

Girls Cupcake Ideas

Pretty cupcakes add a feminine touch to any event. Whether your little girl is celebrating a birthday, hosting a sleepover or achieved a big accomplishment, the girly cupcakes make a fitting celebratory dessert. Consider the tastes of the girl you are honoring when selecting the cupcake design. Choose the colors and decorations based on what she would like. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Flowers

Flowers are often associated with feminine decorations. There are several options for adding flowers to the top of cupcakes. One simple option is to place a silk flower on top of the cupcakes after you ice them. Look at the craft store for silk flowers that fit the style of the party. Other options include cutting the flowers out of rolled fondant, molding the flowers from fondant or piping the flowers with buttercream icing.

Butterflies

Butterflies offer another feminine touch to the top of a cupcake. Use a butterfly-shaped cookie cutter to cut out butterflies from fondant or gum paste. Add details to the butterfly using additional colors of fondant. Place the butterflies on top of iced cupcakes. For a double dose of femininity, place the butterfly on top of a cupcake decorated with a flower design.

Cupcake Flags

Cupcake flags allow you to customize the decorations to honor the female recipient. Print the guest of honor's initials or a picture of something she likes on a pink or lavender card stock. Cut out the picture in the shape of a circle, square, heart or rectangle. Glue or tape the shapes to toothpicks or short pieces of a wooden skewer. Press the flags into cupcakes iced with a swirl of pink or lavender icing. Another option for icing is to cover the surface of the cupcakes with frosting rosettes.

Purse

Decorate the tops of the cupcakes to resemble a purse. Ice the cupcakes smooth with white icing. Use pink icing in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip to make the purse. Cover half of the cupcake with pink icing stars. Switch to a round icing tip to add the details. Outline the purse with the icing. Draw a flap along the top part of the purse. Make a series of dots that touch along the top curve of the cupcake to make the handle of the purse.

Ribbons & Tulle

Ribbons and tulle offer another feminine touch to the cupcakes. Cut lengths of tulle to fit around the cupcake. Wrap the tulle around the cupcake liner attaching it with a glue dot or tape to resemble a tutu. Ice the cupcake in the girl's favorite color. Create a bow for the top of the cupcake out of real ribbon or fondant. To make fondant bow, cut strips out of rolled fondant. Make loops with the fondant strips. Place a ball of plastic wrap inside each loop to hold the shape. Once they are hardened, place them on top of the cupcake to create a bow.

Alien Cupcake Ideas

The unknown of outer space captures the imaginations of many children. Aliens are often part of imaginative play involving outer space. Incorporating aliens into a party theme takes advantage of a child's interest in the topic. Bake and decorate your own alien cupcakes for a custom dessert option at the alien theme party. Alternatively, older kids can decorate their own alien cupcakes. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Hairy Alien

Create hairy aliens on these cupcakes. A "grass" decorating tip (a special tip with lots of small holes in it) works well to shape frosting to resemble hair or fur. Squeeze the bag and let the icing come out of the holes until it reaches the desired length. You can do short spiky hair or longer hair on the aliens. Cover the entire top of the cupcake with the hair icing. Add eyes, mouths, antennae and any other details you want on the alien cupcakes.

One-Eyed Alien

Use the top of the cupcake as the alien's head. Ice the cupcakes in any color you want. Use a large, round candy to make the eye in the middle of the cupcake. You can also use fondant and shape it into a round eye shape. Fondant is a pliable, edible material that resembles play dough or clay. Look for it in the cake decorating section of craft stores. Add a smaller round candy to the middle of the eye to make it look more realistic. Add a mouth and any other details using candy, frosting or fondant.

Tentacles

A tentacled alien is another option for the cupcake design. Ice the cupcakes with whatever color you prefer. Green is often used for aliens, but any color works. Use fondant to create tentacles for the cupcakes. Roll the fondant into a snake shape. The tentacles should come to a point at the end. You can also use taffy for the tentacles. Knead it until it is a workable consistency and then shape it into tentacles. Place the tentacles into the icing on top of the cupcake so they go down the sides of the cupcake. Add eyes and other details to the cupcakes using icing or candies. Round, candy-coated chocolate candies work well for the eyes. Licorice strips can create the antennae.

3D Aliens

This cupcake design creates an alien that stands up on top of the cupcake. Start with a layer of green frosting on the cupcake. Cut a large marshmallow in half, and place one of the halves on top of each cupcake. Spread some green frosting on one side of a donut hole, and press it onto the marshmallow half. Cover the alien shape with green frosting in a thin coat. Freeze the cupcakes for about 15 minutes. Heat up the remaining green frosting so you can easily coat the aliens with it. You can either pour a small amount of the frosting over the aliens or turn the cupcake upside down and dip it into the frosting. Pouring the frosting might result in messy cupcake liners if the frosting runs down the sides. Add eyes and antennae to the alien cupcakes using candy such as licorice strips for the antennae and round, candy-coated chocolate for the eyes.

Simple Fun Cupcake Ideas

You can create artisan-style cupcakes that look like you ordered them from a specialty baker. There's no need to make the cake or the frosting from scratch---keep things simple and use store-bought cake mix and a tub of frosting. Spend your time decorating the cakes, dressing them up with your creativity. Use toppings like candy, sprinkles, gel icing, fruit, pie filling and more. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Flower Garden Cupcakes

Make cupcakes that capture the colors of nature. Start with chocolate cupcakes baked with a box cake mix. Frost them with any white or off-white frosting and dust the frosting with pale green sprinkles. Top the cupcakes with real flowers, snipped from your garden; you can also buy an inexpensive spring bouquet from your florist or grocer and snip the buds from the stems. This idea works well for adult birthday parties or wedding showers.

Message Cupcakes

Use cupcakes to spell a word or phrase like "Happy Birthday," "Good Luck," "Baby Boy" and more. Have each cupcake represent one letter in your message, and write the letter on top of the frosted cupcake with candy bits or gel icing. You might use cinnamon red hots to spell out "Happy Anniversary," for example, or pink M&Ms to write "Baby Girl." Get creative with your lettering---you can use black and red licorice strips for straight-line letters, round cookies for the letter "o," or chocolate kisses for dots over the letter "i."

Bug Cupcakes

Martha Stewart creates "bug" cupcakes for kids that are decorated with an extra bit of cake decorated to look like wings. Bake a few extra cupcakes and slice off just the top portion. Cut this portion in half---you'll end up with two half-moon shapes to use as insect wings. Place these "wings" on top of frosted cupcakes, and decorate them with colorful spots of frosting or candy. Use a gumdrop as your bug's head, and licorice antennae.

Healthier Cupcakes

Bake a healthier, lower-fat version of traditional cupcakes by following advice from Betty Crocker: bake your store-bought cake mix with applesauce or plain yogurt in place of vegetable oil. Top your cupcakes with a light dusting of powdered sugar instead of thick frosting, and arrange slices of fruit over the top. Use thin slices of peach, strawberry or kiwi, arranged in a circle. Drop raspberries or blueberries in the center of the circle.

Black Forest Cupcakes

For those who love black forest cakes, you can make a variation on this time-consuming dessert in cupcake form. Use devil's food cake mix for your cupcakes and frost them with vanilla or cream cheese frosting. Transfer your leftover frosting, about a quarter-tub, to a pastry bag with a narrow decorator's tip. Pipe the frosting around the edge of the cupcake---make sure it stands at least a half-inch high. Spoon canned cherry pie filling onto the top of your cupcakes. The piped frosting will hold the runny filling in place. Be sure to serve these with plenty of napkins.

Fun Flower Cupcake Ideas

Cupcakes are delightfully petite and sweet treats. Despite their relatively small size, cupcakes lend themselves well to all types of creative embellishment. You can make each one slightly different, if you desire, so that one batch contains several individual works of art. Flowers, of which there are so many varieties, are ideal motifs for cupcake decoration. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Create Flowers with Frosting

By using frosting tips, you can create a variety of petals, leaves and stems to embellish cupcakes with any types of flowers you desire. Try topping cupcakes with basic daisies fashioned with flat, ovoid, white frosting petals and round, bulbous, yellow-tinted frosting centers. A helpful, illustrated guide to frosting tips can be found at bigstep.ladycakes.com.

Bake in Flower-Shaped Pans

Bake your cupcakes in cupcake pans that are shaped like flowers. When removed from the pans, you will have charming, flower-shaped cupcakes that require little in the way of further embellishment. For a lovely effect, bake red velvet cupcakes in rose-shaped cupcake tins; when they are finished baking, you will have a bouquet of edible red roses.

Use Real, Edible Flowers

Some gourmet food markets and baking supply retailers sell packages of edible flowers, which you can use to decorate your cupcakes. Using real, edible flowers will lend a sense of organic, natural beauty to your cupcakes. Try using edible red and pink rose petals for a romantic effect, ideal for wedding or Valentine's Day cupcakes. Use bright orange nasturiums for a cheerful look suitable for a birthday party.

Embellish with Crystallized, Edible Flowers

Take basic edible flowers to the next level by lightly coating them in egg white and granulated sugar for a frosty, crystallized look. Crystallized edible flowers have a pristine, glistening effect, giving your cupcakes a fanciful, fairytale-like appearance.

Form Flowers with Nuts and Candies

You can use other edible components, such as nuts and candies, to form flowers on your cupcakes. Simply embed these edible elements in a layer of frosting. Try using slivered or halved golden almonds, russet pecans, pretty, pale green pistachios, or marshmallows to create flower petals. Use chocolate chips, colored sprinkles or gum drops to make flower centers.

Make a Cupcake Bouquet

To make a cupcake bouquet, decorate each cupcake in a batch with a different flower, so that no two are alike. Include a daisy, a rose, a violet and a lily for a varied, dynamic and colorful effect. You can create all your flowers with frosting, or make some with frosting, some with edible flowers and some with nuts and other components.

Add Charm and Humor with Bees

Some purveyors of baking supplies sell charming sugar bees, which are fitting companions for any flower-emblazoned cupcakes. Try adding a single bee to each flower cupcake for an effect that is sure to delight the senses of sight and humor as well as the taste buds.

Cute Fondant Cupcake Ideas

When it comes to the latest dessert trends, gone are the days of boring, plainly iced cupcakes. Thanks to the popularity of televised cooking shows and competitions, more decorative cupcakes are becoming increasingly popular. At-home cooks are also realizing that these small, sweet treats are fun to decorate and don't take as much time to adorn as cakes. By combining fondant and icing to decorate your cupcakes, you have a wide array of decorative options. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Handmade Decorations

Whether you choose to make your own fondant or purchase the ready-to-use kind, you can impress your guests with adorable handmade fondant decorations. Working with fondant is very similar to working with clay. According to EasyCupcakes.com, mixing fondant evenly with gum paste will enable you to make sturdier decorations. You can use your hands and some tools to roll, smooth, cut and shape fondant into endless possibilities. Some ideas include making beautiful flowers, precious animals, lush leaves or other greenery and cute insects, such as ladybugs and butterflies. You can also use fondant to make caricatures of a person for their birthday or any other occasion.

Tie-Dyed Poured Fondant

Many cupcakes use a perfectly smooth fondant base to serve as the foundation for a decorative theme---this is poured fondant. For this idea, you will need to make (or purchase) white fondant in addition to several other colors. To get started, heat the white fondant in a medium-sized bowl until it is liquid but not boiling. Do the same with the other colors, except place these in individual plastic bottles with narrow dispenser tips. To create the tie-dyed effect, squirt small dots of color in the hot white fondant. Starting on one side of the bowl, use a knife to drag through the color until you reach the other side of the bowl. Repeat as necessary, careful not to over-stir the colors. Lastly, hold your cupcakes upside down and dip them into the hot fondant. If you like, you can give them a second coat once the first is dry.

Animation-Inspired Cupcakes

Look to video game or cartoon characters, such as Super Mario, for inspiration when decorating cupcakes, according to WomansDay.com. You can use poured fondant to make your base and then rolled fondant that you cut into shapes to make characters and other animation-inspired aspects of the cakes. This is a way to incorporate a themed birthday party into the delicious treats you serve your guests.

Spring Cupcake Ideas

If you enjoy baking, consider creating special springtime cupcakes to celebrate the season. These treats make great gifts for friends and family and an ideal dessert to bring to an spring potluck or dinner party. Even if you are new to cupcake decorating, making springtime cupcakes is easy enough for a beginner. This spring, consider making blooming flower cupcakes, sunflower cupcakes or candy butterfly cupcakes. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Blooming Flower Cupcakes

Bake a batch of your favorite cupcakes either from scratch or a boxed variety. Prepare butter cream icing or purchase pre-made white icing of a flavor of your choice. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely, then use a spatula to carefully ice each cupcake with a thin layer of white icing.

Use the remaining icing and food coloring to make yellow, pink and purple icing. Use a decorating bag to place a yellow icing circle on the center of each cupcake to create the middle of the flower. Use the same method to add pink and purple petals around the yellow circle to make springtime flowers. Serve the cupcakes, give them to your friends or keep them in an airtight container to eat or share later.

Sunflower Cupcakes

Make a batch of cupcakes using any recipe that you prefer. Once the cupcakes are cool, ice each one with chocolate icing. You can make the icing yourself or buy it from a store. Make butter cream icing or purchase your favorite white icing, then add yellow food coloring to tint the icing yellow. Put the yellow icing in a decorating bag, then pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes to make sunflower petals. Use the remaining chocolate icing in a decorating bag to add a circle to the middle of the petals to make the sunflower's center. Make sure to store the cupcakes in an airtight container if you plan to serve them at a later time.

Candy Butterfly Cupcakes

Bake your favorite cupcakes then allow them to cool completely. Meanwhile, prepare a batch of butter cream icing or purchase white icing. Use green food coloring to tint the icing green, then ice each cupcake using a spatula. Use writing icing or gel purchased at a store to draw a butterfly's body, head and antennae on each cupcake. Place four candy-coated chocolates around the butterfly's body to create its wings. You can use any kind of candy that you like, but an oval-shaped pastel chocolate works the best. Serve the cupcakes or store them in an airtight container for later.

Bug Cupcake Ideas

Bug cupcakes add a sweet touch to a bug-themed birthday party or a spring celebration. Cupcakes are easy to bake and decorate even for those without cake decorating experience. There are many adorable cupcake design options that fit the bug theme. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Icing Bugs

The round top of the cupcake allows it to be easily used to create the body of a bug. Ladybugs work particularly well. Ice the cupcake smooth to match the color of the bug. For a ladybug, use red icing to cover the cupcake top. Use other colors of icing to add the details on the bug. Spots in chocolate icing work well for the ladybug design. Add legs going out the side of the cupcake using licorice strips or straight pretzels. To make a caterpillar in a similar method, ice individual cupcakes and place them right next to one another to form the body. Add eyes to the first cupcake to complete the caterpillar.

Bug Candy

Top an iced cupcake with candy shaped like a bug. If you can't find any candy that already looks like a bug, use individual candies to form a bug shape on top of the cupcake. Use small, round candies as the body sections for caterpillars, placing them next to one another across an iced cupcake. Use fruit slice candies as wings for ladybugs and other bugs. Use licorice or gummy worms as the legs and antennae for different bugs.

Toy Bugs

Little, plastic bug toys work well as an inexpensive and easy cupcake topper for the bug theme. Many toy stores sell bulk packages of little plastic bugs. You might also be able to find packages of kids' toy rings shaped like bugs that are ideal for cupcake toppers. Ice the cupcakes however you want. One fitting idea is to ice the cupcakes with green frosting to resemble grass. Look for a specialty decorating tip with lots of little holes in it that is used to make grass. Place the plastic bug toys in the icing. Always use new bug toys and rinse them off before using them to make sure they are clean. The children will be delighted to get a little prize with each cupcake.

Cupcake Cake

A cupcake cake is an alternative way to arrange and serve cupcakes. The individual cupcakes are placed onto a cake board into the shape of a bug. Hold the cupcakes in place by spreading a small dab of frosting on the bottom of each one before pressing it onto the cake board. Spread the icing over the tops of all of the cupcakes at once so it creates the look of a solid cake surface. Add details to the bug cupcake cake with other colors of frosting.

Horse Cupcake Ideas

Horse-themed cupcakes get guests in the mood for a Western or horse theme party. Cupcakes work well for parties because of the ease of serving the dessert. The guests can take their own cupcakes at their leisure. No one is stuck carving up a full-sized cake for the entire party. There are several ways to create the horse look with cupcakes. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Toy Toppers

Small plastic horse toys double as a cupcake topper and a treat for the guests. Ice the cupcakes to resemble a grassy pasture. A special grass decorating tip with many small holes allows you to pipe on green frosting to resemble a pasture. Another option is to tint coconut with green food coloring. Sprinkle the coconut over a smooth layer of green frosting. Press a plastic horse into the icing on each cupcake so that it stands upright. Look at dollar stores or toy stores for bulk packages of small horse toys.

Horseshoes

A horseshoe on top of each cupcake is a related decoration option. Shape horseshoes from fondant, or pipe the horseshoe shape directly onto the cupcake using icing. A lasso around the horseshoe adds more decoration to the cupcake. Twist a long rope of brown fondant to resemble a lasso. Place it around the edge of the cupcake in a lasso shape with the end hanging off the side of the cupcake.

Fondant Horse

Fondant also works well for creating a horse head. Fondant is an edible material that works in a fashion similar to clay. You can roll it and mold it to create different shapes. Mold a piece of colored fondant to resemble a horse head including the ears. Press it on top of a cupcake iced with frosting in the same color. Make a horse tail from fondant and place it onto the opposite end of the cupcake. The cupcake itself creates the body of the horse. Wilton offers special cupcake liners that include animal legs on the bottom. There is a horse version of these reusable cupcake liners, which would accompany this decorating idea.

Circus Peanut Horse

If you're not comfortable working with fondant, a circus peanut candy offers a shape that resembles a horse head. Attach a circus peanut to a thick pretzel rod, which creates the horse's neck. You can dip both the circus peanut and the pretzel into melted white or milk chocolate for a uniform color and look. Use frosting to add the horse's facial features. Press the pretzel rod into the cupcake.

Cupcake Corral

Add the horse theme to the cupcake presentation for added visual effect. Set up a corral using fencing from a child's play set. You can also make your own fence by gluing together craft sticks. Arrange the fencing sections into a rectangular or circular horse corral. Arrange the horse cupcakes inside the makeshift corral.