Assorted Cupcake Decoration Ideas

Every occasion or celebration is associated with a particular theme or with particular colors. If you are serving cupcakes on a special occasion (a baby shower, a birthday, an annual holiday such as Easter or Christmas), decorate them accordingly. Roses, for instance, make perfect cupcake decorations for a summer garden luncheon. You can use countless decorations for Christmas cupcakes (snowmen and snowflakes, Santa Claus, Christmas trees and Christmas tree ornaments, and much more). Bunnies, chicks and egg shapes are easy to make Easter cupcake decorations. Choose color for cupcake decorations according to the occasion too. Many celebrations are associated with specific colors (green, red, gold and silver for Christmas, yellow and pink for Easter, pink, white, silver and gold for weddings %u2026). Cupcake decoration shapes and designs are made of hardened sugar icing. If you plan to make the icing yourself, follow recipe instructions to the letter; the consistency of the icing has to be exactly right (stiff enough so it won't run, yet malleable enough to shape). Many cooks enjoy decorating cupcakes, but prefer to buy pre-made sugar icing.

To decorate cupcakes you will need a frosting spatula, an icing bag, icing tips for the icing bag, toothpicks and greaseproof paper or aluminum foil. The frosting spatula is used to spread icing evenly on the cupcakes, the icing bag and icing tips are used to form the various decorative shapes. Purchase icing tips in several shapes and sizes. Available shapes include star shapes, shell shapes, drop flower shapes, v-shapes, round shapes, and more. You can start by purchasing a set that includes several icing tip shapes and sizes.

Use the sugar icing and the icing bag, with tips, to form your decorations, working over a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil. Do not attempt to make the decorations directly unto the cupcakes. Select the appropriate icing tip for the shape you are making. For instance, use the round tip for writing, forming bow shapes, flower stalks etc. Allow your finished decorations to harden on the sheet of wax paper before you use food coloring to paint on any additional details. Since these are often tiny (eyes, buttons and other embellishments), toothpicks make the task easier.

Place the sheet of foil or wax paper holding the decorations in your fridge while you frost the cupcakes. You may want to purchase readymade fondant and add food coloring to it before spreading it on the cupcakes. Once the cupcakes are covered with a generous layer of icing, peel off the hardened decorations and stick them unto the iced cupcakes. Butter cream icing is particularly easy to work with.

With practice, you will perfect your cupcake decoration skills, and you can begin to add more intricate decorations and designs to your repertoire. For instance, instead of a flat flower shape on the top of the cupcake, you can make different colored petals and a green flower stalk, place the stalk on top of the cupcake with most of the petals, and then place two or three petals on the sides of the cake to give a 'falling flower' effect. There are many easy and fun ways to decorate cupcakes. Because they are miniature cakes, you have much more leeway than with a single large cake. One idea is to draw the faces and the write names of your guests on each cupcake using the icing bag. Everyone (children particularly) will be thrilled to get a cupcake made especially for them.