Easy Cupcakes

This rattle cupcake, perfect for a baby shower, is a variation of a design seen in a Betty Crocker publication. Change colors and candies for a less feminine look, or for variety. These rattles would also be cute with a baby’s name written on them in icing.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; pink frosting; lollipop stick; large yellow gumdrop; 5 small gummy candies; 5 purple candy-covered sunflower seeds; 1 small white candy; 1 white jellybean; length of pink gingham ribbon.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Insert lollipop stick into one side of cupcake, piercing through the wrapper. Stick other end into rounded part of gumdrop. Decorate with candies as shown, or use your imagination!

Sometimes all it takes to make the perfect cupcake is finding the perfect plastic topper. Check hobby shops, chain retailers, online cake supply stores, and so on for baby shower themed decorations such as babies, buggies, pacifiers and bottles.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; plastic rocking horse; silver dragees (the USDA considers these inedible, and supposedly they can’t be sold in California, but my mom had some in her cupboard).

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Add plastic topper. Sprinkle with dragees.

Planning a rubber duck themed baby shower? Place candy ducks in the center of a frosted cupcake and surround the cupcake with stars, made simple with icing in a tube or aerosol can.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white or off-white frosting; candy rubber ducks (I get mine from Kake Kreations in Canoga Park, California, which also offers mail order); orange icing in a tube or aerosol can; star tip. I also used ducky cupcake liners from Wilton.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Use tubed icing and star tip to pipe stars all around the cupcake. Place cupcake in center. Of course, you can make baby shower cupcakes in any color or to match other candy designs.

Pastel icing colors and cute plastic babies are the perfect recipe for a christening, baptism, baby blessing or baby shower.  These cupcakes would be just right for a girl baby shower, or use blues for a boy version.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; pink icing in pastry bag with star tip, or use premade icing in a tube; plastic praying baby figurine.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake white. Pipe stars all around the edge of the cupcake (if you don’t stop squeezing the pastry bag or tube when you pull up, you’ll get a pointier effect). Place baby figure in center of cupcake.

Make baby shower cupcakes quick by using commercially made plastic toppers. These sleeping babies can be found at arts and crafts and specialty shops and come in both boy and girl versions. You could write the baby’s name, if known, on the cupcakes, or just “boy” or “girl,” or maybe some of each if you want to turn your cupcakes into a fun guessing game activity!

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; frosting tinted blue; pastry bag and round metal tip #3 or similar (or use premade icing in a tube.)

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Pipe word in blue icing near front of cupcake, leaving room for plastic baby. Add the baby!

These cute cupcakes are quick and easy to make for a baby shower, christening or other baby-themed event. You can make them as simple or as elaborate as you’d like. A whole plate of them looks really neat!
What You Need: 1 cupcake; 1 mini cupcake; frosting tinted blue or pink or color of choice; white writing icing (premade in tube or use pastry bag and round tip such as #3).
How to Make It: Frost regular-sized cupcake. Hold mini cupcake in your hand and frost as much of it as you can. Place it on the cupcake to form bootie leg. Use spatula to smooth out icing and secure mini cupcake to regular cupcake. Piping a bow helps conceal where the 2 cupcakes join. Squeeze evenly around bootie and into a bow shape. Feel free to get creative, adding stripes, flowers, etc. to your baby shower cupcakes!