Posts Tagged ‘cupcakes’

Rocking horse baby shower cupcakes

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

Rocking horse cupcake

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.

Lion cupcakes with sprinkle mane

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Lion cupcake chocolate sprinkles

For this little lion, all you need are candies — no special tips or tubes required. If you don’t have these exact candies, just pick something you do have.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; frosting tinted a deep yellow; chocolate sprinkles (mane); 2 large Wilton sprinkles (cheeks); 2 small white candies (eyes); brown mini M&M (nose); pink gel icing (mouth); 2 candy corns (ears); black food-safe pen.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. Sprinkle chocolate sprinkles around the entire edge of the cupcake for mane. Use black food-safe pen to write pupil on white candy eyes. Add candies to make face as shown.

4th of July cupcakes with red candies

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

4th of July cupcake

Red mini M&Ms are sprinkled on these easy red, white, and blue cupcakes for Independence Day.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white or off-white frosting; red mini M&Ms; blue sugar; 1M metal tip; pastry bag.

How to Make It: Use white frosting and metal tip in pastry bag to make 1M swirl (start at the outside of the cupcake and work inward and upward). Sprinkle with blue sugar. Add red M&Ms.

Red, White, and Blue cupcakes

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Red, white & blue cupcake

The famous “1M swirl” combined with virtually any red, white, and/or blue sprinkles, sugars, or other decorations are sure to be a big hit on Fourth or July or at any patriotic events. This cupcake features both red and blue sugar and is topped with a large Wilton sprinkle star.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white or off-white frosting; red sugar; blue sugar; large red Wilton star sprinkle; 1M metal tip; pastry bag.

How to Make It: Place 1M metal tip inside pastry bag (if you’re using a disposable plastic bag, just cut to fit). Fill bag halfway full with icing. Squeeze steadily, from the outside of the cupcake inward, to cover the top of the cupcake with a swirl of icing. Then, either continue the motion while moving slightly inward or start a new swirl on top of the first one. Finish with a peak by stopping the squeeze. Sprinkle with colored sugars and top with star.

Fit 1M metal tip to disposable pastry bag (the 1M tip is larger than standard size; a disposable bag means you won’t have to cut so far into a cloth bag). Fill pastry bag halfway with white icing (we used canned icing, but homemade may make for more appealing, stiffer swirls). While squeezing out icing, move arm in a circular motion and cover the top of the cupcake with a swirl of icing. Then, starting a little bit in from the edge this time, make a second swirl on top of the first one. Immediately add candy stars (we used Wilton brand).

Patriotic conversation heart cupcakes

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Military cupcakes

If you’re able to find these patriotic-themed conversation hearts by Necco, you can make the perfect cupcakes for Independence Day, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, military events and other occasions. They are sold under the Sweethearts label and called “Red, White & You.” They have sayings such as: USO, Thank You, Miss You and Home Safe. If you can’t find them (they’re also available at the Necco store, you can substitute red and blue hearts of any kind.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; 3 red and blue conversation hearts.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake. position hearts on top.

Pirate cupcakes with Jolly Roger flag

Monday, June 21st, 2010

These pirate flag cupcakes use Wilton’s cupcake liners and flags, and are a quick way to complete the perfect pirate party. Little (and big) swashbucklers will love them. Also great for a Pirates of the Caribbean party or grownups’ event.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; Wilton cupcake liner and flag (sold in a set); chocolate sprinkles; pastry bag, 1M metal tip.

How to Make It: Use tip to make 1M swirl (squeeze steadily in concentric circles, starting at the rim of the cupcake and working inward and upward). Sprinkle with chocolate jimmies. Plant pirate flag on top.

Dragon cupcakes

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Dragon cupcake

One of the parents in my son’s kindergarten class made these awesome dragon cupcakes for her son’s birthday. (They could also be dinosaur cupcakes, with spikes for a stegosaurus, etc. Or, pair them with pirate cupcakes for an all-out boy theme.) She told me she used two different metal tips: a larger one to “flow” the dragon’s body and a smaller one. (Remember, multi-opening tip #233 is great for making animal hair or grass.) Consider a from-scratch icing recipe, because homemade icing is often thicker and easier to control than canned frosting.

What You Need: 1 cupcake; white frosting; frosting tinted green; frosting tinted yellow; frosting tinted black (or premade in tube); metal tips; pastry bags; couplers.

How to Make It: Frost cupcake white. Use large metal tip to “flow” green icing in shape of dragon. Taper off at tail by reducing the pressure as you squeeze. Pipe yellow points for spikes and two yellow dots for eyes. Add black pupils to eyes.