Cupcakes: A Great Place to Get Started

Many an aspiring decorator is daunted by the task of making and decorating a giant three tier cake. While many people practice on upside down cake pans or styrofoam, I wanted my finished products to be edible. That's where the cupcake comes in. They're small and you can try out many different styles. It didn't hurt that my husband had given me a copy of Hello, Cupcake!: Irresistibly Playful Creations Anyone Can Make for my birthday. This book is great for the beginning decorator since it focuses on designs that don't require that much equipment. I used a yellow cake recipe and buttercream. 

The Panda:

Aren't they just adorable? Made out of cupcake, oreos, frosting and chocolate chips these were a big hit with everyone who saw them. The head is a mini cupcake glued with some buttercream to the larger, crushed oreo covered cupcake below. If you have difficulty slicing the oreo arms, microwave the cookie for a few seconds to make it more pliable.

The Snowman:

Another mini cupcake for the head, with coconut flakes for snow. Fill the corner of a sandwich baggie with chocolate icing, cut off the tip and use gentle pressure to pipe the small dots for the mouth. Always touch the bag to the cupcake as you release your pressure. This finishes off your dot and prevents it from pulling away. The nose is a cut piece of juju fruit. You can use taffy as well. For extra realism use a knife to score some lines in the taffy and then rub it in cinnamon for a real earthy carrot look.

The Owl:

Another great use for oreos. Just twist open and use the frosted half as an owl eye. Once again, if you have trouble getting the oreo to twist nicely, microwave it a little first. Use two chocolate M & M's to make pupils. The ears are my own modification on the owl presented in the book. I used pecans and then chocolate frosted them using a ziplock bag instead of a pastry bag. Use any yellow colored candy you can find for the nose. Mine is a fruit and plenty.

For the true beginner:

This web-like flower always amazes guests who rush to ask how I made it. In reality, it is the simplest of all the cupcakes that I have posted today. Just ice your cupcake in one color. Fill a ziplock with a contrasting color and snip off the tip. Then pipe three (or more) concentric circles on the iced cupcake. They do not have to be perfectly round, the design will cover any minor flaws. Now take a toothpick and gently drag it through the cupcake a few times, alternate between dragging towards the center and away from it. The icing will pull with the toothpick creating the design shown above. VOILA~ you too have created a lovely cupcake.