A swirl of frosting with sprinkles is a classic cupcake design.
Cupcakes are a convenient and versatile dessert, especially for birthday parties. Not only are they easy to make, but they also lend themselves to a variety of decorating options. With just icing alone, the sky's the limit. And because cupcakes come in individual-sized servings, they are perfect for guests to grab when they're ready for a sweet treat. Does this Spark an idea?
Swirl and Sprinkles
This cupcake design is simple yet attractive for birthday parties. Anyone can handle this decorative technique. Tint the frosting to the desired color by adding food coloring and stirring thoroughly. Place the tinted frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large star decorating tip. Applying even pressure, go around the edge of the cupcake and gradually move toward the center to complete a swirl. Release the pressure and pull up to a point when you reach the center. Top the icing swirl with colored sprinkles.
Stars
Another simple icing technique is to cover the cupcake surface with stars. Start with the tinted frosting and fit the pastry bag with a small star tip. The shape of the decorating tip creates ridges in the frosting to make it resemble a star. Hold the decorating tip right above the top of the cupcake straight up and down. Squeeze the pastry bag until a star forms on the cupcake top. You can control the size of the star depending on how long you squeeze. Release the pressure and pull the decorating tip away. Continue making stars until the entire cupcake top is covered. Do stars in the same color or alternate the colors of the stars for variety.
Animal Faces
Use the round shape of the cupcake tops to create animal faces. Smooth a layer of icing onto the cupcake in a color that matches the animal. For example, use pink frosting for a pig or brown frosting for a bear. Use additional icing colors for the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and other facial features of the animal. Decorate all the cupcakes as the same animal or do a variety of animals to create a cupcake zoo.
Monogram
This birthday cupcake design works well for all ages. Ice the cupcake in a color that matches the party color scheme. Use a round icing tip to write the guest of honor's initials on top of the cake. Create a border of stars or swirly lines around the edge of the cupcake for additional decoration.
Personalized Face Cupcakes
Create a custom cupcake for each of the party guests. This is ideal for kids' birthday parties. Tint the icing to create a skin-tone color and draw a circle on the cupcake for the child's face. Add hair that resembles the child's actual hair. Write the child's name below the face on top of the cupcake. Repeat for all of the party guests.
Tags: birthday parties, cupcake design, around edge, around edge cupcake, color that, color that matches