Decorating Ideas for Birthday Cupcakes

Cupcakes are individual desserts that children and adults love. You can decorate birthday cupcakes that will rival a large cake. Choose a theme for the cupcake color and decorations to complement the party decor and activities. Make or purchase your favorite frosting and tint it with food coloring or gel to match the decorations for the birthday cupcakes. Present and display your creations on a cake stand or dimensional cupcake tower at the party.

Things You'll Need

• 4 to 6 Tablespoons frosting per cupcake
• Piping bag or heavy plastic bag
• Star or ruffle piping tip
• Candies, sugar toppers, sprinkles, gum paste flowers or commercial cake toppers

Instructions

1. 

   Cupcake batter ready to bake

   Bake cupcakes according to the recipe directions. Set the cakes on cooling racks to cool thoroughly.

2. 

   Cupcakes are easy to handle for decorating.

   Frost the cupcakes in a color that complements the birthday theme. Light green, lavender or yellow will work well with a floral-themed cupcake. Yellow, orange or milk chocolate brown will blend well with miniature tools for a male birthday. Place a ruffle or open star tip into a decorator bag or plastic storage bag and pipe the frosting onto the top of the cupcake. Start at the outer edge of the cupcake and pipe the frosting in a slightly spiral motion until the center is filled.

3. 

   Bright colors add to the festivities.

   Sprinkle cupcakes with colored sugar or decorative sprinkles.

4. 

   Character sugar cake toppers

   Add sugar characters that match the theme of the party. There are cartoon characters, animals, flowers and other whimsical shapes. Or choose commercial cake toppers. You will find plastic or paper inserts to place into the frosted surface of the little cakes. Choose snowmen for a winter birthday, tools, fish or male-themed items for Dad. There are also many cartoon characters for a child's special day to choose from.

5. Pipe decorations on the birthday cupcakes. Tips are available for flowers, borders, lattice look and grass. Pipe a neck and head of a circus animal for a carnival theme party. You can find plastic heads to insert into a cupcake with a piped ruffle collar for a clown, doll or animal.

6. Place cookies, pretzels, ice cream cones or candies onto the cakes. You can make paw prints, baseballs, fruit, clowns and witches just to name a few ideas. Use pretzels to form a bird's nest with candy eggs for a spring birthday for Mom.

7. 

   Miniature toys are quick cake toppers.

   Select a package of small plastic toys for children over five years of age for dinosaur, monster, soldier, aquarium or pet-themed parties. Sterilize the toys in hot water and set them out to dry thoroughly. You may need to dab moisture off with a paper towel. Set the little toys in the center of a frosted cupcake and add jelly bean rocks, piped vegetation or theme-related items to finish the decorating.

8. 

Tips & Warnings

• Frost all your cupcakes first. Decorate the cakes in steps moving from one cupcake to the next.

• Do not serve cupcakes with toppers to toddlers as they present a choking hazard.

References

• Cupcake Decorating Ideas: Themed Cupcakes
• Wilton: Cupcakes
• Family Fun: Theme Cupcakes

Resources

• Cupcakes Take the Cake: Cupcake Information
• All Recipes: How to Frost Cupcakes