How to Decorate Holiday Cupcakes

Cupcakes are a dessert you can dress up any way you like.

When you're celebrating a holiday, food is always a key part of the festivities. Whether you need another dessert to serve next to the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie or want something sweet to follow up the Fourth of July barbecue feast, you can whip up a batch of cupcakes to accompany the meal. Not only do cupcakes taste delicious, but they are easy to serve, and the best part is that you can decorate these treats to match any occasion you want to celebrate.

Things You'll Need

• Silver cupcake liners
• Icing
• Kabob skewers
• Scissors
• Card stock
• Glue
• Sprinkles
• Solid-colored cupcake liners
• Green icing
• Small jelly beans and candies
• Licorice ropes
• White buttercream icing
• Food coloring, red and blue or icing coloring
• Icing bag
• Size 12 star icing tip
• Large platter
• Christmas cupcake liners or green liners
• Red fruit leathers
• Yellow M&Ms

Instructions

New Year's Cupcakes

1. Bake a batch of cupcakes in silver liners according to the instructions on the cake box or a recipe. Set them aside to cool.

2. Cut the kabob skewers into thirds and set aside. Cut stars out of the card stock; you can do this freehand, or use a template or cookie cutter to get a perfectly symmetrical star. Make two stars for each cupcake you will be serving.

3. Lay a star on a flat surface and glue one end of a kabob skewer to the center of the star. Glue a second star to the first one and press gently. The result is a skewer sandwiched between two stars. Be sure to leave enough of the skewer poking out the bottom that you can stick it in a cupcake.

4. Ice the cupcakes, add sprinkles, and insert a star skewer in each one.

Easter Basket Cupcakes

1. Bake the cupcakes according to your recipe or the recipe on the box. Set them aside to cool.

2. Add three drops of food coloring to white frosting and mix thoroughly. Spread the icing on the cupcakes, covering all of the cake in a layer about ¼ inch thick.

3. Press small candies into the "grass" icing. Use mini M&Ms, jelly beans, and flower shaped jujubes, for the best representation of flowers and Easter eggs.

4. Cut the licorice rope into sections about 5 inches long. Poke one end of the licorice into the cupcake on the edge, near the cupcake liner, and poke the other end into the cake on the opposite side, so the licorice looks like a handle for the basket.

Independence Day Flag Cupcakes

1. Bake at least 20 cupcakes according to a recipe or the instructions on the box of cake mix. Let them cool completely.

2. Split the white icing into three bowls; one of them only needs half as much as the other two. Add several drops of blue food coloring to the bowl with the least icing and mix thoroughly. Continue adding coloring a few drops at a time until you achieve the desired color. Repeat this process with the red food coloring in one of the larger bowls.. Using specialty icing coloring instead of regular food coloring will deepen the color. Frost eight cupcakes completely in red, eight completely in white, and four completely in blue.

3. Drop the icing tip into the icing bag and fill the bag with a couple of scoops of white icing. Shake the icing down toward the tip to get the air bubbles out. Twist the open end of the bag and hold the tip just above one of the blue cupcakes. Squeeze a dab of icing onto the cupcake, and then release the pressure on the bag to make a small star. Repeat this to put as many little stars on the blue cupcakes as you would like.

4. Line up the cupcakes on a large platter to make them look like a flag. The 20 cupcakes should be lined up in four rows of five cupcakes. The first row should have two blues followed by three whites; the second row should have two blues followed by three reds. The final two rows should be five white and then five red, respectively.

Christmas Poinsettia Cupcakes

1. Bake a batch of cupcakes and set them aside to cool. Use festive cupcake liners or solid green liners to coordinate with the poinsettias.

2. Cut the fruit leather into small triangles about 1 inch tall and 1 inch wide. Make enough that you will have about eight per cupcake.

3. Ice the cupcakes completely with white icing of your choice. Make the layer of frosting about ¼ inch thick for best results. Arrange the fruit leather triangles in rings around the cupcakes, like petals. Overlap the petals slightly; you should be able to make a complete ring around a cupcake with eight triangles.

4. Place three yellow M&Ms or other yellow candies in the center of each cupcake to be the center of the flower.

References

• Holiday Crafts and Creations: Cupcake Decorating Ideas for New Year's
• Family Fun: Flower Basket Cupcakes
• Pastry Wiz: 4th of July Cupcakes
• Cupcake Decorating Ideas: Poinsettia Cupcakes