DIY Cupcakes for Beginners

Cupcakes can be made by beginners of any age.

Make a batch of elegant looking cupcakes even if you have no previous baking or decorating experience. You can make the cupcakes for a group of children at a birthday party using bright colors to match the party's color scheme, or decorate the cupcakes to coordinate with a special holiday. Cover the cupcakes with pastel-colored icing and flowers for a springtime celebration, or cover the cupcakes with green icing and top each with a red flower for a Christmas party.

Things You'll Need

• Cake mix
• Vegetable shortening
• Flour
• Serving tray
• Icing spatula
• Buttercream icing
• Pastry bag
• Round icing tip
• Icing cake nail
• Wax paper
• Long, thin icing tip

Instructions

1. Prepare a store-bought cake mix in a medium-size mixing bowl according to the mix's directions.

2. Cover the sides and bottoms of the cupcake baking pan with a thin coating of vegetable shortening, and then dust the shortening with a little bit of flour. Alternatively, place paper cupcake liners in the cupcake pan.

3. Pour the cake batter into the cupcake pan and bake the cupcakes according to the mix's directions.

4. Take the cupcake pan out of the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 20 to 30 minutes. Take the cupcakes out of the pan carefully and place them on a tray to cool for one to two hours.

5. Use an icing spatula to spread a smooth layer of buttercream icing over the top of each cupcake. Make the layer of icing approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. Cool the cupcakes in the refrigerator while you make icing flower cupcake toppers.

6. Attach a medium round icing tip on the end of a pastry bag, and place a few spoonfuls of icing in the bag.

7. Place a small square of wax paper onto the icing cake nail.

8. Hold onto an icing cake nail with one hand and squeeze the icing in the pastry bag onto the center of the nail with the other hand. Pull up on the pastry bag and then release the pressure on the bag to make an upside-down cone shape.

9. Attach a long, thin icing tip to the pastry bag and fill it with a bit more icing.

10. Place the icing tip against the edge of the cone. Squeeze gently and turn the nail to make the first petal around the center icing bud. Release the pressure on the bag.

11. Make petals around the center. Squeeze the bag with the tip against the edge of the budding flower. Turn the nail one-third of a rotation and then release the pressure to make a petal. Repeat this step to make petals until the flower reaches approximately 2 inches in diameter.

12. Carefully transfer the flower on the wax paper onto a tray to harden. Make one flower for each cupcake and let the flowers harden for 24 hours. Place one flower on the top center of each cupcake.

References

• Wilton: Roses

Resources

• Crazy About Cupcakes: Featured Cupcakes.....A Sweet Selection
• Country Living: Cupcake Decorating Ideas and Recipes