11. Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes
Strawberry lemonade cupcakes are dressed up like a glass of the real thing. A pink cupcake in a green chevron liner gets a big pale yellow swirl of frosting, a curl of lemon zest and a little red candy stuck in at an angle like a straw. They’re bright, summery and fun on a picnic table.
12. Purple Monster Cupcakes
Purple monster cupcakes are a fast, friendly Halloween cupcake. Purple frosting goes into a pastry bag with a large star tip and gets piped straight down in little stars, from the edges in toward the center, until the top looks shaggy like fur. Two candy eyes finish the monster. The frosting needs to hold a stiff peak, so test it on an upside-down spoon first. If it slides off, add more powdered sugar.
13. Pie Cupcakes That Look Real
These pie cupcakes really do look real. Pipe tan frosting on top, press M&M’s in with the M facing down to fill the pie, then pipe tan lines across them both ways for the lattice and dust with sanding sugar. The crust edge is a #4 tip: pipe a dot, ease off the pressure and pull toward you, all the way around. Finish with a dollop of white "whipped topping" from a #21 tip.
14. Pipe a Buttercream Daisy
Buttercream daisies are a classic spring cupcake decoration that looks sweet on any table. Each cupcake gets white petals piped in a ring around a bright yellow center, so the top looks like a fresh daisy. The collage shows how pretty a whole tray of them looks lined up together. They’re a sweet pick for Easter, a baby shower or a spring birthday.
15. Polar Bear Paw Cupcakes
Polar bear paw cupcakes are crazy simple and the kids can do most of the work. Frost each cupcake with buttercream, then dip it right away into a bowl of shredded coconut for the fur. A chocolate sandwich cookie makes the big pad of the paw, and chocolate covered raisins make the toes. A little blue food coloring in the batter makes the cake look like Arctic water.
16. Carrot Patch Cupcakes
Carrot patch cupcakes are perfect for Easter. Strawberries are dipped in melted orange candy melts, then drizzled with a little more to make the carrot lines. Core a small hole in each cupcake, frost around it, sprinkle crushed chocolate cookie "dirt" over the top and bury a strawberry carrot in the hole. A sprig of mint sticks up for the leaves. Pulse the cookies fine so the dirt sticks better.
17. Copycat Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Cupcakes
These frappuccino cupcakes look like they came off a coffee shop counter. A chocolate cupcake gets a big swirl of white frosting like whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate over the top, a sprinkle of chocolate shavings and a green straw poked in at an angle. That straw is the whole joke, and it works every time.
18. Eyeball Cupcakes
Eyeball cupcakes are the spooky kind of cute. Each one gets a swirl of chocolate frosting covered in Halloween sprinkles, then two big white eyeballs on sticks pop up on top. The eyeballs have green, red or purple irises and red bloodshot lines, so they stare right back at your guests. They’re a Halloween cupcake that goes fast at any party.
19. DIY Cactus Cupcakes
These cactus cupcakes start with royal icing. Tape a template to a cookie sheet, cover it with wax paper and pipe the cactus shapes over it. Let them dry for 12 hours, peel them off and dry another hour or two so they’re hard. Spread a thin layer of frosting on each cupcake, dip it upside down in crushed graham cracker "sand", glue the blooms on with buttercream and push the cactus in.
20. Sunflower Cupcakes
Sunflower cupcakes are bold and cheerful. Pointed petals in orange and yellow buttercream are piped in layers around the edge, a pile of chocolate sprinkles fills the center like seeds, and a couple of green leaves peek out from under the petals. They’re a showstopper at a fall party or a summer birthday, and a tray of them looks like a whole field of flowers.
