21. Grill Cupcakes
Grill cupcakes are made for a summer barbecue. Red and orange frosting go into the same pastry bag and get swirled on like flames. The grill is black royal icing, outlined with a #2 tip on wax paper, gone over twice and left to dry 5 to 10 hours before peeling. The kabobs are squares cut from gummy bears and slid onto toothpicks. Trim the toothpicks if they hang past the grill.
22. Easy Football Cupcakes
Football cupcakes are an easy game day treat. Before adding cocoa, about 1/4 cup of the buttercream gets set aside as white frosting for the laces. The rest turns brown with cocoa powder and gets piped into an oval football shape on top of each chocolate cupcake, then the white goes on in a line with little stitches across it. Green liners look like the field, or use your team colors.
23. Strawberry Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
These strawberry cupcakes are dressed for Valentine’s Day. A pink cupcake gets a tall swirl of cream cheese frosting, and a red candy topper spelling out "love" in script stands up on top. Red and white sprinkles scattered on a lace doily finish the table. They’re a sweet pick for a party or a little something for your valentine.
24. Sea Otter Cupcakes
These sea otter cupcakes are built on a Reese’s Cup. Modeling chocolate whiskers, nose, eyes and ears get stuck on with piping gel, then a black food marker adds the mouth and eyebrows. Pipe a big swirl of stiff chocolate frosting, nestle the otter into the top, press two Whoppers in front for paws and tuck a candy seashell between them. A printable wave wrapper goes around the outside.
25. Bunny Butt Cupcakes
Bunny butt cupcakes are the giggle of the Easter table. Green frosting is piped all over the top like grass, and a little white bunny bottom sticks up out of it with two feet showing pink paw pads, as if the bunny dove headfirst into the cupcake. White liners keep it all bright and springy.
26. Campfire Cupcakes
Campfire cupcakes are a fun one for a camping party. A ring of brown frosting kisses around the edge makes the fire pit stones, a mound of red frosting in the middle is the flame and pretzel sticks are leaned together in a teepee over it for logs. Mini marshmallows on pretzel sticks lie beside it, some of them toasted, ready to roast.
27. Ice Cream Sundae Cupcakes
Ice cream sundae cupcakes use an ice cream scoop for the frosting. Scoop a mound of vanilla buttercream onto each cooled cupcake, shape it with a butter knife so it looks like a real scoop, then spoon melted chocolate thinned with a little vegetable oil over the top like hot fudge. Add sprinkles and a sour cherry candy on top. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool first.
28. Owl Cupcakes
Owl cupcakes are about as easy as cupcake decorating gets. Frost with chocolate frosting and use a finger or a knife to pull up two little ears at the top. Twist Oreos apart and press two halves on, cream side out, for eyes. A dab of frosting holds a brown M&M on each one, and an orange M&M placed up and down between them makes the beak.
29. Beauty And The Beast Cupcakes
These Beauty and the Beast cupcakes come in two styles. For Belle, tint vanilla frosting golden yellow, chill it 10 minutes and pipe a swirl with a Wilton 1M tip, then add white candy pearls and a red icing rose. For the Beast, pipe chocolate frosting into royal blue liners, line candy pearls around the base and top each with a rose. They look great side by side.
30. Easy Little Panda Cupcakes
These little panda cupcakes are made with chocolate chips. Pipe a small mound of frosting on a mini cupcake and press it into white sanding sugar, which spreads the frosting and covers it. Then push in chocolate chips: one sideways for the nose, two pointed down for the eyes and two for the ears. Draw dots on white confetti sprinkles with a black edible pen and stick them on for eyes.
