Cupcake Decorating Ideas For Birthday

delish cupcakes by color cover

Who doesn't love cupcakes? No matter what the occasion, cupcakes can be easily altered to suit everyone's tastes and needs. If you want to give them an extra-special touch, try out one of these cupcake decorating ideas from Delish Cupcakes by Color. Start with your favorite cake recipe, then follow the decorating directions provided here. Looking for a new cupcake to try? Check out these recipes from the book: Vanilla Butter Cakes, Sponge Cakes, Quick-Mix Chocolate Cakes, and Dark Chocolate Mud Cakes. From: Delish Cupcakes by Color © 2012 by Hearst Communications, Inc. Buy the Book Now!

delish cupcakes by color cover

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Delish Cupcakes by Color

With colorful photographs, wonderful recipes, and adorable decorating ideas for every occasion, Delish Cupcakes by Color teaches home bakers of every level how to create charming cupcakes in more than 100 different styles and in every color of the rainbow. Scroll through the slideshow to get an exclusive sneak peek at some of the great content in the book. Buy the Book Now!

Color butter cream pink. Spread the butter cream fairly thickly, but evenly, on the top of each cake. Decorate each cake in a moasic pattern with pink candies — we used pink Skittles, pastilles, small candy pillows, and sliced licorice cream rock logs. Fill in the gaps with pink dragées.

Stuart Scott

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Mosaic Magic

Color Butter Cream pink. Spread the butter cream fairly thickly, but evenly, on the top of each cake. Decorate each cake in a moasic pattern with pink candies — we used pink Skittles, pastilles, small candy pillows, and sliced licorice cream rock logs. Fill in the gaps with pink dragées.

Color unwhipped chilled heavy cream pale pink. Whip the cream until it barely holds its shape. Top each cake with cream and a mixture of your favorite berries — we used blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Dust the berries with a little sifted powdered sugar.

Stuart Scott

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Berries and Cream

Color unwhipped chilled heavy cream pale pink. Whip the cream until it barely holds its shape. Top each cake with cream and a mixture of your favorite berries — we used blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Dust the berries with a little sifted powdered sugar.

Color butter cream pink. Fit a large piping bag with a large star tip, half-fill the piping bag with the butter cream. Pipe a generous swirl of butter cream on the top of each cake. Place edible lavender and white sugar baubles on butter cream.

Stuart Scott

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Sparkly Baubles

Color Butter Cream pink. Fit a large piping bag with a large star tip, half-fill the piping bag with the butter cream. Pipe a generous swirl of butter cream on the top of each cake. Place edible lavender and white sugar baubles on butter cream.

Fit a large piping bag with a large star tip, half-fill the bag with fluffy mock cream. Pipe stars on the top of each cake. Cut white marshmallows in half horizontally, dip the sticky side of each half in pink sugar sprinkles, pinch one end of each half to make a petal shape. Use five halves to make each flower, use some more sugar sprinkles to fill in any white gaps on the marshmallows.

Stuart Scott

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Pink Flowers

Fit a large piping bag with a large star tip, half-fill the bag with fluffy mock cream. Pipe stars on the top of each cake. Cut white marshmallows in half horizontally, dip the sticky side of each half in pink sugar sprinkles, pinch one end of each half to make a petal shape. Use five halves to make each flower, use some more sugar sprinkles to fill in any white gaps on the marshmallows.

Stir coarsely flaked coconut in a frying pan over a low heat until it is browned lightly; remove from the pan immediately to cool. Spread the top of each cake generously with cream cheese frosting; sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Stuart Scott

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Toasty Coconut

Stir coarsely flaked coconut in a frying pan over a low heat until it is browned lightly; remove from the pan immediately to cool. Spread the top of each cake generously with Cream Cheese Frosting; sprinkle with the toasted coconut.

Use a sharp vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls by shaving the curls from the side of a bar of white chocolate. Spread the top of each cake generously with white chocolate ganache, top with the chocolate curls.

Stuart Scott

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White Choc Curls

Use a sharp vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls by shaving the curls from the side of a bar of white chocolate. Spread the top of each cake generously with White Chocolate Ganache, top with the chocolate curls.

Spread the top of each cake evenly with fluffy frosting. Position silver dragées on each cake to make ring shapes, gently push the dragées into the frosting before it sets. We decided we'd like to have a pink diamond engagement ring, but we settled for pink dragées.

Stuart Scott

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Rings Forever

Spread the top of each cake evenly with Fluffy Frosting. Position silver dragées on each cake to make ring shapes, gently push the dragées into the frosting before it sets. We decided we'd like to have a pink diamond engagement ring, but we settled for pink dragées.

Use a hard plastic stencil that has varying sized and shaped hearts. Working with one cake at a time, place the stencil on the top of the cake, use a fine sifter to sift powdered sugar over the cut-out shapes. Gently lift the stencil off the cake. Brush the excess sugar from the stencil before using on the next cake.

Stuart Scott

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Sugared Hearts

Use a hard plastic stencil that has varying sized and shaped hearts. Working with one cake at a time, place the stencil on the top of the cake, use a fine sifter to sift powdered sugar over the cut-out shapes. Gently lift the stencil off the cake. Brush the excess sugar from the stencil before using on the next cake.

Stuart Scott

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Snowflake Sparkles

Melt some white chocolate melts. Half-fill a small piping bag (without a tip) with the melted chocolate. Pipe snowflake shapes onto parchment, top each with a large oval silver dragées; leave the snowflakes to set at room temperature. Spread the top of each cake with a thick layer of Fluffy Frosting and sprinkle cakes with sparkling pearl sugar crystals. Position a snowflake on each cake before the frosting has set.

Whip chilled heavy cream until it barely holds its shape. Cut a round hole, about 1 inch deep, in the top of each cake. Halve the rounds of cake to make butterfly wings. Fill each hole with strawberry jam, then the cream. Position the wings on the cakes. Dust cakes lightly with sifted powdered sugar.

Stuart Scott

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Butterflies

Whip chilled heavy cream until it barely holds its shape. Cut a round hole, about 1 inch deep, in the top of each cake. Halve the rounds of cake to make butterfly wings. Fill each hole with strawberry jam, then the cream. Position the wings on the cakes. Dust cakes lightly with sifted powdered sugar.

Color butter cream orange. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Position orange Smarties and orange mini M&M's on each cake.

Stuart Scott

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Dotty

Color Butter Cream orange. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Position orange Smarties and orange mini M&M's on each cake.

Spread the top of each cake evenly with butter cream. Halve yellow and orange soft fruit sticks crossways. Trim the ends of the fruit sticks to fit neatly on the top of each cake.

Stuart Scott

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Fruity Stripes

Spread the top of each cake evenly with butter cream. Halve yellow and orange soft fruit sticks crossways. Trim the ends of the fruit sticks to fit neatly on the top of each cake.

Color butter cream white. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Split small yellow jelly beans in half lengthwise, position on cakes. Use yellow writing icing to pipe toes.

Stuart Scott

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Baby Feet

Color Butter Cream white. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Split small yellow jelly beans in half lengthwise, position on cakes. Use yellow writing icing to pipe toes.

Color butter cream blue. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Gently push mini mints into the butter cream in the shape of snowflakes. Dust cakes with sifted powdered sugar.

Stuart Scott

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Minty Snowflakes

Color Butter Cream blue. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Gently push mini mints into the butter cream in the shape of snowflakes. Dust cakes with sifted powdered sugar.

Color butter cream blue. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Outline the pattern for the baubles and the loop with blue dragées. Use edible blue glitter to fill in the pattern. Make a loop with a thin strip of licorice lace, gently push the loop into the butter cream and top with a white marshmallow.

Stuart Scott

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Christmas Baubles

Color Butter Cream blue. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Outline the pattern for the baubles and the loop with blue dragées. Use edible blue glitter to fill in the pattern. Make a loop with a thin strip of licorice lace, gently push the loop into the butter cream and top with a white marshmallow.

Stuart Scott

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Glamor Masks

Color Butter Cream blue. Spread the top of each cake evenly with the butter cream. Make a mask shape on each cake using silver and blue dragées in a single layer. Push each dragée gently into the butter cream. Use sticks cut from lollipops for the handles of the masks. Use small pieces of ribbon and sugar flowers to cover and decorate the top of the handles.

Spread the top of each cake with a fairly thick layer of dark chocolate ganache. Dollop about six small dots of caramel sauce on the ganache. Pull a skewer back and forth through the caramel for a marbled effect.

Stuart Scott

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Marbled Choc Caramel

Spread the top of each cake with a fairly thick layer of Dark Chocolate Ganache. Dollop about six small dots of caramel sauce on the ganache. Pull a skewer back and forth through the caramel for a marbled effect.

Spread the top of each cake generously with dark chocolate ganache. Top each cake with crushed mint chocolate candies.

Stuart Scott

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Choc Mint Crush

Spread the top of each cake generously with Dark Chocolate Ganache. Top each cake with crushed mint chocolate candies.

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Delish Cooking School

Baking beautiful sweets isn't the only way to impress your family and friends. Delish Cooking School will show you how to easily prepare and cook delicious main dishes, appetizers, breakfasts, and more with triple-tested recipes, clearly explained cooking methods, and step-by-step instructions. Buy the Book Now!