Now that we've talked about scratch versus boxed cake mix,
the cupcake craze, unique cupcakes and wedding cupcakes, let's talk about
decorations. After all, the
decorations are what draw the eye to the cupcake. The decoration is the cupcake's apparel. From the simplest frosting, to crazy flavors, unique designs
and character cupcakes, the eye is drawn to what's on top of the cupcake before
they choose to eat it.
There are many ways to decorate a cupcake and I have found
Wilton.com to be the most helpful in learning icing recipes and techniques. Buttercream is one of the most popular
icings, with a sweet, buttery flavor (shown below).
The consistency can be varied based on amount of ingredients but is best
used for smooth cakes. Wilton
Decorator Chocolate has a stiff consistency and is used for shells, stars and
flowers. Rolled fondant is great
for covering cakes that need to be perfectly smooth. It's consistency is dough-like, which makes it great for
molding decorations for cake toppings.
Whipped Icing has a lighter consistency, which is great for icing cakes,
pies or puddings. So, what icing
should you use for your cake?
Well, it depends on the texture of your cake and what your desired
outcome is. Some people
enjoy a dense cake with light icing and some people like dense cake with a
stiffer icing.
Any of these icings can be made into the flavor and color of
your choose. Just add your choose
of flavoring until you get your desired result. Start out with a small amount and add as needed. When it comes to food coloring, you can
make any color you want. Just add
small amounts of color to the icing mixtures and add as needed. One mixture can be split into multiple
bowls and died various colors; this will save you from making multiple
batches.
Icings are usually piped onto cupcakes with a decorating bag
and use of a decorating tip.
Wilton.com, Michaels and many supermarkets sell decorating bags and
tips. The tip determines what the
icing will look like on the cupcake.
A traditional tip is the 1M tip that gives the classic swirl
effect. Tips such as varied round
tips and star tips can make more unique look. You can choose to use one tip for the whole cupcake or use a
variety of tips to make a more complex look. Fondant is rolled out like dough and can be molded or cut
into any desired shape.
My favorite way to decorate a cupcake is making the cupcake
look like a character. There are
so many characters you can use for inspiration and kids love them! Find the Top 30 Disney cupcakes here. Characters from Chewbacca to Jack
Skellington and Donald Duck are on the top list.
I hope you have found these tips helpful and have found inspiration to make your own character cupcakes for any occasion.
