Let me just say right up front: I know that getting the right cupcake decorations whether it’s quality supplies, the tastiest toppings, or the best instruction is not easy. I spent a lot of time (years, in fact) and more than a little expense trying to find the right suppliers, and looking for any and all information I could lay my hands on.

Sound familiar?

Well, I’ve got good news for you after spending all this time researching and learning, I thought “Why not share the knowledge and expertise I’ve gained with others, so they don’t have to go through all of the trial and error I did? Why not help other people save as much time, effort, money (and headaches!) as possible?” And that’s exactly what this blog, the Cupcake Decorations Club is all about!

Let me tell you a little about myselfhaving 3 young children, and all that’s involved there (birthday parties, social events, holiday celebrations, etc.)  I’m sure you can relate: Throwing all these parties without breaking your budget can be a real challenge. So I made the decision several years ago to take my little money-saving, cupcake decorating hobby to the next level. I wanted to make it entertaining and educational for others, and to even supplement our family income. So I started making cupcakes for not only close friends and family, but for all of the birthdays and gatherings we attended.

Early on, it was a huge struggle finding the right cupcake decorations, good usable information, and sources that I could trust for helping me turn out the best cupcakes possible. But, as I’ve said, I went through all the trial and error so you don’t have to and here’s what I’ve got for you!

Looking for cupcake decorating ideas? We’ve got you covered. You’ll get more ideas here than you could likely ever use. Seeking birthday cake decorations? No problem! We’ll show you the best sources for the best quality, at the lowest prices. You’ll learn how to decorate cupcakes, the latest and most popular cupcake designs, how to make a cupcake so it turns out perfect every time! I don’t even have room here to cover everything we’ll be sharing with you!

Besides all that, we are committed to saving you as much time and money as possible. (After all, what fun would it be if all you’re doing is cupcake decorating, without enjoying the fruits of your labors  that would defeat the whole purpose!) So we aim to be your source for the easiest, fastest (and least expensive) methods for decorating cupcakes, birthday cake decorating, and a whole lot more.

Here’s what I suggest you do next: Click here for cupcake decorationthis is the best supplier I’ve found and like I said, I’ve spent a lot of time, effort and money finding the top sources for you. And for the best information on cupcake decorating, this is the book I recommend it’s the most helpful one out there, and will save you tons of time and money in your cupcake decorating efforts.

I’d encourage you to have a look at both those sites right away and til next time, happy cupcake decorating!

I”ve been doing quite a bit of recipe reading and experimentation over the holidays, especially around the subject of storage and freezing. I have decided that I would whip up a whole huge batch of cupcakes while work is not calling me and I wanted to know the best way to keep them.

a) In an airtight tin in a cupboard

b) On a plate in the fridge

c) Frozen but not iced

d) Frozen and iced

Answer a: This method of storage would be one of the most short-lived as the cakes, whether iced or not, would go stale very quickly (2-4 days maximum.)

Answer b: Again, another short-term solution as the cold of the fridge would make the cakes dry out very quickly (although it would improve the life of the icing)

Answer c: This would seem to be the best method.  My research showed that my cupcakes would be best frozen un-iced and they would last about 2-3 months before they got too dry or suffered from freezer burn. Icing (whether Royal or buttercream) doesn”t seem to be that affected by freezing, just ensure that you defrost it thoroughly before you try to use it.

Answer d: This is option 2 after the above, a nice, easy, lazy way of storage. Just bring them out into the fridge 48 hours before you want to eat them and let them defrost naturally and their taste should be unaffected.

I think I”m going to go for answer c as I can whip up icing in a moment but baking the cupcakes from scratch, although highly enjoyable, is just a bit of a time-eater. Also, I have to heat up the oven to bake 6 - 12 cupcakes, so why not bake 24-48 cupcake bases and have them available for almost immediate use at a later date? So, girls and boys, mosey on over to Partyworks, grab your cupcake trays and get baking !

Before you pick up your buttercream on your spatula knife;

run hot water over the knife for a few seconds then wipe it dry and apply the buttercream.

The warmth of the metal will slightly melt the surface of the buttercream allowing you to get that smooth finish to your topping.

That’’s it folks Happy Decorating!

With 50 States in the Union you may want to produce 50 cupcakes.

Cake mixture for 50 cupcakes (white)

4 1/2 cups of flour

4 1/2 sticks of butter

2 1/4 cups of sugar

2 1/4 tsp. baking powder

3 eggs

• Mix together the “dry” ingredients by sifting them into a large bowl twice, so they are very well mixed together.Now add your “wet” ingredients and mix together until you have a glossy “wet paint” look to the batter with no lumps or air bubbles in it.
• (Check out our 8 Tips and Tricks For The Best Cupcakes for more info on the best way to cook cupcakes).
• Line your cupcake tray with your cupcake liners and pour in your batter using a ladle or a jug with a spout.
• Bake at 325 - 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Now, as most cupcake trays have 12 “cups” you will need to do 5 separate “bakes” to make your 50 cupcakes.

OK we have the “white” coloring of the six white stripes in the American Flag in the cupcake body. Now we need to frost them with a red frosting to symbolize the 7 red stripes.

Easy Frosting Recipe:

Sometimes adding food coloring to frosting results in a bitter taste and for something as sweet as cupcakes bitter ness just will not do! This easy “cheat” will allow you to add the food coloring but avoid the bitterness.

• Get whatever type of Royal Icing you prefer (with egg white or with meringue powder).
• Add enough cherry, pomegranate or strawberry juice to the icing to make it a nice pink color.
• Add your food coloring (I”d suggest the paste kind as that doesn”t alter the consistency of the Royal icing). Add only enough food coloring to change the icing to a deep pink.
• Cover the bowl and place in your refrigerator for at least 24 hours..preferably 48 hours.

The icing will darken to a nice, deep red over this time and the juice will stop that bitter food coloring coming through. OK.. Red and White is now covered. For the stars you could get all fancy and use the Royal icing with blueberry juice (for the blue background of the Union) and then just white Royal icing for the stars themselves but why not make it easy and look at these funky stars available from Partyworks. They”ll both finish off the cupcake and add that “Old Glory” touch to your efforts.

There you have it.. a great cupcake celebration of Thanksgiving Day! Get baking and have a great holiday!

4. Get the ratio right. If the cake is moist and tender and the frosting is not too sweet, the best proportion seems to be about two-thirds cake to one-third frosting. That gives you a generous dollop of frosting with each bite of cake, not the other way around. Use good ingredients. The best thing about cupcakes is that they are homey. Artificial flavors are not homey….

10. Looks are important, of course, but don”t go for overkill. Use sprinkles, sparkling sugar and other decorations carefully and in good taste. Remember to create something that showcases the flavors in an appealing (and, dare we suggest, obvious) way. And be careful about colors: Even if it’’s delicious, a spice cupcake with lime-green frosting is just wrong, very wrong.

The article has good sensible rules for making good cupcakes. If you follow these guidelines, you won”t make the most common mistakes.

People starting a business face all kinds of dilemmas: cashflow, supply chains, building their customer base. But with cake maker Tina Impett there’’s also something more homespun. How to stop her two-year-old daughter scoffing the decorations. Tina, from Bures Road, Great Cornard, soon found out that to a toddler a hand-crafted icing flower is just another sweetie. Roses, lillies and butterflies that get past mummy’’s little helper end up topping a swirl of buttercream on individually-decorated cupcakes. “So I really enjoy doing the cupcakes. Each batch is like a blank canvas to decorate.” She will make cakes for any occasion. Customers can order a single one to wish a friend happy birthday or a spectacular tiered tower for a wedding. Now she is working on ideas for tiny individual Christmas cakes, which will be sold in clear boxes tied up with ribbon.

Start treating your cupcakes as a blank canvas to decorate, and make each one a work of art! Happy decorating!

Would Halloween feel right without the spiders, bats, ghosts and witches of folklore…? To start the ball rolling here are a couple of ideas that are easy to put together but effective — scary spider and bat attack. What you will need for these decorations are cupcakes made with your favorite recipe, butter cream icing, a few large black jelly beans, licorice bootlace, licorice strap and food coloring in red and orange, plus white decorating gel. The quantities will depend on how many scary cupcakes you plan to decorate.

To make scary spider cupcakes prepare your cupcake top with butter cream colored with red food coloring. In the center of the cupcake place a large jelly bean for the spider body. Cut a further jelly bean in half and place the cut side facing down at one end of the body. This will be the head. Add a couple of dabs of white decorating gel to form eyes. With licorice bootlace cut eight pieces to form the legs. Rather than placing the licorice flat on the cupcake try arching each leg from the body to form a little half loop. This will make the spider look as though it is ready for action rather than having been squashed on the top.

For bat attack cupcake decoration ice the cupcake with orange colored butter cream. Place a black jellybean in the center. Cut licorice straps to form the wings of the bat by scalloping one side of the strap and rounding one end of the other side for wing tips. Place this on either side of the jelly bean. With the white decorating gel, dot two eyes at one end of the jelly bean. Make a couple of fluffy clouds with the decorating gel.

Let your imagination run wild both with ingredients for decorations and with the designs — why not let your scary Halloween cupcakes form a table centerpiece? Ask the kids for their ideas and make it a fun family affair. Cupcake decorations work well for the kid in all of us, young and old, and Halloween is a good time to let the child in us out for a bit of fun.

• They are easier to serve than cake and much easier than pie. And pies and cakes can look messy after the first few pieces are cut away.
• Best sellers at bake sales are are items that are already individual units, and don”t require utensils to eat.
• Clean up is much easier and a little more environmentally-friendly than tossing paper plates and plastic forks.
• It is easy to make cupcakes as plain or as fancy as you want to match the crowd you”ll get (maybe less icing for preschooler parents, they”ll appreciate it). Keep in mind, however, the prettier or fancier the cupcake, the better the sales.
• You can charge a higher price point usually for cupcakes. You”re not trying to gouge your customers of course, but people will be willing to pay more for a single cupcake than a brownie or cookie.
• Cupcakes are great for both individual sales or batch sales. Selling in volume is obviously better for making more money, ie. whole cakes versus slices of cake. Well, with cupcakes make it easy to do both. Cupcakes are usually attractive enough to entice loads of singular sales. You can easily sell half-dozens or dozens if you have baker’’s boxes or Styrofoam boxes (inexpensive to get at a bulk store like Sam’’s club) to hold multiple cupcakes.

Don”t just throw any old cupcake on the bake sale table! Have lovely cupcake decorations, interesting cupcake holders, even cupcakes with a theme like the recent holiday, and your cupcake will boost your bake sale revenues.