If you’d like to save a little money and decorate your own cupcakes, it doesn’t have to be hard. Just whip up some buttercream decorating icing, and add your favorite color.

If the cupcakes are for a kid’s birthday party pick a fun color to go with the theme of the party. I use a Wilton Decorating Tip 2D to ice the cupcakes, then add some fun sprinkles to match your party theme, or just get brightly colored rainbow sprinkles.

Kids love sprinkles on cookies, or cupcakes, so your quick and easy cupcakes are sure to be a hit. Just line them up on  a cookie sheet, or a cardboard sheet wrapped in aluminum foil.

I put a tiny dollop of icing under each cupcake to hold it in place on the sheet, especially if the cupcakes are traveling. They make a very nice display all together. You can also put the cupcakes in a cupcake Stand (Wilton has one of my favorites), when you get to your party destination.

Have fun with your icing colors, and your sprinkles. Betty Crocker has some fun colored icing already to decorate, no mixing, no mess.

More on cupcakes

Cupcake image (c) L Gerlach all rights reserved

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Last summer we had a jungle theme birthday party for my nephews. My sister made jungle animal cupcakes with little palm trees. They weren’t too difficult to make, but they did take a little time.

The palm trees trunks are pretzel sticks, and the leaves were piped from icing onto wax paper with Wilton Leaf Decorating Tip #352 and allowed to dry. Then a little icing was added to the end of the pretzel stick to "glue" the leaves to the trunk.

The jungle or zoo animals were made of chocolate. You can use an animal shaped mold, but she used a round circle mold, then used a fine decorating tip to pipe the details onto their face. The ears, and the lions mane were piped around the heads, then left to dry. The animals are all on lollipop sticks, to hold them in the cupcakes.

The leaves around the animals were piped with the same #352 tip.

You could also use molded chocolate lollipops as party favors for almost any party theme.

More Jungle theme birthday party ideas

More on melting and molding chocolate

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Kung Fu Panda is premiering in a couple weeks, so I thought I’d put together a couple ideas for Kung Fu Panda cakes and cupcakes.

I made a panda cupcake by piping white icing with a Wilton # 12 tip, just squeeze the icing, and let it build up. I also used the #12 tip to pipe icing up one side, across the top, and back down to form the panda’s arms and shoulders. I used the #12 tip and black icing to pipe his legs.

I made his eyes and ears with black icing and a # 2 tip. Just squeeze the icing and let it build up. For the dark patches around his eyes I flattened the icing with my fingers after it had dried a little.

To make his bed of bamboo leaves I used Wilton Leaf Decorating Tip - #352, to squiggle long narrow leaves.

If you’re looking for Kung Fu Panda Cake Toppers, here’s one from Celebrate Express. Very simple to add to your already decorated cake.

Hello, Cupcake! has a really cute Pandamonium cupcake idea on page 55. They use Oreos(or other cream filled sandwich cookies for the base and arms, mini marshmallows, and chocolate flavored cereal O’s for the ears. Cute!

More Kung Fu Panda Party Ideas

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I recently had the opportunity to do a guest post for Chocolate Bytes. I enjoy planning parties, decorating cakes, and gardening. This guest post gave me the opportunity to do all three, with chocolate!

Melted chocolates make great cupcake or cake toppers. I think these molded chocolates would be fun for a cookout, or just for summer fun. If you’re planning a Mother’s Day party, summer garden party, or birthday tea party check out how to make these melted chocolate garden cupcake toppers. 

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We made baseball cupcakes this weekend for my son’s birthday party. He’s getting to old for some of the birthday party themes, but he loves baseball. The kids all went out to the backyard and had a little baseball game of their own.

The baseball cupcakes were easy to make. I used the Wilton Mini Ball Pan to bake the cupcakes, and Decorating Tip Set 2 with #3 Round for the ball laces and #16 Star to cover the cupcakes in white icing. They really were simple to make. I covered a cookie sheet in Wilton Silver Fanci-Foil Wrap, but regular foil would work well too. Can you tell I’m a huge Wilton fan?

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Here is my favorite icing recipe for decorating cakes, cookies, or cupcakes.

I got this recipe from my sister, and I’ve had great luck with it.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (softened but not melted)
1/2 cup shortening
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
5-6 tablespoons of warm water

Cream the butter and shortening together until smooth, add the vanilla. Dissolve the salt into the warm water completely. Mix the water/salt mixture into the creamed butter and shortening. Put the mixer on low, and add powdered sugar slowly, mixing constantly.

The amount of water can be increased or decreased to achieve the desired consistency, I usually have the best luck with 6 tablespoons.

Add food coloring to make the color you need, and ice away.

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I seem to be on a Valentines Day roll this week… so lets keep up the momentum.
Here are a couple quick easy Valentines Day cupcake ideas:

Pink, red, or white icing with candies, or heart sprinkles would all be oh so simple, but a wonderful crowd pleaser at your son or daughter’s Valentines day party.

Make the cupcake your Valentine by writing your message right on the cupcake, or attach a small flag to the top of a toothpick with your Valentine’s Day message written or printed on the flag. Insert the other end of the toothpick into the cupcake to create a cute little edible Valentine, with a special message for your sweetie.

Here are a couple links to more Valentine’s Day cupcake ideas-

Kids Cooking  Valentine’s Day Cupcakes

Valentine’s Day at Cupcake Fun 

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