 See how elegant crushed nuts look on cupcakes? You can do half the batch with nuts and the other half with a candy decoration, for the non-nut-lovers in the group. Photo courtesy GeorgetownCupcake.com.
June 2010
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Cupcake Topping
Page 3: Fruit & More Cupcake Decorations
This is Page 3 of a three-page article, with more than 50 cupcake decorating ideas. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
FRUIT
Fresh seasonal fruit is an always-luscious way to decorate cupcakes, or cake of any kind. The best choices:
- Blackberries
- Cherries
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Mixed Berries
Add a fresh mint leaf for a color contrast. Fruit also works with holiday themes: raspberries and strawberries for Valentine’s Day, a red velvet cupcake with white frosting and a blueberry garnish for Independence Day.
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Flowers and ribbon —alone or in combination—add beauty to cupcakes. Photo courtesy Cupcakes Nouveau in Coral Gables, Florida. See all of their beautiful cupcakes on Flickr. |
If fresh fruit is not an option, try:
- Banana chips
- Dried fruit (diced and sweetened so it’s not tart)
- Maraschino cherries (for adults, first marinate them in brandy or other liqueur)
MORE
Make your cupcakes even more glamorous with:
- Bacon—regular or candied; bacon on chocolate or vanilla cupcakes is a smash hit
- Edible flowers
- Fancy cupcake wrappers—options include affordable paper wrappers like the one immediately below, to pricey die-cut beauties which cost more than $1.00 apiece (see photo below right).
- Ribbon wrapped around the base
(see photo)
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Chocolate and bacon are a winning combination. Photo courtesy TeeAndCakes.com. |
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Fancy wrappers equal instant glamour. This
one combines some sanding sugar as well.
Photo courtesy SuttonGourmetPaper.com. |
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Die-cut wrappers are beautiful, but pricey.
Photo courtesy KitchenKrafts.com. |
CUPCAKE FLAVORS
Yes, there are chocolate and yellow cupcakes, and you can’t escape the red velvet phenomenon. But if you feel like baking from scratch, think outside the cupcake wrapper
- Banana cake
- Caramel cake (think dulce de leche)
- Carrot cake (with or without pecans)
- Coconut cake
- Devil’s food cake
- Lemon cake
- Lime cake
- Peanut butter cake
- Pumpkin cake
- Vanilla bean cake
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Top devil’s food cake with chocolate coins or medallions. Photo courtesy Godiva Chocolate. |
Filled Cupcakes
If you feel like baking from scratch, you can remove a cone-shaped plug from the center of the cupcake and fill it with your heart’s desire:
- Banana creme
- Chocolate creme or ganache
- Custard
- Dulce de leche
- Coconut creme
- Fruit creme: banana, lemon, lime, strawberry, raspberry
- Mascarpone
- Pastry creme
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Top devil’s food cake with chocolate coins or medallions. Photo courtesy CraftGossip.com. |
- Peanut butter creme
- Pie filling: apple, blueberry, cherry, etc. (you can make your own with 2 cups of thawed frozen fruit or fresh fruit, mixed with 1/4 cup of sugar or more [depending on the sweetness of the fruit], 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
- Peppermint creme
- Vanilla creme
Stay tuned for more ideas!
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