Pumpkin Mini-Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing

So, I was having a discussion the other night with some friends about how when it comes to Thanksgiving in some families... there's really no point in trying to change anything, ever.

If you spend your holiday at one of those gatherings, then please, don't try to buck tradition and bypass the pie for some cute cupcakes or even adorable cake pops. However, if you're lucky enough to get to choose... I highly recommend these for a little pumpkin treat. They're so easy!

S'Mores Cupcakes

The first time I made cupcakes like these was for a wedding. It's the one and only wedding I've ever made cake/cupcakes for. It's too stressful for me. But these cupcakes are so, so yummy. Not stressful at all.

The recipe for these cupcakes is the same as you see on the S'Mores Cake Recipe post. In the interest of not repeating myself too much, I'm going to let you link back to that for the recipes and how-to. (Let me know in the comments if you'd rather I just post the whole recipe here. I never know which is the better way to go??)

What You Need:
S'Mores Cake Recipe -
Milk Chocolate Cake Recipe*
Marshmallow Frosting
Graham Cracker Crust
Hershey segments for decorating
Graham Cracker segments for decorating
*Note: You could also use a doctored chocolate cake mix if you want to save a step.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes {Recipe}

Yummy caramel apple cupcakes, perfect for fall. I absolutely love this cake with this icing, and in cupcake form, you get even more icing per bite! Perfect!

What You Need (for the cupcakes)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
3 medium apples, peeled (two grated, one diced)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

What You Need (for the icing)
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter (at room temperature, divided)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (at room temperature)
4 egg whites
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes with enough icing to cover them all with tall swirls-- and maybe a little extra for snacking.

Back-To-School Apple Cupcakes

My babies start Kindergarten this week. I am so nervous about sending them off to big, scary elementary school! But, I'm sending them with a couple of these wrapped up for their teachers... that ought to grease the wheels in their favor, right??

What You Need:
Cupcakes
Icing
Red Sugar Sprinkles
Pretzel Sticks
Green Tootsie Rolls (or fondant)

Baseball Cupcakes {Three Ways}

I warned you earlier in the summer that we're a baseball-crazy family... today, three (kind of four) different ways to make baseball cupcakes. Surely you'll like one of the options!

I wasn't in love with all of them, but I thought they were cute enough!

What You Need
For the Fondant Cupcakes
Cupcakes, baked & cooled
White Rolled Fondant
Round cookie or biscuit cutter
Red Icing & Tip #2 or #3 OR Red Licorice Rope

For the Buttercream Cupcakes
Cupcakes, baked & cooled
Decorator's Buttercream Icing (white)
Tip #12 for mini cupcakes or Large round tip like #1A for standard cupcakes
Red Icing & Tip #2 or #3

For the Buttercream & Royal Icing Cupcakes
Cupcakes, baked & cooled
Decorator's Buttercream Icing (white or green)
Royal Icing thinned to "flood" consistency
Tip #12 for mini cupcakes or Large round tip like #1A for standard cupcakes
OR Tip #233 with green icing to make the grass
Red Icing & Tip #2 or #3

Summer Cupcake Ideas

Now, it seems ridiculous to say that I've sustained a blogging injury, but when I dropped my heavy camera onto my right hand while photographing pie crust... it's true. Unfortunately, my decorating and typing skills are a little lacking on the left side.
While my hand heals, I'll bring you a little roundup of summer cupcake decorating ideas.

For the Hawaiian or beach party birthday theme. Cupcakes with fondant surf boards, flip-flops, hibiscus flowers and leis.

 

For an ice cream treat that won't melt on a hot summer day, try my absolute favorite cupcake ever, my Banana Split Cupcakes.

Teacher Appreciation Day or Mother's Day Cupcakes with Kids

I've seen pictures of cupcakes like these all over the Internet, and on various grocery store check-out magazines. I always wanted to try them. Then I thought, what a perfect project for two little boys to show their teachers how much they appreciate them.

What You Need:
Cupcakes
Mini-marshmallows (about 20-25 per cupcake)
Icing (any kind will do)
Sugar sprinkles in pretty flowery colors
Baggies

Optional:
Two 5-year-olds (not pictured)

Easy Spring Blossom Cupcakes

It's spring. Even here in Minnesota, the flowers are already blooming... both outside, and on cupcakes!

What You Need:
Cupcakes
Fondant (I used homemade marshmallow fondant)
Icing coloring (or buy colored fondant)
Small Roseor Flower Cutters
Sugar Pearl Sprinkles
Rolling Pin
Parchment Paper
Extra powdered sugar to "dust" the parchment paper or rolling mat
Food-safe paintbrush with water

*Note: Click the links on the cutters or sprinkles to go to my Amazon.com link where you can purchase them or just see what I used since I skimped on the photos.

The Easiest Way to Frost a Cupcake

One question that I hear from a lot of people is "how can I frost a cupcake, and make it look nice and smooth?"
Any way but with a spatula or knife is my honest answer.

You'll notice that in any of my cupcake projects, I never ice the cupcakes with a spatula. It's just a real pain, never looks smooth, and is not pretty.

So, what is the easiest way to frost a cupcake??

With the icing swirl...

Or with a fondant cut-out.

Banana Pina Colada Cupcakes

It's spring break time! I'm far from the college days of getting a real spring break, but I am ready to be sipping some fru-fru drinks with umbrellas in them. Who's with me?!

How about fru-fru drinks in cupcake form? Will that do? They are mighty tasty!

What You Need (for the cupcakes)
1 ½ cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter (at room temperature)
1/4 cup coconut "cream" (see explanation below)
2 eggs (at room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
¾ tsp. Baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ c. coconut milk
1 c. mashed ripe bananas
1 sm. can crushed pineapple (drained)

What You Need (for the icing)
4 Egg whites
1 cup sugar
3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) Unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1-2 Tbsp. Coconut Rum like Malibu
Special equipment:
Candy thermometer
Saucepan with about 1/2 inch water
Lemon juice or vinegar & paper towels 

Optional What You Need (for decoration)
Marachino cherries
Dried or "vaccuum fried" pineapple
Flaked coconut
Drink Umbrellas

Tropical Coconut-Pineapple Cupcakes

I recently taught a cupcake birthday party for a girl who wanted a Hawaiian theme, so I had to come up with some simple fondant tropical designs that even 'tweens could do.

The girl wanted chocolate cupcakes and vanilla frosting, but when I practiced them at home, I wanted something more 'tropical.' Not being a huge fan of coconut (really, it's a texture thing), I decided that using coconut milk in the cupcakes, and pineapple in the icing might be just the right combination for me.

What You Need:
1 box white cake mix
1 can coconut milk (I opted against "light")
6 eggs (divided)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter (softened)
1 sm. can crushed pineapple, drained
*Yield: Approx. 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 dozen standard cupcakes and 2 dozen mini-cupcakes

Easy Hawaiian or Beach-Themed Cupcakes

One of the cake-y things I do is that I teach cake, cupcake, cookie decorating at birthday parties and workshops around the Twin Cities. A mom recently contacted me to do a "Hawaiian-themed" cupcake party with fondant for her daughter. The project needed to be simple enough for 12-year-olds to do.

These are what I came up with. Nothing is too hard or requires many hard-to-find supplies to create.

What You Need (for the decorations):
1 box Wilton Neon Fondant
1 package Wilton Gum Paste (optional)
Large Round Cutter
Small Round Cutter (or any icing tip)
Large & Small Rose or Blossom Cutter
Shortening (for greasing surface)
Parchment or Waxed Paper, or Roll & Cut Mat
Tapered Spatula or small knife
Food-Safe Paintbrush
Rolling Pin

Simple Christmas Cake

I originally saw this idea on cupcakes, and thought it was just awesome. So, I tried it.

But I don't like that much frosting, so I wanted to make it with a mini cupcake underneath to cut out some of the icing.

Then, I had a blank cake... was hosting a holiday get together... so I thought I would try it on a cake.

I like it. It was a big hit with the kids, who liked to point out that it was a "Christmas Tree Family: Daddy tree, Mommy tree  and Baby tree." The decorating didn't take terribly long... more on that later. But it really is a simple homemade Christmas cake that anyone can do with very few supplies necessary!

What You Need:
Cake
A Double Batch of Decorator's Icing
   -leave 3-4 cups white, color 2 cups green
Piping Bag
Tip #1M
Cupcake (removed from wrapper)
Mini Cupcake (removed from wrapper)
Sprinkles!!

Leftover Halloween Candy Cupcakes

Can't stop eating the Halloween candy? Me neither. So, I figure if I bake it into something and send it to work with my hubby, I can't eat it all.

Introducing the Leftover Halloween Candy Cupcakes with Leftover Candy Icing and Leftover Candy Sprinkles. I used at least 30 candy bars & mini packages of M&Ms to make these babies!

What You Need:
1 box Chocolate Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (or milk w/ 1 Tbsp. vinegar added)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
15-20 leftover chocolate Halloween candies (coarsely chopped)

For the Icing:
2-3 cups buttercream icing (or whatever icing you want... even canned would be fine)
8-10 leftover chocolate Halloween candies (finely chopped)

Halloween Cupcakes

I try not to post too many ideas or projects on the blog without clear photo instructions on how to accomplish them. This post would be an exception to that rule. I made these cute Halloween cupcakes before I started blogging, but I wanted to share them!

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I am also teaching a parent-child cupcake class to make these cupcakes on Saturday, October 29th in West St. Paul if you would be interested in such a thing.

Banana Split Cupcakes {Recipe}

Sometimes it's just too cold for ice cream... or so I'm told. I would actually eat ice cream all day, every day if given the chance, but... I hear some people don't do that.
So, here's a warmer twist on an old favorite... the banana split, cupcake-style.

What You Need:
Banana Cake Recipe (one batch will give you about 2-dozen standard cupcakes)
Vanilla Buttercream Recipe
Strawberry Buttercream Recipe
Dark Chocolate Candy Melts or Semi-sweet chocolate
Sprinkles
Maraschino Cherries (drained)
Equipment:
Cupcake pans/liners (standard or mini-size)
Dough scoop or Ice Cream Scoop
Tip #1M and #230

Grass, Bees & Ladybugs Cupcakes

These cupcakes are the most popular design for the cake decorating parties and workshops I do. The techniques are all simple, and even young kids can make these look cute and fun. The hardest part is coloring all of that icing! (You could always use the tubes of colored icing, though, if you want.)

What You Need
Cupcakes, baked & cooled
Filling & Tip #230
Green icing - Tip #233
Yellow icing - Tip #12
Black icing - Tip #3 (or 2) & 5
White icing - Tips #3 & 81
Red icing - Tips #5 & 12

Beach Ball Cupcakes

These cupcakes were made for a good friend's daughters' birthday party. I liked them, and wanted to make them again.

What you need
Standard-sized cupcakes
1 recipe Marshmallow Fondant
Blue, Yellow & Red coloring
- (or one box primary-colored fondant and one box white fondant)
Biscuit cutter or round cookie or fondant cutter, a little larger diameter as your cupcake
Rolling pin
Waxed paper or a rolling mat
Shortening for spreading on rolling surface