The Icing On The Cake

Cupcakes are a staple for many different kinds of celebrations and dessert tables.  They are easy to make yourself, cute and easy to eat and serve (no utensils or cake cutting required!).  Decorating your cupcakes to match your theme couldn't be easier.  For today's post I frosted my cupcakes in a four different ways and I used Forever Your Prints sailboat themed cupcake wrappers and toppers to show how to make your cupcakes a little extra special.

The Frosting

The frosting I used for the cupcakes is a simple American Buttercream.  It pipes great and holds the shape of the piping tips shown. 

American Buttercream Recipe

2 sticks (8 ounces)  unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ tsp salt

4 cups (1 pound) powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 TBSP half-and-half (milk or cream can be substituted)

1.             Using your mixer (stand or handheld) cream your butter and salt until it's light in color and smooth.  Scrape your bowl.

2.             Add 1 cup of your sugar and beat until combined.

3.             Add 1 Tablespoon of half-and-half and vanilla and combine. Scrape your bowl to bring everything to the center.

4.             Repeat with the rest of the sugar and half-and-half.

5.             Add food color at the end, either to the whole batch or divide in batches.

•                I use the paddle attachment when using a stand mixer but using the whisk will add more air and make a lighter version with more air bubbles.

•                This proportion of ingredients is perfect for me for frosting cupcakes.  I add a little more dairy when frosting a cake so it spreads a little more easily.

 Open Star

Ateco 825

A pretty ice cream style swirl.

You can also use a Wilton 1M for this look.

Plain Round

Ateco 805

Use a simple round tip to add a pretty swirled mound of icing.

You can also use a Wilton 2A for this look.

Closed Star

Wilton 1G

  

The closed star gives a finer texture to your icing swirl.

Old Fashioned Spread

Offset Spatula

A less polished look.

I don't find this as quick as using a piping bag but I love the way it looks.

When it comes to decorating your cupcakes, the ratio of cake to icing is a very serious consideration.  Some people like only icing and others like only cake. My preference is a 2:1 cake to icing combination, but it all depends on what you like, what you think your guests will like and how you want the cupcakes to look.

The Printables

Putting the printables together was simple.  All I needed was scissors, a craft knife, a 2” paper punch, a glue stick and toothpicks.  After cutting the pieces out and gluing the pieces together I was ready to go.

{Guest Post by Katie from Katie's Creative Baking}