Please come in if you make (or like!) cupcakes....

Shore.Bride

** Disclaimer: cooking and baking are not exactly my areas of expertise **

Hi ladies - I would like to make cupcakes for DD's 1st birthday party this weekend, and I need some good ideas and/or tips!   In your opinion, what makes a good cupcake?   And I see all of these cute pics of cupcakes (colored icing & designs) but I am so clueless with that stuff...but I would love to make ones that look half-decent.  Also, my sister swears that taking the cupcakes out a bit early (not the recommended baking time), makes them better.  Do you agree?  And should I put them in a fridge for a bit, prior to icing them??   AAARGH.

Thanks for your help!  Sorry to be such a baking idiot

 

krissyh21

I always bake them until you can run a tooth pick through the center and have none of it stick... I like mine

You definitly need to have the cupcakes be cool before placing the frosting on or the frosting will run all over the place. 

These are my favorite - pudding filled cup cakes..mmm mmm good! 

 https://www.averagebetty.com/?p=130/images

leslies75

I have no advice on how to bake cupcakes, but I have to tell you two things.

1. I had the best cupcake today, it was an ice cream cupcake - cake on the bottom, ice cream on top. YUM!

2. your daughter is sooooooo cute!

Shore.Bride

Krissy: thank you for the tips - and for the recipe!   I feel better already about this cupcake challenge

Leslie: an ice cream cupcake, eh?   Sounds yummy!!   And thanks for the compliment about DD!   

MNheidi

I bake and decorate (cup)cakes a lot.  Below, is a shot of the cake/cupcakes I made for my boys' bday. 

Do you have a theme? Using decorating tips is the easiest way to decorate cupcakes (w/ the right icing) but if you just want to ice them, a good way to do it smoothly is to run your knife under hot water, dry it quickly and frost away.

If you have a theme, I'd be happy to brainstorm.  

the boys' theme was inspired by their favorite book, Say Moo.  A line in the book says...oink, oink says the pink pig playing in the mud... pink pigs on choc. iced cupcakes.

 

 

Shore.Bride

MNheidi: thanks so much for the advice & pictures!  Your cupcakes for your twins' birthday were adorable!   You are way more creative than me.   I don't have a theme for DD's party; it's just a casual picnic outdoors with family.   I'm actually a bit concerned that it'll be a bit too warm outside - and the icing will melt.  Maybe that'll be my theme: stay cool cupcakes! 

Thanks again and again

chocolatechip06

I usually use Duncan HInes cake mix and bake on the low end of the recommended time.  Make sure to cool the cupcakes completely before icing them.  You can melt the canned icing (if you are using canned) a little and then frost initially for smooth spreading and then get fancy with the decorating tips etc.  Sprinkles or M&M's are great for decorating.

 

Here is a link to some of my cakes and cupcakes

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/monizcel/CakeDecorating02?feat=directlink

 

Good luck

skoorbnibor

I agree with the baking time, and have a great (and super easy idea for decorating)

see pic: 

the flowers are just candy, but the design on the other ones is SOOO easy and looked so impressive. It is just evenly spaced lines of gel icing in coordinating colors, and then you run a clean toothpick across the lines, in 2 directions. Super easy and really look way more complicated! 

Shore.Bride

Thanks, Skoorbnibor!!!   Your cupcakes are awesome.  Stupid question: did you put the gel icing at a grocery store - or some sort of food specialty store?    I'm telling you, I'm clueless!    Thanks so much