Cupcake Decorating Ideas for Any Occasion
Updated on March 13, 2023
Cupcakes are a delicious treat no matter your age. With so many flavours and fillings, people never get tired of tasting them. There’s a lot more that you can do with a cupcake, however, than just smooth some icing on top. Why not get a little craftier with your cupcake decor?
Whether you’re baking for someone’s birthday, for Christmas, or simply because cupcakes are delicious, fun toppings and designs will take your treats to the next level. Check out these unique cupcake decorating ideas!
High heel cupcakes
The main part of the cupcake might be iced normally in this recipe, but the additions are just too cute. Use a lady finger cookie as the arch of the shoe and prop it up with a heel made of wafer. Use icing to make sure the heel and the arch don’t come apart! You can also use icing to add “frills” around the arch. Next, embellish them however you want! These cupcakes are perfect for a teen girl’s birthday or a ladies lunch.(Photo source: Goods Home Design)
Cookie monster cupcakes
Kids will absolutely love seeing Cookie Monster on their cupcakes, but they’ll love it even more when they realize they’re getting a double treat! To make Cookie Monster’s face furry, mix shredded coconut into the icing. Make his eyes out of white chocolate buttons dotted with black icing. Finally, wedge a miniature chocolate chip cookie into the icing as though he’s taking a big bite!(Photo source: Laughspark)
Sugary rainbow cupcakes
Just in case your cupcakes aren’t sweet enough, try adding candy! Blue icing forms the sky and fluffy clouds of white icing stick down the ends of each candy rainbow.(Photo source: The Sweetest Temptations)
Snow cone cupcakes
Make these mini snow cone cupcakes inside ketchup cups! You can choose between making chocolate cupcakes and using coloured icing and sprinkles for the snow cone effect, or you can add food colouring to three squeeze bags of vanilla cake batter and fill the cups so that the cupcakes are red, white, and blue all the day down. Tiny spoons let snackers eat their cupcake out of the cup without having to squeeze it.(Photo source: 24/7 Moms)
Flower pot cupcakes
Bake these cupcakes right in their flower pots! Mini flower pots from the dollar store are probably your easiest find. Make sure they’re made of an over-friendly material, like terra cotta. Once they’ve cooled, ice the cupcakes, sprinkle Oreo crumb “dirt” on top, and embellish with pretty toothpick flowers!(Photo source: This Silly Girl’s Life)
Peekaboo heart cupcakes
These adorable cut out cupcakes will actually work with any shape cookie cutter as long as it’s small enough! Once your cupcakes have cooled, carefully cut the tops off half of them. Use your cookie cutter to cut shapes out of those tops. On the topless cupcakes, ice the surface of the bottom and then carefully place the top back on so the icing shows through the cookie cutter hole. Next, ice the cupcakes that you didn’t cut and stick the cut outs from the other cupcakes right on top!(Photo source: Goods Home Design)
Starbucks cupcakes
You can transform any flavour cupcake into a miniature Starbucks drink, but they’re especially delicious if you choose a latte flavour like salted caramel! Print ant cut out little Starbucks logos and stick one to each cupcake sleeve. Cut regular straws into little sections and, once you’ve iced and drizzled the cupcakes, pop the straw into the icing like it’s latte foam.(Photo source: My Frugal Adventure)
Pool ball cupcakes
Besides numbering some white chocolate buttons, your only job here is to ice the cupcakes white and colour them like pool balls using sprinkles! Simple, but oh so cute.(Photo source: Family Holiday)
Minion cupcakes
Minion cupcakes are another excuse to serve a double treat! On top of each iced cupcake, place a half a twinkie to form the mionions’ heads. Ice their faces on (consider using rocket candies for their eyes) and enjoy!(Photo source: Cake Decor Pins)
Mini panda bear cupcakes
These panda bear cupcakes are extra sweet! Once the cupcakes are iced, dip each one into a bowl of white sugar. Use chocolate chips upside down and on their sides to make the ears, eyes, and nose. Three black sprinkles give your panda bear the perfect smile and icing finishes off the details in the eyes.(Photo source: Goods Home Design)
Burger cupcakes
How many of your friends do you think will be fooled into thinking these mini burger cupcakes are actually sliders? When the cupcakes have cooled, cut the tops off and place a slice of chocolate cupcake (you can also use a chocolate cookie) on the surface of the bottom. Red, yellow, and green make ketchup, relish, and mustard. Pop the top of the cupcake back on and give it a sprinkle of sugar for sesame seeds!(Photo source: Family Holiday)
Martini glass cupcakes
These martini glass cupcakes make the perfect birthday treat for a real party girl! Rim the edges with some sugar and pop each cupcake in the cup on a bed of- you guessed it- more sugar! A lime and a stir stick complete the martini fantasy.(Photo source: Cupcakes Plain and Fancy)
Strawberry Christmas tree cupcakes
As if cupcakes weren’t delicious enough, these Christmas trees are hiding a fruit secret. Place an upside down strawberry on top of each cupcake and ice around it to get the Christmas tree shape. Decorate your tree with candy bobbles and a star, and voila!(Photo source: Hot Penguin)
Surprise piñata cupcakes
Can you tell that we like surprise candy? These cupcakes have M&Ms (or Nerds, or whichever other small candy you’d prefer) hiding in the middle! When the cupcakes have cooled all the way through, use an apple corer to gently hollow out the middle of the cupcake. Twisting the corer can help you get the centre loose more easily. Don’t push all the way to the bottom, or your candy will fall out when you pick the cupcake up for a bite! Cut the very top of each core off, fill the centre of the cupcake with candy, and pop the top back on. Ice the cupcakes, set them aside, and enjoy snacking on the leftover middles!(Photo source: Cake Journal)
Watermelon cupcakes
These watermelon cupcakes are very simple, but still so impressive looking! A little bit of food colouring and some chocolate chip “seeds” do the trick.(Photo source: Hot Penguin)
Oreo sunflower cupcakes
For the grand finale in our list of cupcakes, we give you one last recipe with a hidden treat. The centre of each of these sunflowers is an Oreo cookie! Create the petals carefully out of icing and you’re ready to enjoy.(Photo source: Goods Home Design)
Do you have other fun cupcake decorating ideas? Tell us about them in the comments!