Birthday Cupcakes

Celebrating with birthday cupcakes gives you a lot of flexibility. You have your pick of themes, colors and designs: flowers, animals, characters. You name it, and it can be converted in to a celebratory theme.

However, the simple fact is there’s so much to choose from, you might get stuck! Sometimes, the best option is to pick something plain and simple. Color is often a good focus and can help tie a design together very easily. You may not find the obvious themes on these pages—candles, balloons, party hats—but feel free to adapt the concept to any design or idea that you have. Sprinkle in some heart-felt well wishes to your special person and you can turn any concept into a celebration.

Birthday Cupcake Tutorials Birthday Stars Cupcakes Celebrate that special someone with these easy to make fondant stars. >>Check out the step-by-step directions for this Birthday Stars Cupcake Birthday Candle Cupcake This frosting candle is an endless flame and would look great gathered together on a platter or on a tiered cupcake display. >>See the instructions for this Birthday Candle Cupcake Flower Fun Cupcakes It’s a pink and purple flower explosion! This great design is beautiful for birthdays, but would be great for a bridal or baby shower, too. >>See how to make these Flower Fun Cupcakes

“Celebrate with Stars”
Birthday Cupcakes

Difficulty Level: Easy

The great thing about the simple design of these birthday cupcakes is you can very easily change the stars to flowers, diamonds or anything you want. Vary the color to match the theme as well.

Bakery/Cake Goods Needed:

• Your favorite batch of vanilla cupcakes
• Your favorite butter cream frosting recipe

Star Plaques Decorating Supplies:

• 1 small batch of premade fondant
  (we used Wilton’s Ready-To-Use Rolled Fondant in white)
• Metal star shaped cutters
  (we used the 2” and 1″ star cutter from Wilton’s
  Star Fondant Cut-outs)
• Yellow food color
  (we used Wilton’s paste food color in Golden Yellow)
• Small rolling pin
• Wax Paper
• Food-safe paint brush
• Wilton #3 round tip
• Coupler Ring
• Decorator Icing in a Tube
  (we used Wilton’s Decorating Icing in Blue)
• Multi-color candy jimmies

Cupcake Icing Tools:

• Ateco #804 Round Tip
• Icing Bag

Finishing Touches:

• Blue, Red and Yellow cupcake liners

Make the Star Plaques:

Step 1: Break off a medium size ball from the fondant and set aside. Tint the remaining fondant yellow.

Step 2: With the small rolling pin, roll out yellow fondant to approximately 1/4″ thick. Cut out shapes using 2″ star cutter.

Step 3: With the small rolling pin, roll out white fondant to approximately 1/4″ thick. Cut out shapes using 1″ star cutter.

Step 4: With the food-safe paint brush, wet the center of the yellow star with water. Attach the smaller white star to the center. Set aside on wax paper to dry and harden over night.

Icing the Birthday Cupcakes:

Step 1: Fill the icing bag with butter cream and fit the opening with a Ateco #804 Round metal tip. Using a circular motion, squeeze out icing to cover the top of the cupcakes.

Step 2: Sprinkle tops with multi-colored candy jimmies.

Decorating the Cupcakes:

Step 1: Place a star with attached circle to the center of each cupcake.

Step 2: Fit the #3 Round Tip with the coupler over the opening of the red decorator icing.

Step 3: Pipe out the letters that spell out “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” on to each cupcake.

Sweet Birthday Candle Cupcake

Difficulty Level: Experienced

This birthday cupcake candle will burn forever since the flame is a sweet dollop of frosting. Match the number of candle cupcakes to the birthday boy or girl for added fun. These look spectacular on a cupcake display, but make sure you have enough room between tiers first since the fondant candles on these cupcakes sit rather high.

Bakery/Cake Goods Needed:

• Your favorite batch of chocolate cupcakes
• Your favorite butter cream frosting recipe

Candle Decorating Supplies:

• 1 small batch of premade fondant (we used Wilton’s Ready-To-Use Rolled Fondant in white)
• Small rolling pin
• Small knife
• Wax Paper
• Long Bamboo Skewer
• Icing bag
• Wilton #12 Star Tip
• Yellow, Purple and Pink food coloring (we used Wilton’s paste food colors)
• Assorted Candy and Sugar Sprinkles in Pink, Purple and Yellow

Cupcake Icing Tools:

• Ateco #804 Round Tip
• Icing bag

Finishing Touches:

• Red Cupcake Liner or Happy Birthday Cupcake Liner

Making the Birthday Candles:

Step 1: Break off two small balls of fondant and color one ball purple and the other pink.

Step 2: Roll both colors into long thin sausages.

Step 3: Gently wrap the two rolls around each other to entwine them. Carefully push the bamboo skewer through the bottom to give the fondant some support.

Step 4: Trim the fondant at the bottom and trim the skewer.

Step 5: Taper the top of the fondant candle to a point.

Icing Cupcakes:

Step 1: Tint 3 cups of the frosting pink. Fill the icing bag with pink butter cream and fit the opening with the Ateco 804 Round metal tip. Using a circular motion, squeeze out icing to cover the top of the cupcakes.

Step 2: Place a fondant candle on the cupcake. (You can place as many as you like.)

Step 3: Sprinkle candy and sugar over the top of the cupcake.

Step 4: Tint a small amount of butter cream yellow. Fill an icing bag with yellow butter cream and fit opening with the #12 star tip. Pipe an elongated star on top of the fondant candle.

Special Birthday Celebrations

30th Birthday Cupcakes

Vanessa Iti is a master of color and design when it comes to cupcakes. If you want to be amazed, take a look at Vanessa’s purple and blue birthday cupcake creation. She started with shoes as her inspiration point, definitely “girlie” without losing grown-up sophistication.