cupcake decorating ideas please

[HotI]

i have made cupcakes for my mums bday and not sure how i want to decorate them. they are carrot cakes, and i have ingredients for cream cheese icing.

i am looking for inspiration for something to put on top.

Also, cakes are made today. can i ice today, or better to do it tomorrow? any tricks to make icing look pretty?

i have a few decoration things here, but will prob do a shop run. do lollies run/go soggy on cream cheese icing?

i am an amateur so happy to accept any pointers.

[Sunny Love]

I have just seen some Carrot cupcakes on Pinterst or FB, and they were cleverly topped with apricots snipped in half and butterflied.....I can't remember what they used for the green part though.....they were absolutely cute and so easy!!

Am I allowed to link it on here if I can find it?

I LOVE cake decorating!!

[HotI]

yes please!

[RhiChiChi]

I'd pipe the icing on, rather than spread it on - ITMS?

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

You could spread it on in a peak then add crushed walnuts (like the one I get from the bakery)


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

[HotI]

can you buy piping bags from the supermarket?

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

I've got a plastic piping tube & I think a piping bag if you want to borrow them. But yeah Safeway have them!


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

[Sunny Love]

Ive got a pretty sturdy piping machine from Kmart...$8!!

Sorry HotI, I cannot find that pic for the life of me now As soon as I do though i'll whack it up in this thread

[HotI]

i bought a piping bag from iga - and the bag broke on the first cake! i googled and found some great pics - but nothing inspirational at the local shop to decorate with. might check spotlight or something tomorrow on the way down.

[HomeStyleMumma]

For carrot cupcakes I usually just use cream cheese icing then put one walnut piece or a pecan on top. Very simple but looks nice.

[HotI]

our shop is real dodgy - they didn't have walnuts at all. i bought slivered almonds but i don't know if they really go ith carrot

[Netix]

Oh that's not good HotI! I have a packet of multix brand disposable piping bags (and tips), and I've just been washing and reusing them. They are very sturdy. I hope the icing wasn't too cold and so you needed to squeeze the bag too hard.

For decorating, maybe for next time, you can buy ready made marzipan (almond paste), which you could colour some orange, and a small amount green, and shape up some little carrots and put them on top of the cream cheese icing.

[HomeStyleMumma]

If you have zip lock bags you can cut off one corner and use as a piping bag... And could just sprinkle cinnamon sugar ontop if you don't want to use the almonds. Marzipan carrots would be cute, time consuming tho just for cupcakes imo but depends on what you want really. I'm sure they will be lovely whatever you decide

[HotI]

I used a zip lock bag for piping the cream cheese icing, it worked pretty well. i sprinkled coconut on top of half of them. On the rest, i wrote '60' on in icing paint (mum is turning 60). I borrowed a 3 tier serving platter so they will look ok.

will play with marzipan another day.

thanks,