Secrets to a Picture Perfect Cupcake

I can't quite remember when I actually fell in love with baking cupcakes, but it has honestly become one of my favorite creative outlets. I think it originally began with needing to bake gluten free treats that I would be able to enjoy- back before a lot of places were really into including gluten free options on their menus or in stores. That has come along way over the last couple of years for sure, but I still enjoy trying out my own variations and new ideas for flavors and combinations that I come across on Pinterest.

My all time favorite easy cupcake to make uses the Betty Crocker Gluten Free cake mix, and I often substitute almond flavoring for the vanilla to give the cake a slightly more unique and homemade flavor. I've learned that cooking them at 325 and for a little bit longer than the box calls for goes a long way. For more custom flavors, I keep an array of recipes on a Pinterest Cupcakery board so that I have new options whenever the occasion calls for.

There are so many recipes for different homemade frostings and I am not sure that I have found my favorite yet. I tend to be a little of this, a little of that baker which I have found does not really work well for homemade icing- it's much more necessary to be precise than for some other recipes. My secret to creating the great picture perfect swirl comes from using the Wilton Dessert Decorator Plus
I have gone through a number of these now, and it is easy to use and only moderately tedious to clean. The trick to making it look good is definitely getting the precise thickness in the frosting. Too thick, and I have broken the handle trying to get the frosting through, but too thin and it just makes a big mess on top and runs down the side. Most store bought frosting actually has a great consistency to go with the Wilton and I have been known to use it mixed in with some custom color gels or additional cream cheese to take away the canned taste without requiring a full homemade recipe. I will say that another thing to know is that the Wilton goes through more frosting for each cupcake than you might be ready for- on average I can only get 3-4 cupcakes frosted from each load into it so I always need a really large batch. In general, cream cheese based frosting while delicious is much more difficult to get looking really fluffy and high swirls in comparison to a buttercream type recipe.

Etsy has some fun wrappers when looking for a specific theme, as well as great topper options that I have used for several parties. I have also learned, though, that when it comes to the papers you do have to be careful with what you pick because the colors will run, distort or face once baked. Doubling up can help combat this, but grease proof liners are the best when really wanting the paper to still look fresh after baking. I have also used silicone baking cups- like the tea cups below and they are very cute but for parties you have to be prepared to not get some back because people throw them away without realizing that they are reusable.

And finally, put them in on a cute stand- Home Goods has super cute options- put them in some good lighting and take cute pics!

Tea cup cupcakes for a neighbor's Alice in Wonderland themed first birthday party