Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes melt in your mouse with their crumbly texture and heavenly chocolate flavor.

Chocolate cupcakes can be frosted with enhancing flavors like chocolate buttercream.

Chocolate cupcakes can also be frosted with complimentary flavors like cream cheese frosting, raspberry buttercream, or coffee buttercream.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is one of the most popular flavors for frosting chocolate cupcakes.

It’s not as sweet as buttercream, and has the memorable cream cheese and vanilla flavor, which balances out the chocolatey cupcake.

Cream cheese frosting needs to have the right consistency to be piped into shapes using a piping tip. Therefore I recommend using this recipe for cupcakes.

It’s a thick icing and it pipes well on top of cupcakes. You can also color it using gel food coloring or liquid food coloring.

Chocolate Buttercream

Chocolate buttercream is a creamy, chocolatey frosting for chocolate cupcakes.

It’s an overwhelming chocolate flavor when you combined both chocolate cupcakes and chocolate frosting.

Chocolate buttercream is made by creaming butter, heavy cream, vanilla extract, salt, and cocoa powder together. The icing is sweetened using icing sugar.

Once the frosting is made, it will be very thick! You can thin it out a little with a bit more heavy cream if needed.

Put a couple sprinkles on top of your freshly frosted chocolate cupcakes for a little pop of color.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Vanilla buttercream frosting is a complimentary flavored icing for chocolate cupcakes. It tones down the chocolate flavor, leaving you with an aromatic vanilla flavor.

Vanilla buttercream is a rich and creamy frosting that is flavored with vanilla extract.

It’s a stiff icing, therefore it pipes well on top of of cupcakes for those beautiful rose icing designs.

Vanilla buttercream is made with heavy cream instead of milk to thin it out, therefore it has more of a buttery, velvety flavor.

You can easily color vanilla buttercream frosting using gel food coloring, or liquid food coloring for your themed cupcakes.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Coffee buttercream frosting is an incredible flavored icing that goes well with chocolate cupcakes.

Coffee buttercream combined with chocolate cupcakes has a delicious creamy mocha flavor to them.

It’s one of my favorite frostings because it’s FULL of coffee flavor.

It tastes like you’re eating a latte, giving you a little pick-me-up.

Coffee buttercream icing is made by adding instant coffee (I recommend using freshly brewed espresso) to a buttercream icing base.

Raspberry Buttercream

Raspberry buttercream is a succulent frosting for chocolate cupcakes. Raspberry frosting goes particularly well with chocolate cupcakes, making it have burst of fruity flavor.

Raspberry buttercream has a vibrant pink color to it.

To make raspberry buttercream, you’ll be making your own raspberry sauce, and then whipping that with a buttercream based frosting.

Strawberry Buttercream

Strawberry buttercream is one of the most fruity frostings you’ll ever eat!!

To make strawberry buttercream you have to first make strawberry puree. It smells as good as it sounds.

The puree is added to a buttercream base, and it produces a colorful pink frosting for cupcakes.

Strawberry buttercream has a bit of unique look to it, it has tiny pieces of strawberry mixed throughout the icing.

I recommend using the buttercream within 1-2 days, as the flavor fades over time.

White Chocolate Buttercream

White chocolate buttercream is made by adding melted vanilla chocolate to a buttercream base.

White chocolate is a fairly sweet chocolate, but added to buttercream makes it a delicious and creamy frosting that isn’t too sweet.

White chocolate buttercream is a beautiful crisp white frosting for cupcakes, but you can color if desired using gel food coloring.

Garnishing cupcakes takes cupcakes from homemade, right to professional with only a few simple additions.

You can use sprinkles, fruit, chocolate decorations, zest, cocoa powder, and more to garnish your cupcakes!

Make your cupcakes eye catching and mesmerizing using these simple garnish ideas for cupcakes.

Sprinkles

Sprinkles are the most popular garnish for cupcakes!

You can get beautiful white, clear, colored sprinkles that come in all shorts of shapes and sizes.

Gently sprinkle your sprinkles on the tops of your cupcakes as to not overwhelm them!

A couple of sprinkles goes a long way for a garnish!

Zest

You can add lime zest, lemon zest, or orange zest to the top of your cupcakes for a beautiful pop of color.

Make sure your zest matches the flavoring of your cupcakes, or compliments the flavor before using zest as a garnish for cupcakes.

Cocoa Powder

You can add a little dusting of cocoa powder to the top of cupcakes for an added decoration.

Only add a sparing amount, because by itself, cocoa powder is quite bitter tasting.

Only add cocoa powder to chocolate cupcakes as a garnish.

Mint Leaves

You can arrange a few mint leaves in the icing on top of your cupcake for a vibrant pop of green color.

Mint leaves go well with chocolate cupcakes as a garnish.

Chocolate scrolls

Use a potato peeler and grate the chocolate away from you to create chocolate scrolls on top of your cupcakes.

White chocolate scrolls work well with most cupcake flavors.

Fresh Fruit

Fresh fruit can be used as a cupcake garnish using a small piece of fruit or a single berry. You can place it directly on top of the icing peak, or off to the side. Push it into the icing so it stays.

• blackberry
• blueberry
• raspberry
• kiwi slice
• slice of strawberry

Chocolate Garnish

Chocolate garnishes can be made into countless designs, using your own imagination! You can pipe chocolate hearts, words, stars, butterflies, etc.

Once you’ve piped your chocolate into your beautiful garnish, place it in the freezer to hard up.

Then gently place it into the icing on your cupcake for a stunning garnish to your cupcakes.

Writing

You can write a chocolate garnish with a saying or word using handwriting. This way, word will stay all one piece.

After you’ve completed the word, trace a line underneath the word to make the letters reinforced, or have something that will be easily stuck into your cupcake.

Chocolate Leaf

You can paint melted chocolate onto a fresh leaf from the garden using a food safe paintbrush.

Let the chocolate leaf dry fully in the freezer. Then, peel off the leaf from the chocolate and place the chocolate leaf onto your cupcake.

How to pipe a chocolate garnish for cupcakes

• piping bag
• #2 piping tip
• chocolate
• parchment paper or silicone mat

1. Melt your chocolate in 30 second intervals until it’s fully melted. Use a spoon to mix your chocolate in between intervals. You’ll only need 1/4-1/3 cup of chocolate to make your chocolate garnish.
2. Place your piping tip into a piping bag. Put the piping bag over the edges of a tall glass.
3. Pour the melted chocolate into the piping bag.
4. Cut the piping bag tip and twist the end of the piping bag to get it ready for piping.
5. Place your parchment paper or silicone mat on a baking sheet. This will make it easier to transfer it to the freezer later. Any plate would work for this as well depending on how much freezer space you have.
6. Begin piping your chocolate garnish.
7. Place chocolate into the freezer for 20 minutes to set them.
8. Do not hold the chocolate garnish decoration for a very long time in your hand or it will start to melt.
9. Place your chocolate garnish gently into your cupcake.

Icing cupcakes can add flavor, texture, and an eye catching look to your beautiful baking creations.

Cupcake icing needs be thick, and stable to be able to pipe unique designs using piping tips.

Buttercream frosting or cream cheese icing are the perfect base to add a variety of flavors to create your own rich icing for cupcakes.

You can add a ton of flavor to cupcake icing using simple ingredients like freshly brewed espresso, vanilla beans, lemon zest, lime juice, etc.

Try using one of these sweet cupcake icing flavors for your next batch of cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream cheese frosting is one of the favorite flavors of frosting for cupcakes.

It’s not as sweet as buttercream, and has the memorable cream cheese and vanilla flavor.

Cream cheese frosting needs to have the right consistency to be piped into shapes using a piping tip. Therefore I recommend using this recipe for cupcakes.

It’s a thick icing and it pipes well on top of cupcakes. You can also color it using gel food coloring or liquid food coloring.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Vanilla buttercream frosting is rich and creamy, with an aromatic flavor of vanilla.

It’s a stiff icing, therefore it pipes well on top of of cupcakes for those beautiful rose icing designs.

Vanilla buttercream is made with heavy cream instead of milk to thin it out, therefore it has more of a buttery, velvety flavor.

You can easily color vanilla buttercream frosting using gel food coloring, or liquid food coloring.

Strawberry Frosting

Strawberry frosting is one of the most fruity frostings you’ll ever eat!!

To make strawberry buttercream you have to first make strawberry puree. It smells as good as it sounds.

The puree is added to a buttercream base, and it produces a vibrant pink frosting.

Strawberry buttercream has a bit of unique look to it, it has tiny pieces of strawberry mixed throughout the icing.

I recommend using the buttercream within 1-2 days, as the flavor fades over time.

White Chocolate Buttercream

White chocolate buttercream is made by adding melted vanilla chocolate to a buttercream base.

White chocolate is a fairly sweet chocolate, but added to buttercream makes it a delicious and creamy frosting that isn’t too sweet.

White chocolate buttercream is a beautiful crisp white frosting, but you can color if desired using gel food coloring.

Coffee Icing

Coffee icing is an incredible flavored icing because it’s FULL of coffee flavor.

It tastes like you’re eating a latte.

Coffee buttercream icing is made by adding instant coffee (I recommend using freshly brewed espresso) to a buttercream icing base.

Coffee buttercream frosting has a hazel color to the frosting.

Champagne Buttercream Frosting

Champagne buttercream frosting has a lovely hint of bubbly flavor.

Champagne buttercream frosting can be made using a sweet sparkling wine infused into a vanilla buttercream frosting. You could even use a strawberry sparkling wine for a little extra fruity flavor.

Champagne buttercream frosting is perfect for a wedding shower, NYE party, or birthday party celebration.

Chai Spiced Frosting

Chai spiced frosting has the flavor of a chai latte.

Chai spiced frosting is made by infusing chai spice into a vanilla buttercream frosting.

Chai spiced frosting has a birch color to it.

It’s a unique tea flavored frosting that goes well with a vanilla cupcakes, or pumpkin cupcakes.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

Cookies and cream frosting has a hint of vanilla buttercream frosting, and tastes like you’re eating cookies in the form of icing.

Crushed cookies and cookie crumbs are added to the frosting to create this decadent and rich buttercream icing.

Cookies and cream buttercream frosting can be used for a chocolate cupcakes or vanilla cupcakes.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Chocolate buttercream frosting is a chocolatey, creamy frosting.

Chocolate buttercream frosting is made by adding a little vanilla extract, and cocoa powder to a buttercream base frosting.

Chocolate buttercream is a heavy frosting.

Chocolate buttercream can be used for frosting chocolate cupcakes.

Hazelnut Icing

Hazelnut icing is a nutty and chocolatey frosting.

Hazelnut buttercream icing is made by adding cocoa powder, and hazelnut sauce to a buttercream frosting.

Hazelnut frosting is a unique frosting in that it has a nut flavored undertone with chocolate flavor.

Hazelnut frosting goes well with chocolate, vanilla, or mocha cupcakes.

Peanut butter Frosting

Peanut butter frosting is a fluffy and light buttercream.

Peanut butter icing is made by simply adding peanut butter to a buttercream base.

It’s a bit unique, in that the frosting is thinned out by adding freshly whipped whipping cream.

The whipping cream adds a creamy texture to the buttercream frosting.

Peanut butter frosting goes well on top of chocolate cupcakes.

Elderflower Buttercream

Elderflower buttercream is a floral and refreshing buttercream frosting.

Elderflower buttercream is made by adding elderflower cordial to a buttercream base.

Elderflower buttercream goes well with lemon cupcakes or vanilla cupcakes.

Mint Chocolate Icing

Mint chocolate buttercream is a minty fresh, chocolatey icing.

Mint buttercream icing is made by adding mint extract, and dark chocolate chips to Italian buttercream icing.

You can also color the icing using liquid or gel food coloring if desired.

Mint buttercream icing goes well on top of a chocolate cupcakes.

Marshmallow Vanilla Frosting

Marshmallow vanilla frosting has a hint of marshmallow and vanilla flavors.

Marshmallow vanilla frosting is made using marshmallow fluff and vanilla extract, which is infused into a buttercream base icing.

Marshmallow vanilla frosting can be piped onto chocolate cupcakes or vanilla cupcakes.

Lemon Frosting

Lemon buttercream is a citrusy frosting with a burst of lemon flavor.

Lemon buttercream is made by adding lemon extract and freshly grated lemon zest to infuse into buttercream icing.

Lemon buttercream is goes well on top of lemon cupcakes or vanilla cupcakes.

Amaretto Icing

Amaretto buttercream is a sweet, cherry flavored frosting.

Amaretto buttercream is made by infusing amaretto and vanilla extract into buttercream frosting.

Slowly add the powdered sugar into the frosting, and taste test for yourself. Only add as much sugar as you need to. It might be too sweet otherwise.

Amaretto icing can be piped onto vanilla cupcakes for a sweet cherry cupcake flavor.

Banana Buttercream Icing

Banana buttercream frosting has a creamy banana flavor to it.

Banana buttercream icing is made with banana extract to buttercream frosting. You can add a little yellow liquid food coloring as well for a pop of color.

Banana buttercream icing can be piped onto banana cupcakes or vanilla cupcakes.

Coconut Frosting

Coconut frosting has a woody-fruity flavor to it.

Coconut buttercream icing is made by adding cream of coconut and coconut emulsion to buttercream icing.

Coconut frosting goes well on top of vanilla cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Lime Frosting

Cream cheese lime frosting has a refreshing citrus lime flavor, combined with tangy cream cheese.

Cream cheese lime frosting is made by adding fresh lime juice to a vanilla cream cheese base frosting.

You can add a couple of drops of green food coloring if desired.

Cream cheese lime frosting can be paired with vanilla cupcakes.

Mocha Icing

Mocha icing has a coffee-chocolate flavor to it. It’s rich and decadent.

Mocha buttercream icing is made by adding freshly brewed coffee or espresso, and cocoa powder to a vanilla buttercream icing.

Mocha icing can be piped on top of chocolate or vanilla cupcakes.

Irish Cream Frosting

Irish Cream frosting has a creamy vanilla flavor to it with a hint of whiskey.

Irish cream buttercream is made by adding Irish cream to a buttercream frosting.

Irish cream frosting goes well on top of vanilla cupcakes.