Birthday Cake Designs

The world of cupcake making has evolved over recent years into something of an art. No longer associated with a hot summers day and a tepid cup of tea, ‘the cupcake’ has – of late – undergone something of rejuvenation. Photos of blossom lipped celebrities tucking into light and glorious looking cupcakes have inspired a wave of aspiring bakers to up tools and take to their kitchens in a quest to create these edible works of art. So, stand aside, lowly sponge cake, and make way for the new(ish) kids on the block – the cupcake.

Birthday Cupcakes

Now, don’t get me wrong – I know cupcakes are by no means new to the world of making cakes. However, what is new is the fact that these little colourful creamy delights are now considered the height of cool in many a culinary circle. Present your cupcakes just right, and with just the right flourish, and you will have the room eating out of the palms of your hands as people clamour to feast upon your miniature triumphs. These little guys can’t help but make people go ‘ahhhh’.

When it comes to cupcake making, it is vital you approach the task at hand with ambition – and humour. Pushing yourself, being experimental and just ‘trying stuff out’ sometimes produces the most amazing results. Don’t feel disheartened by old images of dried up butterfly cakes and miserly applied layers of icing – thats what history is there for…so that we learn from our past mistakes! See each little cake as another chance to shine, to make unique, and just generally as another mouthful of heaven.

Chocolate Birhtday Cupcakes

In my (humble) eyes, the making of a cupcake requires attention and time. Choose the right cupcake case as your starting point. For example, I as a rule make all my cupcakes in muffin case – so as to allow some support from the case for icing. However this does not mean you have to follow my lead. The plethora of cupcake cases out there is quite astounding. There are heart shaped, star shaped, miniature ones, letter shaped – ANYTHING really…(within reason!). And if you can’t find exactly the one you are looking for, why not try making some…?!

Now for the flavours. If you have done any prior research, you will know that pretty much anything can be made into a cupcake flavour – so venture forth and experiment with cheesecake cupcakes, marshmallow cupcakes and green tea cupcakes… and once you have conquered those, why not chuck in a bit of chili, Guinness or courgette – or swap in mayonnaise for butter and eggs!

For me, the whole joy of cupcakes comes from how good they look. Whether it be fluorescent icing, lavishly applied in all colours of the rainbow, or delicate little sugared rose petals, sprinkled elegantly with abandon, trust me – if you can make those bad boys look so good that people want to cry, then mission achieved.

1st Birthday Cupcakes

Finally – why make cupcakes?. The reasons are endless – however I will try and fit them into some sort of short list. Firstly – they are perfect for any birthday – whether for children (perfect because of the bright colours, the capacity to personalize and also – because of the sizes you can make them in…remember, kids don’t have giant appetites, so a tray of miniature cupcakes will be manageable for their little tummies and will mean your efforts don’t go to waste), for teens or for your one hundred year old grandmother – trust me, cupcakes will fit into any birthday celebrations and will never cease to impress. Secondly, because they are individual cakes, it means you don’t have to worry about standing for hours, dividing up mounds of Victoria sponge into precisely measured squares of all equal weight – just to make sure ‘no one misses out’. Instead you can dance through the throngs of celebrating masses and scatter them gaily into hungry hands without a second thought. Finally (although I could go on), not only do they make wonderful birthday cakes – they are also equally as wonderful as birthday presents. They are a personal and fun way of saying ‘Happy Birthday’ and the perfect way to make someone feel incredibly special on their most special of days.