Little cups of happiness

Cupcakes are tiny, scrumptious and satiating wonders — there’s one for everyone! These delicious bites melt in the mouth and are an all-time favourite of one and all. With Christmas fast approaching, it is time to spread love and happiness with baking — after all, what is a festival without sweet treats?

During these winter celebrations, you could indulge in baking some yummylicious cupcakes and even frost them yourself — which, by the way, is the best part of the whole cupcake experience. Luckily, there are many frosting options to play around with and make your lovely cupcakes look as pretty as possible. Only thing to keep in mind is that the frosting needs to be stiff and hold its shape for a good finish.

Before setting on our cupcake journey, we need two basic tools, a pastry bag and a pastry tip. Reusable and disposable pastry bags are widely available in the market. Take a pastry bag attached with a pastry tip and fold it inside out till about half its length. Fill in the prepared frosting with a spoon and then twist the bag to squeeze out any air bubbles. Point the tip of the bag on the cupcake and applying an even amount of pressure, release the smooth icing to make any design you like — spiral or flowers. Voila! We have a beautifully decorated cupcake and you can further enhance the look with colourful sprinkles, chocolate chips and even fruits.

Chocolate Frosting:

Ingredients

100 gm butter soft
225 gm icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp cream
Handful of candies

Method:

Beat the butter until it becomes pale and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat it well. Next add the cocoa powder and beat the mix again. Lastly, add the cream and beat the mix well. Fill your pastry bag with the frosting and pipe it on the cupcake. You can decorate it with candies.

Caramel Frosting:

Ingredients

200 gm butter
500 gm icing sugar  
3 tbsp caramel sauce  
1 tbsp milk

Methods

Beat the cream and add the butter. After mixing it in, add the icing sugar and then beat the mix well. Now add the caramel sauce and beat it again. Lastly, add the milk and blend it well. Fill the pastry bag and ice your cupcakes for the best sweet treats!

Vanilla Frosting:

Ingredients

200 gm heavy cream  
2 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp icing sugar
Few drops of food colour of your choice

Method

In a bowl, whip the cream with a hand beater at low to medium speeds. When the cream becomes soft, add the essence and icing sugar. Whip the mixture again until it becomes stiff and holds its structure. Add a colour of your choice. Now fill your pastry bag and get going with icing your cupcake!

There are various pastry tips easily available in the market that one can use to decorate the cupcakes.

Bhavika Rawlyani, home baker and chocolatier