Basic Decorating Supplies

Holiday baking will begin soon and every cupcake baker needs a few basic decorating supplies. You don't need much to get started.  In fact, I use one or two tips and a pastry bag to decorate most of my cupcakes.  You can go simple or go fancy.  I prefer the simple route unless I am making wedding cupcakes or going all out for a special occasion. 

Wilton has a great tutorial for each step in cupcake

decorating (and lots of other good stuff):

Decorating Basics

Types of frosting & frosting recipes

How to fill your cupcakes

Techniques to cover your cupcakes

Decorating your cupcakes

Seven-Minute Icing

Every southern recipe box contains a seven-minute icing recipe. Mine is on a 4 x 6 recipe card. It is bent with torn edges...and has egg white stains all over it. I should copy it onto a new recipe card, but there is something comforting about the stains and torn edges.

Seven-minute icing is like spreadable divinity candy with a marshmallow consistency. I remember it being used most often for coconut cakes, devil's food cupcakes, and as an alternative to cream cheese icing for red velvet cakes. This icing is only stable for about 24 hours or so and would not be a good choice if you need an icing to last for several days; it will start to separate and the egg whites will deflate. For best results, use it the same day it is made. Your cake or cupcakes must also be completely cooled. If not, the egg whites will deflate and the icing will "melt" on the warm cake.

Humidity alert - southern cooks will already know this. This icing is not a good choice to make on humid days. The increased humidity prevents the egg whites from getting firm and you may end up with a bowl of white soup.

Seven-Minute Icing

2 cups white sugar
3 egg whites
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl on top of a double boiler, combine the sugar, egg whites, corn syrup, water and vanilla. Place over boiling water and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 7 minutes, or until frosting is completely cool and forms peaks when beaters are raised. Remove from heat. Use immediately to frost cooled cupcakes.