Is there anything prettier than a perfectly decorated cupcake? We don’t think so! With our roundup of clever cupcake ideas, you’ll be creating cute cupcake designs in no time. Piping bags at the ready – these cupcake decorating ideas are too good to miss. 

Easy artsy cupcakes

These cupcakes might look impressive, but they couldn’t be easier to make! All you need is a selection of food colorings and a spatula to create this cool, artsy paint-effect on cupcakes. Add coloring to buttercream and use a small spatula to swipe across the surface of the cupcake, cleaning the spatula as you change colors.

Elegant champagne cupcakes

If you’re baking for an adult birthday party, these sophisticated champagne cupcakes won’t look out of place! Make champagne-flavored cupcakes and top them with a sumptuous buttercream frosting and a delicate dusting of sparkling gold sprinkles.

Fun nautical cupcakes

These cupcakes are sure to give you your daily dose of vitamin sea! This is a bake for more advanced bakers or those who love a challenge. Top a cupcake with a smooth layer of white icing, before adding an impressive piped buttercream rope border. Finish it off with an anchor cupcake topper for a seriously impressive treat!

Colorful monster cupcakes

Kids will go crazy for these super fun monster mouthful cupcakes! Great for children’s birthday parties, these brightly colored monster creations are made using chunks of your favorite chocolate bars.

Bee-autiful chocolate cupcakes

We love the contrast of the rich chocolatey tones with the vibrant yellow frosting on these fun cupcakes. Yellow buttercream frosting is piped generously onto chocolate cupcakes using a smooth nozzle, and finished with a handmade fondant icing bee. These cute cupcakes would be ideal for a kids’ birthday party or a baby shower.

Pineapple upside down cupcakes

Fun, tropical and totally tasty! These pineapple upside down cupcakes are like nothing we’ve ever seen before, and are guaranteed to impress at your next party. You can bake these boozy cupcakes without cupcake liners in a muffin pan, and finish with a dollop of whipped cream and a pretty maraschino cherry.

Fabulous floral cupcakes

Show off your piping skills with these floral fantasy cupcakes that are almost too pretty to eat! Whip up a few shades of delicate pastel-colored buttercreams and get out your whole collection of piping nozzles to create stunning roses, daisies, chrysanthemums and more. These are the perfect present for Mother’s Day – presented in a cupcake box with a bow on top!

Totally tipsy root beer float cupcakes

These cupcakes take fun to the next level! Perfect for a bachelor party or family summer BBQ, these cupcakes are spiked with a shot of boozy root beer. We love the way the icing is dolloped on the top of the cupcake with an ice cream scoop, giving the effect of a floating ball of ice cream!

Pull-apart cupcake creations

Cupcakes don’t have to be presented individually! These amazing pull-apart cakes make an impressive centerpiece for a party, with the added bonus of being easy to serve up – guests can just grab a cake from the tray! You could play with loads of different shapes and designs to suit almost any occasion. We love this fun tropical pineapple cupcake idea and cool carrot cupcake design.

Easy almond coconut cupcakes

You don’t have to be a top chef to create impressive looking and tasting cupcakes, and these almond and coconut cupcakes are a prime example! With a delicate balance of flavor in the batter and a simple sprinkle of flaked coconut on top, this recipe and design is foolproof!

Sprinkle surprise cupcakes

You can never have too many sprinkles! As well as having a healthy scattering of sprinkles on top, this little cupcake is bursting with sprinkles inside too. These fun cupcakes make a great choice for almost every occasion – from birthdays to baby showers. You could even use one-color sprinkles inside for super cute gender reveal cupcakes.

One color cupcakes

You don’t need to use loads of different colors to create impressive cupcakes! Use lots of different piping nozzles and techniques to create a variety of textures on simple cupcakes. They look great individually as well as grouped together.

Super simple seashell cupcakes

If piping isn’t your forté, this cute cupcake idea is ideal! Top the cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream, cover with shimmery sugar pearls and finish with a seashell. You could mold the seashell yourself from chocolate or candy melts or use premade shell-shaped chocolates.