Cupcakes have taken over the world. Those little wonders have been recreated in hundreds of different flavor combinations and served in stores across the United States. With cute wrappers and fun sounding names, they tempt you with their size and keep you coming back for their incredible taste and texture. His large following will keep new stores opening to capitalize on the demand for this delicious miniature treat.

The problem arises when you want something fancier than just frosting swirled on top. Many stores do not offer designer cupcakes or, if they do, they have a price that some are not willing to pay. What happens when you want to have designer cupcakes for an event? Create them at home.

For girls, the sky is the limit. Dip a full-size marshmallow in some melted chocolate, scrape off excess, and place in the center of a cupcake. Decorate the cupcake section with buttercream frosting like a tutu (use tip 104) or a dress in her favorite color.

For cupcake bags, place two regular-size cupcakes end to end together and cut the bottom with a serrated knife so that it is level on the plate. Now you are ready to decorate with buttercream or fondant.

Do you like sparkles? Take your icing covered cupcake and dip it in sugar crystals. Use strips of wax paper to section your cupcake. All the white sugar crystals would look like bright light. Colored cupcakes lined up in rows would make a powerful statement on a table.

For a beautiful vase, place two cupcakes together end to end and freeze. Cool and wrap with a fondant strip. You can add fondant flowers or buttercream on top.

Make baskets by adding jelly beans in the middle of your frosted cupcake and a basketweave fondant or frosting border around the edge. Take a thin piece of licorice and glue the ends to the cupcake on each side to make the mango.

At craft stores, they have four-cavity cake pans that make miniature doll cakes. These are individual serving sizes that you can add miniature doll picks to to make special cakes for your little princess and her friends.

Chocolate is a woman’s best friend. Do you want to make her happy? Grab some cold ganache, mold it into a marshmallow shape and dip it in melted mint chocolate and sit in the center of a chocolate cupcake. Decorate with chocolate buttercream frosting like a fancy dress, add a chocolate covered coffee bean on top and you have a cupcake worth your taste buds. Do you want a different combination? The sky is the limit. Taste Lemon Cheesecake Pie that has been frozen, then cut with miniature round cutters and place on top. Frost with whipped cream.

Surprise your guests by adding filling to your cupcakes. This sets them apart from anything bought in the store. The lemon filling can be sprinkled over the cupcakes once they have cooled and then the buttercream can be added. The ganache can be made in different flavors and spread over your cupcake before frosting. Use different colored wrappers to keep track of all your different flavors.

Edible chocolate or hard candy jewelry is available to add some sparkle to your treats, as well as fondant that can be rolled, cut into discs, or custom designs to make her occasion as special as the cupcake you made for her.

Need an idea for a boys or men’s party? Kids and adults would get excited about a cupcake bar. Use the mini loaf pans to make your cupcakes so they don’t have the same round shape as always. Think Texas-sized cupcakes for the man in your life who wants a “piece of the country.” Crushed Oreos, Cut Reese Cups, Gummy Worms, Chocolate Syrup, Caramel, Whipped Cream, and M & M’s are just a few of the things you could put in small bowls so they can create the cupcake of their dreams.

Do you have a theme party? Use that same four-cavity cake pan for a kids’ party, and you can make treasure sacks, adding M & M’s as the treasure on top. Party shops have rings for themed parties and these can be inserted on top for a great presentation. During the holidays, these same pans can be used to make Santa Claus sacks with red buttercream or fondant.

With just a little imagination, you can create many designer cupcake designs that will make you glad you took the time to create them at home.

Have fun!