Cupcake Decorating Baking Essentials List

This week let’s talk about the essentials you need for cupcake decorating! Last week was all about Design Cookie Essentials so if you want to check that blog out please do. 

As many of you know I focus on design cookies, cupcakes and cake pops so expect a 3rd blog about cake pops coming up next!

ANYWAYS… back to the point, CUPCAKES! The deliciousness of a mini cake is one thing, but a really pretty delicious cupcake is a whole other story. So you are wondering what essentials you need to start making some charming cupcakes, lets hop right into it!

I wanted to talk about cupcake pans first even though they have nothing to do with the decorating portion. If you plan on starting a career in baking then I definitely want to recommend the cupcake pan size I have. I have 2 Wilton’s 24-cup Cupcake Pans which will be super helpful in saving you time and money when baking for a large amount of people. Even if baking is just a hobby of yours that you do a lot you can still buy this size pan because oftentimes your batter will make more than 12 cupcakes and having to wait for that pan to come out of the oven 20-25 minutes later is honestly annoying in my opinion! Otherwise a 12-cup Cupcake Pan will do as well, but if you check the prices of the pans you get the 24-cup one for 2 dollars more than the 12 cup one which is a STEAL in my book.

Cupcake Holders are another important piece of the pie. I recommend getting grease proof cupcake liners because this prevents the outside of the cupcake liners to get greasy after baking the cupcakes. I like the plain Standard White Grease Proof Cupcake Liners just because they can be used for any occasion since most of the focus is going to be on the beautiful design you are making. But if you want a specific color for something special just make sure what you buy specifies they are grease proof, it makes a difference! Also one last note, I buy in bulk because everything is cheaper that way. I know 400 liners may seem like a lot, but the price of $15 for them compared to buying 50 from the store for $5 is worth it especially since cupcake liners never go bad!

I discovered not too long ago the perfect cup size to fill my batter into the cupcake pans. I like to fill them halfway, maybe a bit more, but the ¼ cup size is what I use to keep the batter amount consistent in each cup I fill. If you don’t already have this cup size go ahead and just buy a whole set of Measuring Cups.

Next is piping bags. These are essential for the decorating part of the cupcake. If you alread bought some from my blog about Design Cookie Essentials (link in) then you are already ahead of the game. Although with frostings you will be using on your cupcakes you will most likely have a lot if you are making multiple batches. So I recommend buying both 12 in Disposable Piping Bags AND 16 in Disposable Piping Bags. These bags are very durable and have not broken in all my times of using them and let me tell you I am a heavy handed and clumsy girl..I know I can’t be the only one 😂

Forewarning, piping tips are probably going to be your most expensive investment into the decorating world and I’m sorry, but it is what it is. If you want your grass tips, your leaf tips, different types of flowers, border tips and more I would get Wiltons Set of Master Decorating Tips. These are a hefty $40 themselves, but you can try other brands and sets if you like, but personally these are the ones I like. This kit also comes with some flower nails which aid in making roses and couplers for easy switching between tips. Not only will you need these smaller design tips but you are going to want bigger piping tips for big roses, swirls and other cupcake icing designs. A 12 Piece Set of Large Piping Tips would be perfect to fill this for this.

Food Dye is of course a necessity in cupcake decorating.  If you DON’T have food dye as a cupcake decorate, it’s definitely a crime. So let me help you out…you can start with a simple 4pk of Food Dyes which gives you yellow, red, blue and green for only $4. If you want more colors and not have to deal with mixing blue and red to make purple, I would buy the ones I just purchased for myself that I LOVE, a 14pk of Food Dyes.  This $14 kit will help you make brighter whites, skin tone colors and different shades of purple, pink, blues and oranges.

Ahh good ole beautiful sprinkles. The simplest, yet STILL one of the cutest ways to dress up a cupcake. I’m not going to tell you what sprinkles to buy because that’s basically up to you and whichever you choose doesn’t make a difference as long as it fits with the theme you are going for with your cupcakes! But if you are looking for somewhere to start Assorted Sprinkles Pack is where I would begin. It has 8 different colored packs of jimmies sprinkles for $11.50 which will give you a good variety to do whatever you please with!

You may not initially know why you would need a corer for cupcakes…The tea is you don’t NEED one, but you may WANT one if you plan on putting fillings inside your cupcakes. For example for myself I have made it just fine without one for the past 2 years because I don’t currently make or sell cupcakes with filling on the inside. But it is on my list of things to buy next since I plan to start experimenting with more cupcake flavors and recipes. A Basic Apple Corer will do the trick. The good thing about this buy is it has dual usage, you can use it to core any fruit you want AND you tasty cupcakes, heck you might even need to core a cake one day!

These next 3 items on the list are for people who want to work with fondant on their cupcakes. This can be used to mold designs and layer pieces on the cupcakes in ways that normal frosting can not. A Fondant Roller is necessary for rolling out the fondant… if you hadn’t guessed by the name 😂 I personally don’t have one myself, but doing some research found that people like to buy the silicone roller to prevent the fondant from sticking to the wood, but I have also seen people roll fondant with a normal rolling pin, so you can do either. Just to be safe if you use a normal rolling pin, dust it with powdered sugar for protective measures against sticking!

A Fondant Cutter will help you cut the slab of fondant you rolled into the smaller pieces you need. I would also say to use Circle Cookie Cutters if you want an initial flat slab covering your cupcakes, with these circles you can find the size cutter that would fit your cupcake and cut out the fondant.

Last but not least, we’ve got edible markers! This are really only needed if you are using fondant. Whenever you have an intricate design or small detail you can’t form with the fondant these are perfect for this. I like Edible Ink’s Set of 11 Markers for $16 because they give you 2 tips, a thin and a thicker one as well as 2 black markers which you will most likely use more often than other colors. If you think you will only need black and not all the colors then I also recommend the Edible Ink’s 3pk of Black Markers at $7.50 for beginners.

And that’s all folks! After you buy all these cupcake decorating essentials you will be more than prepared to make any cupcake you want from a simple funfetti to an extravagant flower filled one.

I am currently getting ready for another baking supply haul for myself!! Let me know in the comments any necessities you think I should buy.