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

The problem arises when you want something fancier than just frosting on top. Many stores don’t offer designer cupcakes, or if they do, they come at a price that some aren’t 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 regular-sized marshmallow into some of the melted chocolate, tap off the excess, and place in the center of a cupcake. Decorate the cupcake section with buttercream frosting as a tutu (use tip 104) or a dress in her favorite color.

For the cupcake liners, place two full-size cupcakes end-to-end together and cut the bottoms with a serrated knife so they are even on the plate. Now you are ready to decorate with buttercream or fondant.

Do you like glitter? Take your frosting covered cupcake and dip it in sugar crystals. Use strips of waxed paper to separate your cupcake. All the white sugar crystals would be seen as a bright light. Colorful cupcakes lined up in rows would make a powerful statement on a table.

For a beautiful vase, stack two cupcakes end-to-end and frost. Cool and wrap with a strip of fondant. You can add fondant or buttercream flowers on top.

Make baskets by adding jelly beans to the middle of your iced cupcake and a basket-weave fondant or frosting border around the edge. Take a thin piece of licorice and glue the ends into the cupcake on each side to make the handle.

In craft stores, they have cake pans with four cavities 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? Take some cold ganache, mold it into a marshmallow shape and dip it into melted mint chocolate and place it in the center of a chocolate cupcake. Decorate with chocolate buttercream frosting as a costume, add a chocolate covered coffee bean on top, and you have a cupcake worthy of your taste buds. Do you want a different combination? The sky is the limit. Try frozen lemon cheesecake cake, and then cut with miniature round cutters and place on top. Frost with whipping cream.

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

Edible chocolate or candy jewels are available to add a bit of sparkle to your confections, as well as fondant that can be rolled, cut into discs, or custom designed to make your occasion as special as the cupcake you made for it.

Do you need an idea for a boy’s or men’s party? Boys and grown men would be thrilled by a cupcake bar. Use the mini loaf pans to make your muffins so they are not the same old round shape. Think Texas-sized cupcakes for the man in your life who wants a “country slice.” Crushed Oreo cookies, cut up Reese’s cups, gummy worms, chocolate syrup, caramel, whipped cream, and M&M’s are just a few of the things you could put in little bowls so you can create the cupcake of your dreams.

Do you have a theme party? Use that same four-pocket cake pan for a kids’ party, and you can make treasure bags, adding M&M’s as the treasure on top. Party supply stores have rings for themed parties that can be inserted into the top for a great presentation. During the holidays, these same molds can be used to make Santa sacks out of red buttercream or fondant.

With just a little imagination, you can create many designer cupcake designs that you’ll be glad you took the time to create at home.

Have fun!