Did you know that June 13 is Cupcake Lover’s Day? Sounds like a pretty important day to me ;). Though even if you don’t feel like celebrating, cupcakes are perfect for pool parties, bridal luncheons, baby showers, family reunions and all your summer celebrations!

To help you with your cupcake making this summer, here are some handy hacks you can use!

• I’ve always used cookie scoops because you can measure out the batter, but it makes a huge mess! Use a piping bag to get your cupcake batter into the liners cleanly! (And just eyeball the batter to make sure it’s ⅔ to ¾ full and no more!
  
  
• Use a marble or small balls of foil to create heart- shaped cupcakes! Simply put right next to the muffin liner within the individual cups to create the little ridge.
  
  
• If your cupcakes are sticking to the liners, simply put them in the microwave upside down under a wet paper towel for 15 seconds and the liners should come off easily!
  
  
• Use a melon baller to scoop out the top of the cupcake to add whatever fun filling you want! Jelly, ganache, sprinkles, M&M’s, etc. Then simply squish the top back on or simply cover with a swirl of frosting.
  
  
• Don’t have a melon baller? A piping tip works great too! Simply put the larger side down and push the piping tip down until you’re about ¾ of the way into the cake. Lift if back up and bam! You’ve got a cupcake ready to be filled!
  
  
• Adding a simple topping makes your cupcakes look that much fancier. An Oreo, a slice of citrus, a chocolate-dipped strawberry, an Andes mint, a chocolate chip cookie (even if it’s Chip’s Ahoy!)- adding just one of these to a swirl of frosting takes your cupcakes from looking basic to next-level! Just make sure you’re adding a topping that makes sense with your cupcake flavor!
  
  
• Gently rip/cut off the bottom of the cupcake, and stick it on top of the cupcake to create a cupcake “sandwich”- much less messy to eat and you get frosting and cake in every bite!
  
  
• Have fun! Honestly, cupcakes are one of the most forgiving treats to decorate because you can easily wipe things off and start over if you really need to. And frankly, smaller things are just cuter, so it’s pretty hard to mess up a cupcake. And if worse comes to worse, just dip the whole thing in sprinkles or chocolate chips and voila! Easy and cute cupcakes!
  
  

Enjoy some cupcakes this Cupcake Lover’s Day!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com