The first time I laid eyes on a Cupcake Bouquet was at a school bake sale last year and it was love at first sight. Who wouldn’t love a Cupcake Bouquet? If you’re looking for a swoon-worthy idea for Mother’s Day, bake up a Cupcake Bouquet (who knows, mom might even share . . .). I’ve pulled together a collection of tutorials for making Cupcake Bouquets, and you’ll see that they’re not all that hard (what was hard was searching for Cupcake Bouquet tutorials right before dinner last night – torture!)

This beautiful Cupcake Bouquet from Culinary X Couture is perfect for special occasions.

52 Kitchen Adventures shares a step-by-step tutorial for transforming these “ingredients”, into . . .

Here’s what you’ll need to make a Cupcake Bouquet.

This sweet Cupcake Bouquet. Stephanie uses 10 cupcakes to make her bouquet, and you’ll find her photos and instructions easy to follow.

Stephanie displays her Cupcake Bouquet in a polka dot pot.

If you prefer a video tutorial, watch this one from Studio 5. What I like about this Cupcake Bouquet video tutorial is that Alisa shows how to make a Cupcake Bouquet even if you haven’t yet mastered cake decorating.

Yowza! This bounteous bouquet from Cake Central holds 29 cupcakes! Surely mom would share a few of these??

Packed with 29 cupcakes, this bouquet could feed a crowd, making it perfect for parties, classrooms, family reunions, or bridal or baby showers.

I also found the tutorial from Jeff on SnapGuide very helpful, and you’ll see that he’s mixed different sizes of cupcakes in his bouquet.

Mini cupcakes fill in the spaces between the larger cupcakes.

If you’re an experienced cake decorator, try decorating your cupcakes like zinnias, hydrangeas, carnations, or sunflowers. Follow Carly’s tutorial and you’ll turn this field of sunflowers . . .

A field of sunflowers, ready for “picking.”

Into a Sunflower Cupcake Bouquet. (Carly likes cupcakes so much, she’s turned cupcake making into a verb – cupcaking!)

Ta – da — a Sunflower Cupcake Bouquet.

As I sorted through the tutorials, I picked up a few tips for making perfect Cupcake Bouquets:

These cupcakes are perfect for a Cupcake Bouquet — they’re just the right size and aren’t overloaded with frosting.

• Use regular size or mini cupcakes, and don’t fill the cupcake liners too full. Go light on the frosting, too. Large and/or heavy cupcakes won’t stay in place.
• Try using a more dense pound cake batter for a better grip. Cupcakes baked from moist cake mixes may slip right off.
• Refrigerate or freeze your cupcakes before handling them, so you’re working with a firmer, less squishy cupcake.
• Decorate your cupcakes before or after arranging them on the ball of STYROFOAM Brand Foam – choose the method that’s easiest for you.
• Use 2 – 3 toothpicks to hold each cupcake on the foam ball.

What do you think – don’t these Cupcake Bouquets just “take the cake” for Mother’s Day – or Teacher Appreciation Day, or a bridal or baby shower, get-well wishes, or really, just because? They look like so much fun and I’m inspired to try cake decorating again to see if I can make cupcake roses. (I took a cake decorating class once and my results were not very appetizing.)

For an even sweeter day, I have the winners in our button bonanza giveaway: Lisa M. is our first place winner, and Goat Girl our runner-up.  Please contact me so we can arrange for your button selections and shipping. Thank you!

Happy cupcaking & crafting!

Sharon