How to Decorate Cupcakes As Softballs

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: February 16, 2021 References Tested

Making themed cupcakes may seem a little daunting, but you can easily craft softball themed cupcakes by following several simple steps. By making a basic yellow buttercream frosting and applying a few details, your team will soon be enjoying their personalized cupcakes!

Ingredients

Basic Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (240 mL) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups (710 mL) of powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 44 mL) of heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
Yellow food dye
Red gel frosting or red shoestring licorice

Makes 4 cups of icing

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:
Making a Basic Buttercream Frosting

1
Beat 1 cup (240 mL) of unsalted butter in a mixer until it’s smooth. Mix on low speed until it starts to get creamy, and then increase the speed to medium. Scrape down the sides with a spatula periodically to ensure all the butter gets creamed together.^{[1]
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- Use room temperature butter for a quicker creaming process.
- To warm up cold butter quickly, put it on a plate and microwave it for 10 seconds at a time. Stop when it is soft but not melted.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will work, too.
2
Mix 3 cups (710 mL) of powdered sugar in with the butter. Start mixing on the lowest speed. Once the sugar has mostly incorporated with the butter, increase the speed to medium. Mix for 1-2 minutes until everything has joined together.^{[2]
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- If you are using a smaller mixing bowl, try adding a cup of powdered sugar at a time.
3
Mix in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. You need 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 44 mL) of heavy cream, 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Mix on medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes. Use your spatula to scrape down the sides from time to time to make sure all the ingredients get combined.^{[3]
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- The salt cuts the sweetness of the sugar. You can use less or more depending on your taste preferences.
4
Squeeze 40 drops of yellow food dye into the frosting. Mix until the frosting is the desired color. Try counting in 10 drop increments to help you keep track. This will give your frosting that famous yellow softball color. You can use less or more dye if you prefer a lighter or darker yellow color.^{[4]
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- If you aren’t going to use all of the frosting for the softball cupcakes, set aside however much you want to save, and then add 10 drops of yellow food dye per cup of remaining frosting.
- Once fully incorporated, there shouldn’t be any streaks of darker yellow in the frosting.
5
Store the frosting in the fridge for 2 days if you're not using it immediately. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer it to a container with a lid. Before using it, take it back out of the fridge for 1-2 hours to let it soften back up.^{[5]
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- Don’t store buttercream frosting on the counter for more than 1-2 hours.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:
Frosting and Designing the Cupcakes

1
Transfer the frosting from the bowl to a pastry bag using a spatula. Hold the bag in your non-dominant hand and fold the edge of the opening over your hand. Using your other hand, fill the bag up 2/3 of the way with frosting. Squeeze the frosting down toward the tip of the bag, and twist the open end closed.^{[6]
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- Because you aren’t making a detailed design with the frosting, you don’t need to use a special tip in the pastry bag.
- Use a rubber band, clip, or twist-tie to hold your pastry bag closed.
- If you don’t have a pastry bag, use a gallon-size zip top bag.
- For easy transfer, put your empty pastry bag into a tall glass and fold the edges down. Then you can spoon in the frosting without having to use a hand to hold the bag up.
2
Pipe frosting onto each cupcake in an even layer. Because you are replicating a softball, you don’t need to mound the frosting on top of the cupcake. Try to keep the surface smooth. Start in the middle of the cupcake and make concentric circles until you reach the edge of the cupcake.^{[7]
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- Squeeze the pastry bag gently to keep an even flow of icing coming out.
3
Smooth out the frosting with a butterknife. Move your knife back and forth, erasing the piping lines. Press lightly so you don’t scrape off the frosting—you simply want to merge the circles together so they form an unbroken surface.^{[8]
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- Try practicing on 1 or 2 cupcakes to get your technique down.
4
Use the red gel frosting to make softball stitches on the cupcakes. You could also use red shoestring licorice if you don’t have red gel frosting. Just cut off small pieces of the licorice to create the threads of the softball.^{[9]
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- Practice your technique on parchment paper first.
- Add names or numbers to the cupcakes to personalize them.
5
Store the cupcakes in a cool, dry place until it’s time to serve them. Keep them out of direct sunlight, as the heat will melt the frosting. If you’re going to serve them within 1-2 hours, you can leave them uncovered. If it will be more than 2 hours, put them in an airtight container or on a tray covered with plastic wrap.^{[10]
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- Cupcakes are the freshest if eaten within 3-4 days of baking.
- If you don’t have an airtight container, put the cupcakes on a large tray and stick toothpicks in the outer cupcakes and in the center, then cover with plastic wrap. The toothpicks keep the plastic wrap from getting stuck to the frosting.