Daisy cupcakes, and most cupcakes in general, can be decorated using many different types of techniques. Some of the most popular methods of decorating include piping decorations in icing, cutting decorations from fondant, making gum paste flowers, and using pre-made cake decorations. Pre-made daisies could be hard and sugary edible flowers, or they can be made from silk or plastic. Another option is to use candy melts and a daisy mold to create candies shaped like daisies as decoration.
Decorating cupcakes allows many people to indulge their creativity since there are so many techniques, shapes, colors and flavors that can be combined. Daisy-decorated cupcakes can all look similar, or each cupcake can be topped with a different type of icing flower. When baking cupcakes, there is really nothing that must be done differently during the actual cooking to create daisy cupcakes. Papers and foils in certain colors or even those with daisies printed on them can add a nice touch to a batch of treats, even without elaborate icing decorations.
To add piped daisies, the cupcake icing should be thin enough to easily squeeze through a decorating tip without being runny. If the icing is too thin, it will not hold a good shape and may flatten out or even run on top of the cake. Icing that is too thick might dry quickly and crack as it comes through the tip, leaving lines in the design. Petals can be white or a variety of different colors, depending on which variety of daisy the flower should be.
A standard petal tip with a very narrow edge on one side that widens gradually across the edge is typically good for creating individual daisy petals as well as petals for roses and many other flowers. These tips come in different sizes, with 104 typically regarded as a good average size. Round tips in appropriate sizes to match the petals can be used to create center dots in different colors such as yellow or dark brown. A petal tip and a round tip are generally all that are needed for piping daisies.
Fondant flowers for daisy cupcakes can be made by rolling the fondant thin and cutting out the shape with a daisy-shaped cookie or pastry cutter. A center dot can be piped or cut out of another color of rolled fondant. Icing colors can be used to paint on highlights, or a toothpick can be used to add some dimension. These can be made as elaborate as needed by simply adding more detail to the design.
Gum paste daisies are generally made using gum paste in much the same way as fondant. The gum paste is rolled out and cut into a daisy shape. A variety of tools and techniques can create everything from a very simple daisy shape to an elaborate, realistic flower with dozens of petals. Many gum paste designs can be very detailed and artistic, making it a favorite material of many cake decorators. It should be noted that gum paste flowers are not meant to be eaten, but fondant is an edible part of the cupcake design.
Hard sugar decorations can generally be purchased in grocery stories and stores that carry cake decorating supplies. These can simply be placed on top of the daisy cupcakes for quick decorating. Silk or plastic daisies can also serve as pretty — but inedible — cupcake toppers. Flower-shaped candy molds and candy melts are another way to create simple daisy cupcakes with edible candy flowers as decorations.