11 Creative Cupcake Ideas

There's a reason cupcakes are so popular; these tasty treats are fun to make and easy to customize. If you're looking for a few ways to get creative with your cupcake flavors, fillings, and frosting, we have some ideas to try.

Brûlée the Top
After baking cupcakes let them cool completely. When your cupcakes reach room temperature, sprinkle them with a thick layer of granulated sugar and use a kitchen blowtorch to caramelize the sugar onto the top of the cupcake.

Fill them With Assorted Candies
Hollow out your cupcakes with a melon baller or a paring knife. Fill the hole with sprinkles, small candy-coated chocolate pieces, or any other candy you like. Then, lay a piece of cake on top of the hole and frost over the top of the cupcake for a fun surprise-inside cupcake.

Fill Them With Cannoli Cream
Once you hollow out your cupcakes you can fill them with frosting or cream as well. Cannoli cream makes a delicious and unexpected cupcake filling.

Fill Them With Salted Caramel
Or, fill the cupcakes with a thick, salty caramel sauce before topping the hole with cake and frosting the top.

Flavor Them Like Your Favorite Drink
Love root beer floats or strawberry lemonade? Why not make a cupcake flavored like your favorite drink? You can add some of the drink into the cupcake batter or frosting. Then, after you decorate the cupcakes, stick a straw into the frosting for a clever decoration.

Frost Them with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
There are lots of recipes for eggless chocolate chip cookie dough. Find your favorite and then spread it on top of cupcakes instead of frosting.

Frost Them with Meringue
Meringue also makes a great substitute for frosting. You can even use your kitchen blowtorch to toast the meringue after you spread it on top of cupcakes.

Hide an Oreo Inside
Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and then place an Oreo cookie into the bottom of each paper baking cup. Top the cookie with cupcake batter and bake as usual.

Put a Peanut Butter Cup in the Center
Line a cupcake pan with paper liners and fill each halfway with cupcake batter. Nestle a well frozen, miniature peanut butter cup into the batter and then top the candy with more batter. Bake as usual.

Put a Truffle in the Center
If you're not a fan of peanut butter cups, use the method above with a store-bought chocolate truffle instead; just be sure to freeze the truffles before adding them to the cupcake batter — otherwise they'll melt in the oven.

Top Them with Caramel Popcorn
It might sound crazy but sweet and salty flavors pair perfectly. Frost your favorite cupcakes as usual and then press caramel popcorn (or butter popcorn if you prefer) into the frosting until the top of the cupcake is covered.

Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal's Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook.