Learn to make cupcake toppers like a pro! Here’s a quick and easy way to make custom cupcake decorations with Royal Icing.
Beau and I are right smack in the middle of a move, so all my favorite baking and decorating supplies are packed away in boxes. But it’s almost Valentine’s Day! I gotta have some sweets for my sweet! What’s a girl to to?
Well, I’m here to show you that you can easily make custom cupcake decorations with just the very basic supplies. Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Read my full disclosure policy here for more details. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Here’s What You’ll Need
- Royal Icing – get the recipe from my FREE Resource Library by filling out the form at the bottom of this post
- Toothpick
- Food Baggie, such as Ziploc or Glad
- Parchment Paper – I like these sheets from Amazon because they have no folds
- Printout of Your Design –or use the one shown in this tutorial. The free file is in my Resource Library.
Yes, you can easily make custom cupcake toppers from Royal Icing. Simply pipe the icing onto parchment paper, let it dry overnight, and VIOLA – instant (well, almost instant) Valentine cupcake toppers!
Here’s the Step-By-Step
First, print out your design.
You’ll be using this as a guide. You could always just freehand the lettering, but I’m not so good at that, so I always trace a guide. Be sure to make the letters or design large enough to make an impact. If you want to use the same design I used, you can get it from my FREE Resource Library.
Prepare a piping surface.
Tape one edge of a piece of parchment paper to the back side of a baking sheet. When you’re finished piping your design, this allows you to pick up the baking sheet and put it up out of the way while it dries overnight. When the Royal Icing dries, it pops right off the parchment.

Painter’s tape was handy, but any tape will do.
Slide your printed design between the parchment and the baking sheet. It doesn’t have to cover the entire baking sheet. You only need to print out one design and just move it as you go. Save yourself some printer ink.
Now, whip up a batch of Royal Icing. Color the icing however you like. You can get the recipe from my FREE Resource Library. Get the password for the library by filling out the form at the bottom of this post.
I much prefer my piping bags and tips, however, a quart sized baggie did the trick just as well for this small project. Fill the baggie with your tinted icing, then snip a VERY SMALL bit off one of the bottom corners.
Pipe the icing onto the parchment paper, using the printed design as a guide. Quickly use the toothpick to spread the icing around before it starts to dry. Do this one letter at a time or it will definitely dry too quickly. Because the baggie is not as precise as piping tips, the toothpick comes in really handy to move the icing exactly where I want it.
After you’ve swirled/moved it with the toothpick, gently shimmy-shake the baking sheet and the design will even itself out nicely.

BEFORE gently shaking
See how nicely it fell into place!

AFTER gently shaking the pan
Be sure to pipe rather thickly. Thinner pieces tend to break more easily. Also, pipe more letters than you actually need, to allow for breakage.
Now, just let it dry overnight and you’ve got yourself some awesome cupcake toppers! Bonus … The leftover cupcake decorations can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a year.
Wasn’t that quick and easy?!! You can see some other Royal Icing ideas in this post here.
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So are you ready to do this? If so, here’s the file!
FREE CUT FILES & PATTERNS
Get the password for the library with the free files here by filling out this form:
If you make some cupcake toppers, I’d love to see what you make — send me a photo at [email protected] or post it on https://www.facebook.com/missaudreygail
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