Mom's Favorite Things Cupcakes

What mother wouldn't love cupcakes topped with ladylike pearls and beautiful roses?Flickr user Stephanie Campbell whipped up these dainty desserts, perfect for the "girly" mom on Mother's Day.

Directions:

To make your own version of these cupcakes, bake a batch of cupcakes using different baking cups in colors that will match your design on top.

Fill a pastry bag with vanilla or chocolate buttercream (or canned frosting will work too!) and pipe frosting on to cupcake. Stephanie seemed to use both a rosette tip and wide round tip on her pastry bag to create different "looks" for her frosting.

These decorative toppings can be made using fondant, edible sugar clay, molded into shapes like the heart, rose, flowers, and butterfly.

Spray a rolling pin and plastic cutting board or your work surface with non-stick spray and roll out the fondant. Use a knife or mini cookie cutters to make various shapes to top the cupcakes.

For the pearls, make a fondant base such as an oval and let it air dry to harden. Roll fondant into little balls. Moisten the bottom of the balls and put them onto the base arranged into a necklace. You can give the pearls and opulent appearance by dusting them with an edible decorative luster.

Pipe words, such as "Mom" or details like those on the butterfly, on to the decorations using a pastry bag filled with prepared decorator's icing in your desired color and fitting with a fine writing tip.

Check baking supply or craft stores for prepared fondant in a variety of colors, decorator's icing, edible decorative luster and the baking cups in different colors.

Give Mom a plate of these cupcakes for a Mother's Day dessert.