Tips & Tricks

1. Don't be afraid to ask 

Giving makes people feel good and you are raising critical funds for a great cause! Think of all the people you can promote your fundraising efforts to and ask them to help solicit donations! Customizing your personal fundraising page will help connect people to the cause.  

2. Know your ingredients

Familiarize yourself with everything in your Personal Fundraising Centre. You can also download great promotional tools in the Downloadable Resources section of the website. Be sure to customize your Personal Fundraising Page with great stories and pictures showing off your passion for animals and share, share, share! You can share via email or on social media!

3. Set a goal

Set an ambitious fundraising goal to measure your success. Show your friends and family that you are committed to the cause by making the first donation to your cupcake campaign! 

Baking & Decorating Tips

Below are some delicious tips and tricks to help make your National Cupcake Day™ cupcakes a success! 

Baking Tips

1. Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature (eggs, butter, milk, buttermilk).
2. Weighing ingredients on a digital scale is the most accurate way of measuring.
3. Cream butter or coconut oil and sugar (for approximately 5 minutes) until pale and fluffy.
4. Whisk dry ingredients together before adding to wet ingredients.
5. Always start with dry ingredients when alternating with wet ingredients (3 dry additions, 2 wet).
6. Don’t over mix once dry ingredients are added. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
7. Always wait for the oven to reach the correct temperature before baking.
8. Use the middle rack in your oven and rotate your cupcakes or cakes halfway through baking.
9. Remove cupcakes from pan immediately after baking and place on a wire rack for cooling.

Decorating Tips

1. Make sure your cupcakes are cool before icing them.
2. If you don’t have piping bags you can use Ziploc bags instead. Use scissors to snip off a small V-shape (to imitate a leaf tip), M-shape (to imitate a star tip) or a plain cut from the corner.
3. A small spatula is a handy tool for spreading icing on cupcakes. If you can’t find one then a regular knife can be substituted.
4. To make multi-coloured fur for cute animal cupcakes, hold your piping bag (or Ziploc bag) open and spread a thick line of different colour frosting up opposite sides of the bag. Fill the bag down the centre with a third colour (if using).
5. Thin chocolate wafer cookies make for great dog ears - they can be cut to shape with a serrated knife.
6. Candy such as jelly beans, M&M’s, mini chocolate chips and marshmallows make great eyes and noses.
7. Semisoft and pliable candies such as tootsie rolls, caramels and starbursts can be moulded, rolled and cut into tongues and ears.

Rolled fondant can be rolled thin and cut into shapes with small cookie cutters (e.g. dog bone, animal shapes). Let them dry overnight and place on your buttercream covered cupcake.