Cupcake Tree

Cupcake trees, also referred to as Cupcake Stands and Cupcake Towers, are a fun way to serve your party cupcakes. Cupcakes are becoming more and more popular at birthday parties; therefore, cupcake trees are rising in popularity as well. It is just a fun and creative way to serve your party treats.

People like to serve cupcakes at their parties since they are a no fuss, no muss type of dessert. There is no cutting involved and no need to ask birthday party guests how big of a piece they would like. That is always a big pain. Also, since even small kids can usually finish off a cupcake, there is a lot less wasted cake. When cupcakes are served in this manner, cleanup is a breeze. Today, there are so many unique ways to decorate party cupcakes, too. Cupcake Trees have recently become popular at Weddings as well. Once completed, they can look extremely elegant.

The first time I used a cupcake tree was at my daughter's Horse party. I came across the stand at my local craft store and thought it looked interesting. So, I decided to give it a try. I was very impressed with the end results. Since then I have used a cupcake tree at many of my other birthday parties.  Each time the cupcake display was very well received by the party guests and the parents.

This hub will feature the different types of cupcake stands currently on the market and provide basic instructions on how you can make a cupcake stand of your own. I will also spotlight various cupcake supplies, useful books and a fun photo gallery of some cool cupcake trees for your viewing pleasure.

Photo Acknowledgement: All of the flickr photos displayed on this page have either a Creative Commons license or I have received written permission from the cake decorator to display their photos here. In either case, you will find a link back to the flickr members photos as required for use. A BIG thank you to all of the cake decorators for permission to use their photos!

For my daughter's Arts and Crafts theme Cupcake Tree mentioned above, I used the Wilton 23 count Cupcakes n' More Stand. I was very pleased with this stand. It is easy to assemble and looks great on the party table. These Wilton stands are constructed of non-toxic, silver finished metal and its collapsible design allows for convenient storage. These cupcakes stands are available in 13 count, 23 count, 38 count, as well as a 24 count mini cupcake stand.

Another popular cupcake stand is the Cupcake Stacker from Good Cook. It holds 24 cupcakes and is embellished with a tiered, scalloped design. This stand is also collapsible for easy storage.

The Cupcake Tree photos displayed here are provided courtesy of Charlie and the Cake Factory and cupcakesnouveau.

Another option for your Cupcake Tree would be to use a 3-Tier Platter Set from Anchor Hock. This stand features a 13-, 10-, 8-inch-diameter tiers; 12-3/4 inches high stacked. Stand is made of durable pressed glass. It can be used for a food display, but also works well to create an elegant Cupcake Tree.

This cupcake stand would be wonderful for a Baby Shower, Bridal Shower, Wedding Rehearsal Dinner, Anniversary Party, Retirement Party, or Company Party. The Baby Shower Cupcake Tree you see pictured here was created by Cupcakes Nouveau. They added a fun twist to the tree by placing a bouquet of spring flowers on the top tier. 

Cupcakes Trees are becoming very popular at Weddings and Bridal parties. These trees are the same as you basic cupcake tree, however, the stands are generally custom built, much sturdier and hold a lot of cupcakes!

Wedding Cupcake Trees usually referred to as a Cupcake Tower can be square or round. Many times a smaller cake is added to the top of the cupcake stand so that the Bride and Groom have a cake to make their first cut together. Plus, they can add on their Wedding cake topper. Generally, a Wedding cupcake tree includes a variety of different cupcake flavors. This allows the wedding guests to choose the cupcake flavor they like best.

For Bridal cupcake trees, it is popular to add a bouquet of flowers to the top like you see pictured here (and in the stand displayed above). It is a beautiful square shaped stand featuring red roses as the topper. Rose petals have also been added to the table around the cupcake stand for added elegance. The Cupcake Tree images are provided courtesy of Cupcakes Nouveau.

Click here for a step by step photo tutorial for building your own Wedding Cupcake Stand.

Carrie Underwood wed Mike Fisher on July 10th.  The couple served a gorgeous cupcake tower at the reception. The cupcake tower was made by Carrie's bridesmaid, Ivey Childers, the owner of Ivey Cakes in Franklin, Tenn.

Wedding cupcake tower photo courtesy of People Magazine.

If you create your own cupcake stand, you can then decorate it however you like to coordinate with your party theme and colors. There are many ways to create a cupcake stand. Here are basic instructions to help get you started.

Using premade cake boards. For your stand, you can use pre-made cake boards or create your own. If you plan on purchasing the cake boards, they are available in square, round and rectangular shapes and come with a decorative pattern or plain. The sizes range from 6" up to 18" in diameter. Therefore, you have the option of making a large or small cupcake stand.

Making your own cake boards. If you choose to create your own boards, you will need a large cardboard box. Open up the box and lie it down flat. Then, using a bowl or a plate, trace the outline of your circles. You will need three different sized circular objects for a three-tier stand. If you are making a square stand, then you would need to use square shaped objects for outlining.

Covering your cake boards. Once all of your boards are cut out, cover them with decorative wrapping paper or contact paper. (Note: If using premade cake boards, you may or may not need to cover them since some of them are sold already having a decorative to look to them. ) For a birthday party, I would definitely recommend using wrapping paper for that theme or character. After your wrapping paper is selected, cut out the shapes and glue the paper to each of the boards. You can also trim the edge of the cake board with ribbon to give it a nice finish.

Preparing the cake stand separators. Next you need to the make the separators to hold the stand together. There are many items you can use for this purpose. The most popular item used is a cake dummy. Cake dummies are available in both round and square shapes and can be covered in fabric, ribbon and/or wrapping paper.

Assembling the stand and adding the finishing touches. Once all the cake boards are complete, glue them all together to form your tiers. When finished, you can add on other decorations such as ribbon, bows, pearls or whatever else works with your party theme.

Cake stand image provided courtesy of Cake Journal.