Forget Frosting: Use This Sweet Condiment To Top Cupcakes Instead

"It's one of the many fun cupcake toppings that go beyond frosting. If you'd like to try this fun spin, there are a couple of things you should know. Most importantly, you'll want to use this sweet condiment (be it homemade or store-bought) because it's thick enough so that it won't slide off your cakes. Allow your cupcakes to cool off before using this topper so that melting doesn't occur."

"This will keep the mess in check by incorporating the jam or jelly as more of an icing filling rather than a general topper. When thinking of jams and jellies, none are more popular than strawberry and grape flavors. When considering these two options, each would work marvelously with standard white or yellow cupcake cakes, as well as any one of these boxed chocolate cake mixes."

Jams and jellies can replace traditional sugar-heavy frostings on cupcakes when they are thick enough to stay in place. Allow cupcakes to cool before applying jam or jelly to prevent melting. Start by adding a dollop of jam or jelly to the center of iced cupcakes as a filling rather than fully replacing frosting to minimize mess. Classic fruit flavors like strawberry and grape pair well with white, yellow, or chocolate cupcake bases. Peanut butter cake mixes pair well with peanut butter and jelly combinations. Unusual spreads such as jalapeño jam, red pepper jelly, and mint jelly offer creative flavor profiles.

Read at www.tastingtable.com