Cartoon Butterfly Cupcakes

A bright and playful design perfect for any occasion.

These Cartoon Butterfly Cupcakes are one of my favourite designs. They are bright, playful, and full of colour, and they always stand out on a dessert table.

I love working with candy melts for designs like this because they make it so easy to create bold shapes and clean lines. The butterflies have that fun cartoon look, while the buttercream grass underneath makes it feel like they’ve just landed in a little garden.

This butterfly cupcake design is a fun cupcake decorating tutorial that’s perfect for beginners wanting to try candy melts. They’re great for spring, birthdays, or even Mother’s Day when you want something a bit different. They may look detailed, but once you get the hang of the method, they’re very achievable.

The Design

For the base, I used my chocolate cupcakes, but any flavour works here. Each cupcake is topped with a layer of buttercream, crushed cookies for a soil effect, and bright green buttercream grass.

The butterflies are the main feature. They are made using candy melts, which I use all the time for designs like this as they melt smoothly, set firm, and hold their shape well. This makes them perfect for creating clean outlines and bold colours.

For best results, I recommend using candy melts rather than regular chocolate. Candy melts set without tempering, whereas regular chocolate needs to be properly tempered or it may not set or release cleanly. If you are new to using them, you can read my Candy Melts Guide for tips on melting, colouring, and getting the best finish.

You don’t need to worry about making the piping perfect here. The butterflies are meant to have a fun, cartoon style, so slight variations actually make them look better.

If you don’t have a silicone mould, you can pipe the wings onto parchment paper instead. It’s a great alternative, although it can take a little more control to keep the shapes even.

The butterflies are fully edible, lightweight, and easy to customise depending on your colour palette or theme.

Why You’ll Love These Cartoon Butterfly Cupcakes

These cupcakes are fun, colourful, and easy to customise for different occasions.

The butterfly toppers look impressive but are surprisingly simple to make using basic tools.

Everything is fully edible, including the wings, which makes them perfect for parties.

They work beautifully for spring themes, birthdays, or even Mother’s Day cupcake ideas.

Things I Used

Candy Melts
I used a mix of pre-coloured candy melts and white candy melts coloured with oil-based food colouring. I always buy black candy melts ready coloured, as they are much easier to work with.

Candy melts melt smoothly and set firm without tempering, which makes them ideal for this design. If you are new to using them, you can read more in my Candy Melts Guide.

Silicone Mould
I used a silicone mould to create the butterfly wings, which helps give a consistent shape and makes the process easier.

If you prefer, you can pipe the wings directly onto parchment paper instead.

Cupcakes
I used my chocolate cupcakes for this design, but any flavour works. Make sure they are fully cooled before decorating.

Buttercream
I recommend making half a batch of my Basic Buttercream. This is used to top the cupcakes and create the base for the design.

If you want a stronger green colour for the grass, you can use my Microwave Method to deepen the shade without affecting the texture.

Grass Piping Tip
I used a Wilton 233 piping tip to create the buttercream grass effect on top of each cupcake.

Piping Bags
Used for piping both the buttercream and candy melts. Disposable or reusable bags both work well.

Crushed Cookies
I used crushed chocolate biscuits, such as Oreos, to create a soil effect on top of the cupcakes.

Small Brush or Spoon
Helpful for spreading the candy melts and tidying up the butterfly outlines.

Edible Glitter (optional)
I like to add a light dusting of edible glitter for a bit of sparkle, but this is completely optional.