Click on the image above to see step-by-step directions.

Cupcake pull-apart cakes are still going strong, and with their easy serving and portioning, they likely will remain a top choice for parties and other gatherings. You can easily create these “cakes” for any size of event by simply adding or subtracting the number of cupcakes you use to create the general form of the design. The butterfly and crown cakes shown each serve about two dozen people.

1. Arrange 20 cupcakes on a cake board in roughly the shape of a butterfly.

2. Attach the outer cupcakes to the board using dollops of buttercream icing.

3. Use an open coupler to outline the edges of the outer cupcakes with white buttercream icing.

4. Ice the cupcakes using a circular motion and an open coupler.

5. Smooth the icing with a spatula, and airbrush pink around the edges of the outer cupcakes.

6. To form the butterfly's wings, pipe four large lavender ovals using an open coupler. Add blue ovals inside the lavender followed by yellow to fill in the remaining space.

7. Use a cut paper tube and white icing to overpipe the blue portion of the wings, and add a line down the middle of the white oval.

8. Pipe a V at the top of the wing and two hearts below with a cut paper tube.

9. Pipe two elongated heart shapes on each of the butterfly's wings with a cut paper tube.

10. With an open coupler, pipe pink discs of icing down the center of the cake, starting with a large disc for the head and then decreasing in size as you pipe the body. Smooth the icing for the butterfly's head with a spatula.

11. Pipe random white dots along the butterfly's body using a cut paper tube. Then, add two white dots on the head for eyes. Add facial details with dark blue icing using a cut paper tube.

12. Use white chocolate to pipe two antennae; let dry.

13. Insert the two antennae into the cupcake above the butterfly's head. With a cut paper tube, overpipe them with dark blue icing. Then, add two lighter blue dots at the tip. If needed, you can pipe a message on the cake board to finish the design.

1. Arrange 23 cupcakes for a crown cake. Adhere the outer cupcakes by piping a dollop of buttercream icing on the bottom.

2. Use an open coupler to outline the cupcakes, and ice each one using a circular motion. Smooth the icing with a spatula, and airbrush pink around the edge of the shape. Pipe an outline of a trapezoid with pink icing using an open coupler. Fill in the shape by piping lines of icing.

3. Smooth the pink icing, and pipe a purple crown with an open coupler; smooth the purple icing. Use a cut paper tube to pipe “Princess” in dark blue icing. Dot the “i” with a piped yellow star.

4. Outline the pink trapezoid and purple crown with dark pink icing using a cut paper tube. Then, add curlicues around the edges of the pink trapezoid. With an open coupler, pipe three pink flowers on the purple crown, and top each point of the crown with a dot of pink icing.

5. Add purple centers to the flowers using an open coupler. Pipe dark blue accents to the crown using a cut paper tube. Place silver dragees in the center of each flower, on each crown point and on the pink curlicues. Sprinkle the entire design with edible glitter.

6. To fill space outside the crown, pipe purple flowers with pink centers using an open coupler. Add dark blue curlicues with a cut paper tube.

TAMMY MONTESINOS, decorator for Central Continental Bakery in Mt. Prospect, Ill., began working in the bakery while in high school. After attending Kendall College, Chicago, she returned to Central Continental in the cake decorating department. Montesinos began entering decorating competitions in 2005, when she won second place in the Chicago Area Retail Bakers Association's regional competition. In 2006, she competed in the Retail Bakers of America's national Creative Decorating Competition.