We're Begging You, Stop Putting So Much Frosting On Cupcakes

Picture this: You spot a beautifully decorated cupcake, with intricate frosting details, at an event such as a wedding or a birthday party. You pick it up, mouth watering, only to take a bite and realize that the taste does not live up to the appearance at all — it's far too plain and saccharine. If this has ever happened to you, you aren't alone. Many people aren't fans of cupcakes or other baked goods with too much frosting, as an abundance of the ingredient often comes at the cost of the treat's overall taste. Cake comes in many different flavors and varieties, and while some are unavoidably sickly sweet, such as Funfetti cake, others can be much more complex. 

For instance, a Red Velvet cake has a tang to it, while other varieties boast a warm, pleasant spice taste, such as carrot cake. Utilizing these different flavors can really increase the taste profile of your cupcakes, especially when you're serving them to adults with more developed palates rather than children. However, if you overdo it on the frosting, you won't appreciate any of these subtle notes; instead, the entire dessert will taste like pure sugar. Although certain types of frosting, such as buttercream, have a more complex taste, they're generally all pretty sweet and prone to masking the more subtle flavors found in a good cake. If in doubt, use less, not more. 

If frosting masks the taste of a good cupcake, why do so many bakers, both amateur and otherwise, overuse it? The issue is a common complaint on Reddit, with multiple users on the r/unpopularopinion subreddit, in particular, protesting about cupcakes that use too much frosting to create a certain (undeniably cool) look that don't taste good as a result. One simple answer may be that the cake isn't very good; low-quality, store-bought cakes often overuse cheap, sugary frosting (such as the worst chocolate frosting in Tasting Table's ranking) to hide the fact that the actual cake isn't that flavorful. However, there's another point to be made; cupcakes with too much frosting aren't supposed to taste good.

If you're ever seen the over-the-top cakes made on "Cake Boss," you may be familiar with the idea: While the cakes look stunning, they often utilize so much fondant and frosting we're left wondering if what's underneath can even be tasted. While this is an extreme example, many cupcakes follow the same idea — they try to look good first, putting taste second. This has become especially prevalent with the rise of social media as many bakeries advertise their wares online. You can't tell via an image how tasty a cupcake is, but you can be impressed with an intricate frosting flower or fondant centerpiece. In addition, fancy cupcakes are purchased for events because people want them to look good in photos.

While a fancy set of cupcakes may be aesthetically pleasing at an event, the priority should always be making the dessert taste good. After all, food is meant to be eaten, not just displayed. Many Redditors expressed disappointment about impressive-looking cupcakes they'd eaten, with one user even reasoning, "As soon as I see fondant that cupcake is going straight in the garbage no matter how cool it looks." Many commenters shared similar opinions, arguing that cupcakes that utilize too much icing are often borderline inedible and usually get thrown out after just a couple of bites because they're so sugary. It's a shame to waste food, especially food you paid good money for, and if you're hosting an event and bring cupcakes nobody wants to eat, you probably will end up wasting a lot of them.

Instead of making or buying overly frosted cupcakes, let the actual cake take center stage in your creations. Of course, some frosting is necessary for most recipes, but a normal amount that simply tops the cupcake will do just fine. For instance, in this recipe for carrot cake cupcakes, each one has a normal amount of frosting, and some extra flair is added by sprinkling chopped walnuts on the top. They aren't the fanciest creations, but they'll taste much better than a saccharine nightmare drowning in fondant, and whoever you serve them to will likely be much happier than they would be covertly throwing away a fancier cupcake.