Chocolate Fall Leaves on Cupcakes +Video

You won’t believe how easy these fall leaves cupcakes were to decorate. Yellow and Orange frosting with chocolate leaves are so stunning for your Autumn Party.

Fall Leaves Cupcakes

Living in the Mid-Atlantic, I’m spoiled by Mother Nature and all of the beautiful fall colors that she has to offer. These Chocolate Leaves and stunning colored cupcakes were 100% inspired by the changing leaves on the trees, in the wind, and on the ground here in West Virginia. These Fall Leaves Cupcakes are easy to make and are absolutely stunning to serve.

I love the yellow, orange, and red swirls on the frosting. Isn’t it pretty! Doesn’t it just scream FALL to you? Well, it does to me. 

You may notice there are a few variations to the chocolate leaves. Learn from my mistakes. 

1. My first attempt, the leaves were very fragile. The centers of  the leaf didn’t touch the edges and they fell apart.
2. My second attempt, I just winged it and didn’t use a template. They are ok…

But, here’s what I learned – 

Making Chocolate Leaves

Making the chocolate leaves is pretty easy. Here’s a template I created that you can print and use. 

You’ll want to melt your chocolate in a piping bag. I popped it in the microwave for 1 minute at 70% power. Massage the bag and then microwave again for 30 seconds at 70% power. It should be all melted now.

You can also place the piping bag or baggie into hot water to melt.

Print the template and place it on a cookie sheet. Cover the template with parchment paper or wax paper and snip off the tip of the piping bag. 

Now, just trace the outline. There is no need to be precise or perfect. Make the chocolate a little thick and have the center parts touch the edge of the leaves. Set the tray aside to dry while you make the frosting.

Aren’t those just stunning?

How to Make the Colored Frosting

Make your favorite buttercream frosting. If you’re in a rush, you can whip together a can of vanilla frosting with a cup of powdered sugar and a bit of vanilla extra for some quick and easy frosting. 

Prepare a piping bag with a large piping tip – I used a Wilton 1M tip. Dip a toothpick into your desired food coloring and “paint” lines on the inside of the bag. You won’t always see the color or it may bead up and that’s ok. You’ll see it when the frosting is added to the bag.

As you pipe your frosting, the colors will first appear very bright but will fade as you continue. Don’t add a ton of food coloring. It won’t look pretty and it will run out the tip.

FYI – Food coloring gels work best for sticking to the bag longer than water-based coloring.

Not sure if you can make the chocolate leaves to decorate the cupcakes? You can always try to make chocolate shards, make your own sprinkles, or create gold fondant leaf cupcake topper.

I have a lot of Cupcake Recipes! Here are a few more you may like.