There are three ways to fill a cupcake that we know of. You can insert the filling with a pastry bag, spoon the filling onto the batter in a half-filled cup then spoon on more batter, or spoon the filling onto the batter and let the batter rise around the filling as it bakes. With the latter method, the filling is not always covered with cake. You may leave the filling exposed or cover it with frosting.

There are all kinds of fillings to insert into a cupcake. You can do so with a tube-type fitting or a star fitting on your pastry bag or decorating set. About the only criteria is that the filling is thin enough to go through the fitting yet firm enough that the cupcake doesn’t get soggy.
Pastry creams and marshmallow creams work perfectly but so do whipped toppings, puddings, and curds. Here are some great recipes:
- Vanilla pastry cream
- Chocolate pastry cream
- Marshmallow cream
- Chocolate marshmallow cream
- Strawberry marshmallow cream
- Make these cream cheese filled chocolate cupcakes
- Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Eating cupcakes with perishable fillings that have not been refrigerated may be hazardous. If the fillings are perishable, please keep the cupcakes refrigerated or eat them promptly