I've never tried to fill a cupcake but I want to do some for Halloween. Can someone please tell me how this is done? Do you insert the filling from the top of the cupcake or from the bottom? Is there any particular filling that works the best? Does the sleeve fillings do good?

Thank you!

Here is what I do and I am by no means an expert. I take a cake decorating bag and put the No. 199 tip on it. I think it's called the bismark tip (Not sure though). I insert the tip into the top of the cupcake and squeeze the filling gently into the cupcake just until the top of the cupcake starts to swell. Rempve tip from cupcake and let it sit a few minutes. Some of the filling will probably squeeze back up out of the hole. Take a butter knife or something and remove the excess from the top of the cupcake. Apply frosting as usual. Just be sure to refrigerate any cupcakes with perishable fillings HTH.

I AGREE WITH CABECAKES THE ONLY OTHER THING I DO IS I MAKE A SMALL PORT HOLE FIRST THEN USE TIP 199. i DONT USUALLY REMOVE EXCESSS,i JUST COVER WITH FROSTING USING A BIG STAR TIP.

Yep. It's called a bismark tip. I do the same thing, stick the tip in and fill until the cupcake swells a bit. It takes some practice to get just the right amount, but you should get the hang of it after a few. I found an awesome hostess-cupcake style filling recipe here a while back, but haven't been able to find it again since the recipe format changed. If I can dig it up, I'll post the link. It was amazing. HTH!

EDITED TO ADD: Found it! Here it is: http://cakecentral.com/recipes/2311/cupcake-filling

Another way is to use an apple coring tool. I use the round cylinder to cut a core out of the cupcake (not all the way to the bottom though). I then use the other end to "stamp" down the floor of the cupcake. Fill a piping bag with filling and squirt it in the hole, and then put the little piece back in. Ice as usual.
I use lots of different things for fillings, flavored puddings are nice and Dream Whip works really well, can be flavored and is nice and stable at room temp for a few hours.

Thank you all very much! I'm going to try doing some of these tomorrow. I appreciate your help!

i've done this!!....actually i've done this a couple of times...what i found worked best for me was a decorating bottle...one with a long nose.....i had a hard time using a tip because i wanted LOTS of filling and i needed something sturdier...personal taste i guess....but i filled the bottle, and stuck it down through the top, i started squeezing and slowly lifted the nozzle out as i squeezed...it's also a good job to have someone help you with...cause it's hard to screw up and you can move on to the next task!!!...the b/f always gets that job when he's around....i have some pictures of what they looked like w/ before i topped them....they look like chocolate chips! http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_1488667.html

I think the apple corer idea is just brilliant!! You know exactly how much filling you are getting-instead of guessing & blowing the sides out! (not that I have ever done that!)

I use a bismark tip also, but I put mine back into the muffin pan before I fill them. It keeps the filling from blowing out the cupcake, and I can squeeze a little more filling inside. HTH also.