Makes a showstopping batch of 24 lemon-flavored cupcakes topped with beautifully piped buttercream flowers in pastel pink, yellow, lavender, and orange, all colored using plant-based food dyes. The frosting is coconut-scented and finished with delicate chocolate buttercream centers to complete the floral look.
MAKES: 2 Dozen Cupcakes
Ingredients-Cupcakes
2 sticks (226 g.) organic butter, softened
340g organic sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp organic lemon flavor
4 organic large eggs
1 cup organic heavy whipping cream
340g all-natural cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
Ingredients-Frosting
3 sticks (340g) organic butter, softened
680g (24 oz) organic powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbsp organic coconut extract
Color Kitchen Pink, Yellow, Orange, Purple Color Packets (additional colors of your choosing)
Ingredients-Chocolate Frosting
2 tbsp organic butter, softened
15g organic Dutch cocoa, sifted
42g organic powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp water
Tools
Piping Bags
Decorating tips #127, 864, 846, 56
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar and lemon flavor. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined.
Add the eggs and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, add the cake flour, baking powder and sea salt and whisk together.
Add the cake flour and and cream in together and mix on low until you have a smooth cake batter.
Line two cupcake pans with liners, and fill cupcakes three-quarters full.
Bake for 17 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar and coconut extract. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined, then speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy.
Separate the frosting into four separate bowls, each bowl should weigh about 255 g.
In one bowl, color it pastel yellow by adding ½ tsp Color Kitchen Yellow powder. Stir to combine completely. Put in a piping bag with decorating tip #846.
In the second bowl, mix ½ tsp Color Kitchen Purple powder. Stir to combine completely. Put in a piping bag with decorating tip #127.
In the third bowl, make pastel pink by adding ¼ tsp Color Kitchen Pink. Stir to combine completely. Put in a piping bag with decorating tip #846.
In the last bowl, add ¼ tsp Color Kitchen Orange to create a pastel orange. Stir to combine completely. Put in a piping bag with decorating tip #864.
In your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, cocoa and water. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined, then speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Put the chocolate frosting in a piping bag with decorating tip #56. Set aside.
We've included a video below on how to pipe beautiful flowers onto your cupcakes using our plant-based food coloring.
To frost the pink and yellow cupcakes (like Roses), start in the middle and work your way to the outer edge in a circular motion.
To frost the pastel orange cupcakes, make dollops around the boarder, then in between each dollop, make another dollop on top, finally make the last dollop in the center.
To frost the lavender cupcakes, start with the piping bag in the center of the cupcake, with the smaller end of the tip towards the inside and the larger part of the tip towards the outside. In a swooping motion, make a petal. Right next to it, make another, and another until you’ve gone around the entire cupcake. In between the first two petals, make another petal and complete a second row on top.
Using the chocolate frosting, pipe small dollops in the center of the flower in a circle to cover up the beginning parts of the petals.
Eat flower cupcakes!
Store in a cake dome.
Baker’s Note: To make brighter colors you can double the amount of food coloring. You can also make different colors! To make these cupcakes gluten free, just substitute the cake flour for an organic gluten free flour blend.
Recipe by Mimi's Cookie Bar