Best Sunflower Cupcakes Recipes

SUNFLOWER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• By slowly moving end of round handle of wooden spoon back and forth, make deep, 3/4-inch-wide indentation in center of top of each cupcake, not quite to bottom (wiggle end of spoon in cupcake to make opening large enough).
• In medium bowl, beat lemon curd and cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Spoon into small resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut 3/8-inch tip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Insert tip of bag into top of each cupcake; squeeze bag to fill cupcake.
• Stir 4 drops food color into frosting until pale yellow. Frost cupcakes.
• Place unopened icing tube in tall drinking glass filled with hot tap water for 15 minutes. Remove from water; wipe dry. Knead tube gently with hands to soften. Using leaf tip on icing tube, pipe 2 concentric circles of leaves, starting with outside edge of cupcake and working toward center; leave quarter-size area in center with just frosting. Carefully spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate chips onto center of each cupcake; press into frosting. Arrange on tray using sour candy straws for stems and leaves. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Loosely cover and refrigerate any remaining cupcakes.

SUNFLOWER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Starting at edge of an unfrosted cupcake, pipe 3 to 4 circles of petals with buttercream, working inward and overlapping, leaving center empty. Fill center with chocolate-covered sunflower seeds.

MARTHA'S SUNFLOWER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Cupcakes:Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Line two standard muffin tins with 18 cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla seeds. Add eggs and yolks, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until combined after each addition.
• Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed and a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• Buttercream:Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over (not in) a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved, and mixture is warm to the touch and feels completely smooth when rubbed between fingertips.
• Transfer bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue whisking until mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), 6 to 8 minutes.
• Reduce speed to medium-low and add butter a few tablespoons at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla. Switch to paddle attachment and beat on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula; continue beating until frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using same day. If not, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.
• Reserve 1/2 cup buttercream. Tint remaining buttercream yellow, adding food color a drop at a time until desired color is reached. If necessary, use reserved buttercream to lighten color.
• Transfer buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a small leaf tip (such as Wilton #70). Pipe a row of slightly overlapping petals around the edge of a cupcake. Pipe a second row of petals, overlapping previous petals. Repeat piping process, overlapping petals slightly and creating 2 to 3 more rows of petals. Pipe a small amount of frosting in center of cupcake; cover with sunflower seeds. Repeat with remaining cupcakes. Decorated cupcakes can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 6 hours; bring to room temperature before serving.

OREO SUNFLOWER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350. Line 33 muffin cups with paper liners, then place one Oreo in the bottom of each. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
• Place remaining full size Oreos in a ziplock bag and smash them, or drop them in the food processor or blender to make large crumbs and small chunks. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Add the eggs to butter/sugar one at a time, beating after each addition, followed by adding the vanilla.
• Alternate adding the flour mixture with adding milk (2-3 additions for each) until the batter is all combined. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add reserved crumbled Oreos.
• Scoop batter into prepared muffin cups. I use a cookie scoop to get this done evenly. Smooth them out a bit. It won't rise very much, and the batter won't settle smooth totally on its own.
• Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Frosting:
• Beat 2 cups softened butter with the whisk attachment until smooth and fluffy.
• Slowly add powdered sugar a scoop at a time until it's all incorporated.
• Add milk and vanilla. Whip until light, fluffy and fully combined.
• To Decorate:
• Divide frosting into 3 portions, 2 larger than the third (think peace sign proportions). Tint one large portion grassy green with gel food coloring, one large portion medium yellow, and the smaller portion darker green. I used about 1/4 tsp color for each.
• Fit a 16 inch piping bag with a large coupler and tip 233. Fill with grassy green colored frosting. Pipe little dabs over entire tops of cupcakes to resemble grass, a quick squeeze/let go gives tapered bits.
• Place one mini Oreo in the center of each cupcake to be the sunflower's center. Press down into the "grass" to adhere.
• Fit a regular coupler and a leaf tip such as 368 on a 12 inch piping bag. Fill with darker green frosting. To pipe leaves, place the bag at about a 45 degree angle close to the mini Oreo center. The V cutout should face the Oreo vertically, like a bird's beak getting ready to take a nibble. Squeeze, pull away and release pressure to create a leaf. Add 3 or so to each cupcake around the Oreo.
• Fit a large coupler and leaf tip on a 16 inch piping bag. Fill with the yellow frosting. To pipe the sunflower's petals use the same motion as for leaves, only make them smaller. Circle each Oreo completely in petals, then add a smaller second row of petals on top of that one.

SUNFLOWER CUPCAKES BOUQUET

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place miniature paper baking cup in each of 58 mini muffin cups. Make cake batter as directed on box. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full (about 1 heaping tablespoon each).
• Bake 10 to 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Spoon frosting into medium bowl. Stir in powdered sugar and desired food color, mixing to blend completely. Fit an open star tip (#18) on a pastry bag, and fill with frosting. On each cupcake, pipe 6 lines from the center of the cupcake, out to the edge, making an evenly spaced "spoke-like pattern" on each. With the same tip, start in the center and make a loop by going down one side of each spoke, turning at the edge of the cupcake and following the next spoke back into the center. Repeat ending with 6 loops. Place black gummy raspberry in center of each cupcake.
• Place 2 sheets of tissue paper inside pail. Cut dry oasis to fit inside pail. Thread wooden skewer through green licorice. Thread spearmint leaf on skewer and then cupcake. Repeat to make 6 additional flowers. Arrange flowers in pail. Place remaining cupcakes on platter. Store loosely covered.

GIANT SUNFLOWER CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream. Create a dip in the center of the cupcake about 3/4-inch across. Adhere the coconut grass to the outer edge of the cupcakes.
• For the petals: Place the egg yolk-tinted frosting in a pastry bag with a #70 leaf tip.
• Hold the bag at a 45 degree angle with the tip lightly touching the surface just inside the dip in the cupcake (with the wide part parallel to the surface). Squeeze hard to build up the base and simultaneously lift the tip slightly. Relax pressure as you pull the tip toward you, drawing the petal to a point near the edge of the cupcake. Stop squeezing and lift the tip away.
• Repeat all the way around the cupcake, slightly overlapping the petals. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
• Fold a piece of paper in half and place the chocolate sprinkles in the center. Using the folded corner as a guide, pour the sprinkles into the hole in the middle of the cupcake. Repeat with remaining cupcakes.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and top with a rack.
• Toss the coconut with the green and yellow food coloring, depending on desired color. Sprinkle with water if necessary to disperse the color. Drain. Spread evenly on the rack, place in the oven and bake until dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 2 cups.

PUMPKIN CUPCAKES WITH SUNFLOWER NUT FILLING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin, water, oil and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each 1/2 full.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cupcake comes out clean. Remove from pan; place on cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• In large bowl, mix fluffy white frosting and sunflower nuts. With melon baller, scoop out center of each cupcake, scooping almost to bottom of cupcake. Spoon about 1 tablespoon frosting mixture into center of each cupcake.
• In medium bowl, mix creamy white frosting and orange gel food color until well blended. Spread over tops of filled cupcakes. Use black decorating gel to make a jack-o-lantern face on top of each cupcake.