Sunflower Cupcakes Bouquet Recipes

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line two 12-hole muffin tins with 15 muffin cases. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave, then leave to cool a little. Transfer to a large jug and stir in the yogurt, eggs and vanilla. Beat until combined.
• Tip the flour, sugar, almonds, baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt into a large bowl. Stir to combine, then make a well in the centre. Pour in the wet ingredients and mix using a spatula or electric whisk until lump-free. It will be quite a runny mixture.
• Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases so they are two-thirds full, using all of the mixture. Bake in the oven for 25-30 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Beat the butter with half the icing sugar, then, once smooth, add the remaining icing sugar, the milk and vanilla extract. Beat again until fluffy and smooth. Reserving two large spoonfuls of the icing for the fondant cupcakes, halve the remaining icing and put into two bowls. Use a little of the pink food colouring to turn half of the icing pink, beating the icing until it changes colour. Use the purple colouring to do the same with the other half. Set all the icing aside at room temperature and cover the surface with cling film (or keep in the fridge overnight).
• Roll out 250g of the fondant icing to a £1 coin thickness. Use the 3-piece cutters to stamp out three sunflowers. You will need to use each cutter three times (see step-by-step pictures). Scrunch pieces of foil into doughnut shapes and place in the muffin tin. Sit the flowers on top and leave to set for 30 mins. This will set the shape so the petals look more 3D. If you need more icing, roll out a little more until you have the right amount of flowers.
• Using the reserved white buttercream, gently sandwich the flowers together. Dot a little buttercream in the middle of the biggest flower and put the medium-sized flower on top of it. Repeat with the smallest flower on top.
• Pipe the buttercream roses and hydrangeas onto 12 of the cupcakes. Use the paintbrush to paint four stripes of pink food colouring from the bottom to the middle of a piping bag - this will create a dark pink outline for the roses. Drop the curved 2D nozzle into the end of the bag and snip off the end so that the tip is fully exposed. Pop the bag over a jug or large glass and fold over the top (this will make it easier to pile in the buttercream). Make sure all the air is out of the piping bag when you take it out of the jug, as this will ensure you pipe evenly. Starting in the middle of the cupcake, hold the bag directly above the cake and pipe a swirl in a clockwise motion, applying a steady pressure until you reach the edge of the cupcake. Repeat with another five cupcakes until you have six pink rose cupcakes. Set aside.
• Use the paintbrush to paint four stripes of purple food colouring from the bottom to the middle of another piping bag, to create a dark purple outline for the hydrangeas. Hold the piping bag directly above the cupcake and pipe small star shapes to cover the entire surface (see step-by-step pictures).
• Next, spoon the remaining white buttercream onto the remaining three cupcakes to completely cover. This will be the 'glue' for the fondant flowers. Carefully place each fondant flower on top of the cupcakes.
• Sit the oasis in your basket or bowl. Cut the green tissue paper into small squares, laying a lighter piece over a darker piece, and fold in half, then half again, to create the leaves. Ruffle them up a little for a more natural look. Using a small sharp knife, poke a little hole in the bottom of your cupcakes and carefully insert a lollipop stick into each one. One at a time, push the bottom of the stick into the oasis - ensuring that you push the stick, not the actual cupcake, or you may damage the icing. Arrange the flowers so the three fondant flowers are near the middle, working outwards with the rest of the cupcakes until it starts to resemble a bunch. As the fondant flowers are quite heavy, roll out some small balls of leftover fondant to push under each cupcake base as support (see step-by-step pictures).
• Slot the green tissue in between each cupcake so it surrounds them. Then lay the blue tissue paper over the pink paper and sit your basket carefully on top. Use sellotape to cover the entire basket in the tissue. Once it's covered, do the same with the cellophane, if using. Keep in a cool place until presenting. The cupcakes will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container.