These sunflower cupcakes look like they came from a bakery case, but they start with a box of cake mix and one piping tip. Yellow buttercream petals and a center of chocolate sprinkles turn each cupcake into a little sunflower.
The cupcakes underneath are soft chocolate cake, and the frosting is a simple vanilla buttercream whipped with heavy cream. The petals are far easier to pipe than they look, so this is a good first project if you have never used a leaf tip. They work for baby showers, birthdays, garden parties, and end of summer barbecues.
If you enjoy decorated cupcakes, try these Reindeer Cupcakes or Pecan Pie Cupcakes next.
Ingredient Tips
Complete list of ingredients with quantities and instructions is located in the recipe card below
- Cake mix: Any flavor works. We used chocolate, which peeks through the petals and reads like a real sunflower center. You will also need the water, oil, and eggs listed on the box.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter, softened at room temperature so it whips up smooth. If you only have salted, skip the pinch of salt.
- Gel food coloring: Gel gives you a deep sunflower yellow without thinning the frosting. Liquid coloring turns the frosting runny before the color gets there.
- Chocolate sprinkles: Chocolate jimmies stand in for the seeds in the center of the flower.
- Piping tip: The petals come from this leaf tip. It’s easy to use and creates beautiful petals and leaves for another project.
How To Make Sunflower Cupcakes
Bake 12 cupcakes according to the box directions and let them cool completely. Warm cupcakes will melt the frosting, so do not rush this part.
Beat the softened butter with a mixer until smooth and creamy, then add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes, until the frosting is light and whipped.
Add several drops of yellow gel coloring and a single drop of orange, then mix until the color is even. Adjust one drop at a time, going easy on the orange.
Spread a thin layer of frosting over each cupcake, then add a thicker layer around the outer edge. Leave an open circle about 1½ inches wide in the middle. The sprinkles will sit in there at the end.
Fit a piping bag with the #352 leaf tip and pipe the first row of petals around the outer edge. Squeeze for 1 to 2 seconds to form the wide base of the petal, then release the pressure and lift up. Work inward to add two more rows, keeping the center open.
Fill the center with about ½ tablespoon of chocolate sprinkles, then repeat with the rest of the cupcakes.
Tips For Making Sunflower Cupcakes
- Practice the petal motion on a sheet of parchment paper first. You can scrape the frosting right back into the bowl.
- Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cupcakes will soften the petals and they lose their shape.
- If the petals start losing definition, the frosting has warmed up in your hands. Chill the piping bag for a few minutes and keep going.
- One drop of orange warms up the yellow. More than that and the frosting heads toward orange quickly.
Sunflower Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 1 box chocolate cake mix any flavor works, plus the water, oil, and eggs listed on the box
For the Frosting and Decoration
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 4½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- yellow gel food coloring
- orange gel food coloring just 1 drop
- chocolate sprinkles about ½ tablespoon per cupcake
Instructions
- Prepare the cupcake batter according to the box directions and bake 12 cupcakes in a lined muffin pan. Most boxes make about 2 dozen, so you can bake just 12 and use the remaining batter for another recipe. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
- To make the frosting, beat the softened butter with a mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Add the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt. Mix for 2 to 3 minutes, until the frosting comes together and is light and whipped.
- Add several drops of yellow gel food coloring and just one drop of orange, and mix well to combine. Adjust the color a drop at a time if needed, being careful not to add too much orange.
- Spread a rough thin layer of frosting over the top of each cupcake. Then add a thicker layer around the outer edge, leaving an open circle about 1½ inches wide in the center for the sprinkles.
- Fit a piping bag with a #352 leaf tip and fill it with frosting.
- Pipe the first row of petals around the outer edge of a cupcake. Squeeze the bag for 1 to 2 seconds to form the wide base of the petal, then release the pressure and lift up. The first few petals take practice, then it goes quickly.
- Work inward to pipe two more rows of petals, keeping the center circle open.
- Drop about ½ tablespoon of chocolate sprinkles into the center, adding more if needed to cover the open spot. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes.
Notes
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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