Buttercream Blossom Cupcakes Recipes

CLASSIC VANILLA CUPCAKES RECIPE WITH VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer) combine cake flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix on low for a few seconds to combine.
• Add butter, oil, and vanilla extract and blend until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
• Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, and mix on low until fully combined.
• Pour in the buttermilk and mix on low until thoroughly combined, but take care not to overmix.
• Scoop batter evenly into the 12 prepared muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
• Decorate the cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and sprinkles
• Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, they can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature for about 2 hours.

MINI VANILLA CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a mini cupcake pan with mini cupcake liners.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixture, add the butter and sugar and mix until blended.
• Add the eggs, then the vanilla. Gradually add the flour mixture, alternating with the heavy cream, until everything is well combined.
• Fill each cupcake well about 1/2 to 2/3rds full.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
• Combine the powdered sugar, butter, 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.
• Beat with a whisk attachment, on low speed, then medium, until well blended and creamy, adding more heavy cream, if needed.
• Top the cooled cupcakes the vanilla buttercream using a piping bag and tips (I used this one), a spatula, or butter knife.
• Decorate with sprinkles and/or candy, if desired.

QUICK AND ALMOST-PROFESSIONAL BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer, the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract.
• Pour in milk and beat for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add food coloring, if using, and beat for thirty seconds until smooth or until desired color is reached.

MARTHA'S STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 1/2 standard 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
• Into a medium bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and then beat in vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; beat until combined after each addition. Fold in strawberries.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups so that each is about two-thirds full, about 2 ounces each. Bake, rotating the pans halfway through, until the cupcakes are golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely on wire racks.
• Make Strawberry Meringue Buttercream and spread or pipe about 1/2 cup frosting on top of each cupcake. Garnish with strawberries, cut into halves, quarters, or left whole, depending on the size.

BUTTERCREAM-BLOSSOM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Using a serrated knife, trim top of each cupcake to make level. Tint 1/4 cup buttercream brown with gel-paste food color. Tint 2 cups buttercream peach. Tint 1/4 cup each yellow and green. Transfer tinted buttercreams to pastry bags fitted only with couplers. Tint remaining buttercream pale pink. Using an offset spatula, spread a smooth layer of pink buttercream over each cupcake.
• Using brown buttercream and a fine plain tip (#1), pipe thin branches on cupcake. With peach buttercream (shown opposite; pink is shown below) and a small petal tip (#103), pipe basic petals: Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle to the cupcake, with the tip's wide end down and narrow end pointed away and slightly to the left. Move the tip forward 1/8 inch and back again while you pivot the narrow end to the right. Make five or six petals, turning the cupcake as you go. Then, if desired, pipe a small petal on stem to make the bud shown at left. With yellow buttercream and a small plain tip (#2), pipe three or four dots in center of flower. Pipe tiny leaves with green buttercream and a small V-leaf tip (#349). Repeat for remaining cupcakes. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.
• Using a serrated knife, trim top of each cupcake to make level. Tint 1/2 cup buttercream green and 1/4 cup pale yellow with gel-paste food colors. Divide 2 cups buttercream among two bowls; tint one portion light violet and the other a darker shade. Transfer tinted frostings to pastry bags fitted only with couplers. Tint remaining buttercream pale pink. Using an offset spatula, spread a smooth layer of pink buttercream over cupcakes.
• With green buttercream and a small plain tip (#2), pipe stems on cupcake. Using dark violet buttercream and a small petal tip (#103), pipe two large, basic petals (similar to cherry blossom petals, page 172) side by side. Then make two smaller petals, one on top of each of the first ones, using the same petal technique; apply less pressure and make a smaller arc than you did for larger petals. Using light violet buttercream and same petal tip, pipe a ruffle for the flower's base, pivoting tip as with petals, and turning the cupcake while connecting the petals. To finish the ruffle neatly, pull bag toward center of flower as you release pressure. Pipe a dot in center of each blossom with yellow buttercream and the #2 tip. If desired, use green buttercream and another small petal tip (#60) to pipe the leaf shown at left. Repeat for remaining cupcakes. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.
• Using a serrated knife, trim top of each cupcake to make level. Tint 1/2 cup buttercream green and 1 cup pink with gel-paste food colors. Transfer to pastry bags fitted only with couplers. Tint remaining buttercream a paler shade of pink. Using a small offset spatula, spread a smooth layer of pale pink buttercream over cupcakes.
• Pipe stems using green buttercream and a small plain tip (#2) on a cupcake. Then, using pink buttercream and a small petal tip (#103), form two basic petals (similar to cherry blossom petals, page 172) side by side. Pipe two smaller petals overlapping each other on top of the first two, then hold bag 90 degrees to the flower with wide end facing forward, and pipe a center, pulling down slightly. With green buttercream and a small V-leaf tip (#352), pipe small leaves: Start at the base of the bloom with the tip's pointed end facing up, and then pull tip toward flower as you release pressure. Switch to the #2 tip, and add curlicues. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (FROM SPRINKLES CUPCAKES)

Steps:

• In a bowl add sugar then add butter. Beat till blended. Next add salt.
• Then add the milk and vanilla and beat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy.

CHERRY BLOSSOM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Using a serrated knife, trim top of each cupcake to make level. Tint 1/4 cup buttercream brown with gel-paste food color. Tint 2 cups buttercream peach. Tint 1/4 cup each yellow and green. Transfer tinted buttercreams to pastry bags fitted only with couplers. Tint remaining buttercream pale pink. Using an offset spatula, spread a smooth layer of pink buttercream over each cupcake.
• Using brown buttercream and a fine plain tip (#1), pipe thin branches on cupcake. With peach buttercream (shown opposite; pink is shown below) and a small petal tip (#103), pipe basic petals: Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle to the cupcake, with the tip's wide end down and narrow end pointed away and slightly to the left. Move the tip forward 1/8 inch and back again while you pivot the narrow end to the right. Make five or six petals, turning the cupcake as you go. Then, if desired, pipe a smallpetal on stem to make the bud shown at left. With yellow buttercream and a small plain tip (#2), pipe three or four dots in center of flower. Pipe tiny leaves with green buttercream and a small V-leaf tip (#349). Repeat for remaining cupcakes. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.