Pastel Cupcakes Recipes

PASTEL LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter five 8-inch round cake pans, and line with parchment (you may need to bake in batches). Butter parchment, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Sift flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a large bowl. Combine milk and vanilla. Beat butter with a mixer on medium speed until very smooth. With machine running, gradually add sugar, and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Beat until just combined; do not overmix.
• Beat egg whites in a clean mixer bowl on medium speed until stiff (but not dry) peaks form, about 3 minutes. Gently fold egg-white mixture into batter in 3 additions.
• Divide batter among 5 bowls, and tint each with food coloring to create different pastel shades. Spread each into a prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks.
• Loosen edges of cake with a small metal spatula or paring knife; invert onto racks. Discard parchment. Reinvert cakes, top side up. Let cool completely.
• Trim top of each cake to make surface even. Spread 1 cup buttercream onto top of 1 cake. Top with another cake. Repeat, spreading 1 cup buttercream between each layer. Frost cake with 1 1/2 cups buttercream. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Frost cake with 2 cups buttercream.

PASTEL ANGEL FOOD CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cup in each of 26 regular-size muffin cups.
• In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and flour; set aside. In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on medium speed until foamy. Beat in granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, on high speed, adding vanilla, almond extract and salt with the last addition of sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat.
• Sprinkle powdered sugar-flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, over egg white mixture, folding in with rubber spatula just until sugar-flour mixture disappears.
• Divide batter among 3 bowls. Carefully fold a few drops yellow food color into 1 bowl until desired shade. Repeat with red and green food color and remaining batter. In each muffin cup, spoon 2 tablespoons of each color batter next to each other; using knife, make "S" motion through batters to swirl.
• Bake 5 to 20 minutes or until cracks in cupcakes feel dry and tops spring back when touched lightly. Remove from pan to cooling racks to cool.
• Use one can of Betty Crocker™ Whipped Fluffy White Frosting- and mix with 4 drops of red food color. Frost cupcakes.