Sunflower Cupcakes

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Bright, bold and blooming delicious, these Chocolate Sunflower Cupcakes are perfect for summer birthdays, garden parties or just because! They feature a rich chocolate sponge, creamy vanilla buttercream and a mini Oreo centre to mimic the middle of a sunflower. In this blog post, you’ll learn how to pipe buttercream sunflower petals like a pro – trust me, it’s easier than you think!

What You’ll Need To Make Sunflower Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes: Rich, fluffy and full of cocoa flavour. You can use your favourite chocolate cupcake recipe, or scroll down for mine!
White buttercream: This is the base layer that you’ll swirl on top of each cupcake. It gives the yellow petals something to stick to and the sunflower a lifted ‘3D’ effect.
Yellow buttercream: A few drops of gel food colouring turn a simple vanilla buttercream into bright, sunflower yellow. Perfect for piping those sunny petals.
Mini Oreos: These sit in the middle of each cupcake and look just like the centre of a real sunflower. Plus, who doesn’t love a mini Oreo?
Piping nozzles: You’ll need a large open star nozzle for the base swirl and a large leaf tip nozzle. I used this nozzle set by Tala, which contains both piping tips.
Piping bags: You’ll need one for each buttercream colour.

About These Sunflower Cupcakes

FLAVOUR: These sunflower cupcakes have a rich chocolate sponge paired with sweet vanilla buttercream. Two classic flavours that go together perfectly!
TEXTURE: Light and fluffy cupcakes with a smooth, creamy buttercream topping. The petals add a bit of texture and height, while the Oreo centre brings a satisfying crunch.
SERVES: This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

How To Pipe Sunflower Cupcakes

Step 1: Pipe a white buttercream swirl for the base

Start with the base layer of buttercream. Using a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle, pipe a swirl of white buttercream on top of each cupcake. Hold the bag upright and pipe in a circular motion, starting from the outside and working your way inwards. Apply steady pressure from the top of the bag—avoid squeezing from the middle or bottom for better control. This gives you a nice tall swirl for the sunflower petals to sit on. Don’t worry about it being perfect, it’s just the underlayer.

Step 2: Add the Oreo in the middle

Take a mini Oreo and gently press it into the centre of the swirl. This creates the ‘sunflower seed’ middle and adds a bit of crunch. Make sure it’s nestled into the buttercream firmly so it doesn’t wobble when you add the petals.

Step 3: Pipe the yellow buttercream petals

Now for the fun bit! Fill a piping bag with the yellow buttercream fitted with a large leaf nozzle. Hold the bag so the pointy part of the nozzle is facing upwards. Starting from the outside edge of the buttercream swirl, squeeze gently as you pull the bag away sharply to make a petal shape. Practice makes perfect – scroll to the bottom for a video tutorial!

Pipe a circle of petals all the way around, then continue to pipe another circle further in to layer the petals. Keep adding petals until your sunflower cupcakes look full and layered – the more you do, the better it looks!

Best Buttercream Recipe

This is my go-to buttercream! It’s smooth, creamy and full of flavour, with just the right balance of sweetness and richness. Texture wise it’s dreamy to work with, soft enough to pipe effortlessly, but firm enough to hold its shape. Perfect for those neat sunflower petals and best of all, it’s incredibly easy to make. No faffing about with complicated steps, just four ingredients:

Salted butter: The key ingredient in buttercream! Using salted butter cuts through the sweetness for a more rounded taste. Make sure it’s soft at room temperature.
Icing sugar: I like to use Silver Spoon Icing Sugar as it comes pre-sifted with a fine texture.
Vanilla extract: To add a little flavouring.
Milk: For a creamier texture and richer flavour.

To make it, just beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Then add the remaining ingredients and beat well until smooth and creamy.

FAQ’s

What piping nozzle do I need for sunflower petals?

You’ll need a large open star nozzle for the base swirl and a large leaf tip nozzle. I used this nozzle set by Tala, which contains both piping tips.

Can I make these in advance?

Yes! The cupcakes and buttercream can both be made a day ahead. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container and pop the buttercream in the fridge. Let it come back to room temp and re-whip before piping.

What if I don’t have mini Oreos?

You can use any small round chocolate biscuit or chocolate button, just something dark and round to mimic the sunflower centre.

My buttercream is too soft, how can I fix it?

Pop it in the fridge for 10–15 minutes to firm up slightly, then beat again before piping. You can also add a little more icing sugar if needed.

My buttercream is too stiff, how can I fix it?

Add 1-2 tablespoons of milk to loosen the buttercream.

Sunflower Cupcakes

Bright, bold and blooming delicious, these Chocolate Sunflower Cupcakes are perfect for summer birthdays, garden parties or just because! They feature a rich chocolate sponge, creamy vanilla buttercream and a mini Oreo centre to mimic the middle of a sunflower. In this blog post, you'll learn how to pipe buttercream sunflower petals like a pro – trust me, it's easier than you think!

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Prep: 40

Cook: 20

Total: 1

Servings:

Ingredients

For the chocolate cupcakes:

200 grams Unsalted butter or baking spread room temperature
200 grams Caster sugar
2 medium Eggs room temperature
160 grams Self-raising flour
40 grams 100% Cocoa Powder
1 tablespoon Milk
1 tablespoon Boiling water

For the buttercream and sunflower decoration:

250 grams Salted butter room temperature
450 grams Icing sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Milk
12 Mini Oreos

Instructions

Start by making the chocolate cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan / 180°C conventional. Line a cupcake tin with 12 muffin cases.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
200 grams Unsalted butter or baking spread, 200 grams Caster sugar
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each until well combined.
2 medium Eggs
Add the flour, cocoa powder, milk and boiling water. Fold until the mixture is smooth and combined.
160 grams Self-raising flour, 40 grams 100% Cocoa Powder, 1 tablespoon Milk, 1 tablespoon Boiling water
Divide evenly between the muffin cases, filling each one 3/4 full.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cupcakes have risen and the middle of the sponge springs back when lightly pressed. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Prepare the buttercream:

Beat the butter until soft and pale in colour. Sift in the icing sugar, add the milk and vanilla extract. Beat well until the buttercream is soft, creamy and smooth.
250 grams Salted butter, 450 grams Icing sugar, 2 tablespoons Milk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Scoop half of the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large open star nozzle.
Add a few drops of yellow food colouring to the remaining buttercream and mix until the colour is even. Scoop the yellow buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a large leaf-tip piping nozzle.

Decorate the sunflower cupcakes:

First pipe a swirl of white buttercream on top of each cupcake. Hold the piping bag upright and move in a circular motion from the outside moving inwards, whilst applying pressure to the top of the piping bag.
Place a mini Oreo in the middle and lightly press down to stick it to the buttercream.
Hold the piping bag horizontally and so that the pointy part of the nozzle is facing upwards. Starting from the outside edge of the buttercream swirl, squeeze gently as you pull the bag away sharply to make a petal shape. Pipe a circle of petals all the way around, then continue to pipe another circle further in to layer the petals. Keep adding petals until your sunflower cupcakes look full and layered.