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!
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.
Video
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