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    Decorated Treats » Recipes » Designs & Tutorials

    Sunflower Cupcakes (How to Make)

    Published: Oct 8, 2020 · Modified: Sep 8, 2023 by Priya Maha

    Jump to Recipe

    These sunflower cupcakes make bright and cheerful flower cupcakes. With hand piped petals in buttercream and flower centers in decadent chocolate sprinkles these cupcakes are not only easy to make, they are very pretty too! They make great treats for weddings, birthdays, and even baby showers!

    Cupcakes with yellow petals and chocolate sprinkle centers.

    Instead of piping the sunflowers separately, freezing and then transferring them onto the cupcakes, I added the flowers directly onto the cupcakes. That way, no freezing was required, and the entire decorating could be completed pretty quickly too. 

    I used buttercream for the sunflowers. If you are not keen on working with buttercream, you can also make these in royal icing. Royal icing dries hard so if you use royal icing, you will get sweet crusted sunflowers for your cupcakes.

    If you like buttercream flowers, you should also check out my daisy cupcakes tutorial. They are equally easy and pretty too. And for more floral themed treats, check out this easy buttercream flowers cake, rosette cake, daisy cookies, elegant birthday cake with molded fondant roses, 70th birthday cake with flowers and flower pot cake.

    Jump to:
    • ❤️Why You Will Love This Tutorial
    • 🎥Video Tutorial
    • 🧾Supplies Required
    • 👩‍🍳How to Make
    • ❤️More Tutorials You Will Love
    • 📖Recipe

    ❤️Why You Will Love This Tutorial

    • The cupcakes are pretty.
    • With my easy techniques, they are very easy to make too.
    • You can pipe the sunflowers directly on the cupcakes instead of piping them separately, freezing and then placing on the cupcakes.

    🎥Video Tutorial

    Here is the video tutorial on how to make the sunflower cupcakes:

    🧾Supplies Required

    • Cupcakes – I used my triple chocolate cupcakes recipe to make the chocolate flavor cupcakes, but omitted the chocolate buttercream and the sprinkles (see the recipe card below for the full recipe). For a single batch of the recipe, I managed to get 10 cupcakes baked in medium-sized muffin casings. 
    • Buttercream 
    • Wilton Golden yellow food coloring – I used this yellow food coloring to tint the yellow frosting for the flower centers.
    • Wilton Juniper green food coloring – I used this green food coloring for the base coat of the cupcakes.
    • Petal tip number 104 , round tip number 5 and icing coupler - I used Wilton tip number 104 for the daisy petals and round tip number 5 for the yellow flower centers.
    • Disposable piping bags.
    • Palette knife – this was used to apply the green base icing for the cupcakes before piping the daisies on.

    *Refer to the recipe card below for full list of ingredients and exact quantities. For best results, use a digital kitchen scale wherever applicable*

    👩‍🍳How to Make

    Step 1: Bake the cupcakes. Measure butter and sugar into a large bowl. Cream both until light and fluffy on medium speed on an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer). Use paddle attachment.

    Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the eggs. Add them one at a time and beat well after each addition (until all traces of the eggs are no longer visible). Scrape the bowl half way through.

    Next, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and fold these dry ingredients into the creamed wet ingredients. Alternate this flour mixture with the milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture.

    Finally, add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Scoop the cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake liners until about two thirds full.

    Bake the cupcakes in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Check the cupcakes at 15 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center of one of the cupcakes. If there is no wet batter sticking to the cupcakes, and the top springs back when lightly pressed, the cupcakes are baked.

    Remove the cupcakes from the oven, let them rest in the tray for one or two minutes before transferring them onto a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

    A chocolate cupcake with the top leveled.

    If the cupcakes are domed, level them with a serrated knife (image 1).

    Step 2: Make the buttercream frosting. To make the buttercream, beat butter and powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar) in a large mixing bowl until fluffy.

    Add vanilla extract and continue beating until the buttercream is all light and fluffy. Add milk (or heavy cream) if it appears too stiff.

    Remove about one third of the buttercream and tint it green. Tint the rest in yellow.

    Step 3: Cover the cupcakes with green buttercream.

    A cupcake with green frosting.

    Apply a thin coat of green frosting onto the top of each cupcake (image 2).

    Step 4: Pipe the petals. Use Wilton golden yellow food color to tint the buttercream to a pretty yellow hue, similar to that of real sunflowers. 

    Piping tip number 352.

    For the petals piping, use leaf tip number 352 (image 3).

    Next, use two round cutters of different sizes (you can use drinking glass or bottle lids if you don’t have the cutters) and gently press them onto the green frosted cupcake tops to mark the circle lines.

    A cupcake with green frosting and round marks on the surface.

    The size of the cutters should be smaller than the diameter of the cupcake (image 4).

    Piping a yellow petal with buttercream on a green cupcake.

    To pipe the petals, place the tip on the outer marked circle on the cupcake. Gently squeeze the piping bag and release the pressure as you pull the top away from the cupcake (image 5). Watch my video above for a better demonstration on how this is done.

    Note: The leaf tip number 352 is in the shape of an inverted “v”. Though it may seem natural to hold the piping bag with the flat side of the tip facing you, remember that for this tip, it is the narrow side that should be facing you, meaning you should not be seeing the inverted ‘v’ shape as you are piping the petals.

    Yellow petals on green cupcakes.

    This was how the first sunflower petal should look like (image 6).

    Continue piping the first row of petals, one by one, using the first marked circle as the guide for placing your piping tip before piping out each of the petals (image 7).

    Piping yellow petals on green cupcakes.

    Once the outer layer of sunflower petals are completed, move to the second row of petals. Pipe the petals one by one until the full circle was completed (images 8 & 9). 

    Adding chocolate sprinkles to the center of a sunflower cupcake.

    Step 5: Make the sunflower centers. Using a small spoon, add chocolate sprinkles in the center of each cupcake (image 10). When doing this, make sure to keep the sprinkles in the center and not drop any of them on the petals.

    Also, make sure that the sprinkles are sufficiently added such that none of the green icing at the base is visible. To hold the sprinkles in place, press them lightly onto the cupcakes with the back of a spoon.

    Note: Another option for the sunflower centers is to use cookies. Simply place a mini Oreo cookie or a standard Oreo cookie in the center instead of the chocolate sprinkles. If you are going to use Oreo as the flower center, make sure the diameter of the flower center matches the diameter of the cookie or you will end up with the green base icing visible after piping the petals.

    And that completes the buttercream sunflower cupcakes.

    A cupcake decorated with yellow buttercream and chocolate sprinkles to look like a sunflower.

    ❤️More Tutorials You Will Love

    • Chocolate cupcakes in black cupcake liners, decorated with black frosting, white fondant cut out and black buttercream spiders.
      Creepy Halloween Spider Cupcakes (How to Make)
    • 5 cupcakes decorated with red star toppers and Christmas themed sprinkles.
      Easy Christmas Cupcakes
    • A set of 5 cupcakes in white cupcake casings decorated with buttercream, sugar sprinkles and a pretty 5 petal fondant flower.
      Vanilla Cupcakes from Scratch (Perfectly Moist!)
    • 4 cupcakes with 2d christmas tree deco.
      Christmas Tree Cupcakes

    Do you like this tutorial? Please leave a 5-star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐rating in the recipe card below and consider a review further down this page. I would love to hear from you. Thank you!

    📖Recipe

    4 sunflower cupcakes.

    Sunflower Cupcakes

    Learn how to make buttercream sunflower cupcakes with this tutorial and video. Great idea for weddings, birthdays and even baby showers!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Decorating time: 2 hours hours
    Total Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
    Yield: 10 cupcakes
    Author: Priya Maha
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Metric - US Customary

    For best results, use the metrics measurements. US customary measurements have not been tested and are only meant for guide.

    Ingredients

    Cupcakes

    • 120 g butter
    • 75 g granulated sugar
    • 25 g brown sugar
    • 2 eggs
    • 100 g self-raising flour
    • 30 g cocoa powder
    • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
    • 4 tablespoon milk
    • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • Buttercream
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    Bake the cupcakes

    • Prepare your cupcake casings.
    • Preheat oven to 170°Celsius.
    • Beat butter and both sugars till light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
    • Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Fold in the sifted ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with milk, starting and ending with flour.
    • Add in the vanilla extract and mix well.
    • Pour batter into baking cups until they are about two thirds full.
    • Bake the chocolate cupcakes for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the size of the casing you use) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out without any wet batter sticking to it.
    • Remove the cupcakes from oven and let them cool completely before decorating.

    Tint the buttercream

    • Separate about one third of the buttercream and tint it green. Tint the rest in yellow.

    Decorate the cupcakes

    • Level the top of the cupcakes (if domed) with a serrated knife.
    • Apply a thin layer of green icing with a palette knife. Make sure the cupcakes are well covered with a smooth coat of green buttercream.
    • Fit the leaf tip number 352 into a piping bag and fill it with the yellow icing.
    • Use 2 round cookie cutters of different sizes (you can use drinking glass or bottle lids if you don’t have the cutters) and gently press them onto the frosted cupcake tops to mark the circle lines, making sure the circles are well centered on the cupcake.
    • These lines are to help guide the piping of the 2 layers of petals of the sunflowers.
    • Hold the piping bag with the narrow side of the leaf tip facing up. To pipe the petals, gently squeeze the icing in the piping bag and release as you pull the tip away from the cupcake.
    • Continue piping the petals, one by one, using the first marked circle as the guide for placing your piping tip before piping out each of the petals.
    • Once the outer layer of sunflower petals are completed, move to the next layer of the petals.
    • Pipe the petals one by one until the full circle ss completed.
    • Making the sunflower centers with chocolate sprinkles
    • Next, using a small spoon, add chocolate sprinkles in the center of each cupcake. Keep the sprinkles in the center and not drop any of them on the petals. To hold the sprinkles in place, press them lightly onto the cupcakes with the back of a spoon.

    Notes

    1. The leaf tip number 352 is in the shape of an inverted “v”. Though it may seem natural to hold the piping bag with the flat side of the tip facing you, remember that for this tip, it is the narrow side that should be facing you, meaning you should not be seeing the inverted ‘v’ shape as you are piping the petals.
    2. Another option for the sunflower centers is to use cookies. Simply place an Oreo cookie in the center instead of the chocolate sprinkles. If you are going to use Oreo as the flower center, make sure the diameter of the flower center match the diameter of the cookies.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 184.5kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.3g | Protein: 3.2g | Fat: 11.4g | Saturated Fat: 6.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 59.3mg | Sodium: 162.3mg | Potassium: 83.6mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 10.4g | Vitamin A: 357.3IU | Calcium: 28.6mg | Iron: 0.7mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @decorated_treats or tag #decoratedtreats!

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    A cupcake decorated with yellow piped petals and brown sprinkles center.
    Cupcakes with yellow petals and chocolate sprinkle centers.
    Cupcakes with yellow petals and chocolate sprinkle centers.
    5 cupcakes with yellow petals and chocolate sprinkle centers.
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    Sunflower cupcakes.
    4 sunflower cupcakes.
    Cupcakes decorated to look like sunflowers.

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