Sunshine Cupcakes
Recipe from
Family Circle
Adorned with frosting flowers, these exquisite lemon and orange cupcakes are perfect for any spring celebration--Easter, Mother's Day, showers, and graduations. The cupcakes are just as tasty with a simple orange or lemon buttercream frosting.

Total Time:
30 mins
Ingredients
-
2-3/4 cupscake flour (not self-rising)see savings

-
2 teaspoonsbaking powdersee savings

-
1/2 teaspoonbaking sodasee savings

-
1/4 teaspoonsaltsee savings

-
1 cupsour creamsee savings

-
1/4 cupmilksee savings

-
2 tablespoonsorange juice concentratesee savings

-
1 tablespoongrated lemon rindsee savings

-
2 tablespoonsfresh lemon juicesee savings

-
1 tablespoongrated orange rindsee savings

-
1 cup(2 sticks) unsalted buttersee savings

-
1-1/4 cupsgranulated sugarsee savings

-
4 eggssee savings

-
Frosting (about 5-1/2 cups, enough for decorating 12 cupcakes):see savings

-
1/2 cup(1 stick) unsalted buttersee savings

-
1/2 cupsolid vegetable shorteningsee savings

-
2 poundeach) confectioners' sugarsee savings

-
2/3 cupmilksee savings

-
1 teaspoonorange extractsee savings

-
Assorted liquid food paste colorssee savings

-
Blue and yellow decorating candies, for flower centerssee savings

Directions
1.
Heat oven to 350 degree F. Place 12 paper liners in cups of oversize cupcake pan (each cup 3-1/2 x 2 inches). Sift flour, powder, soda and salt into bowl. Mix sour cream, milk, concentrate, lemon rind and juice, and orange rind in small bowl.
2.
Beat butter and sugar in bowl until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. On low, beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream mixture, ending with flour. Spoon 1/2 to 2/3 cup batter into each muffin cup.
3.
Bake in 350 degree oven 30 minutes, or until pick tests almost clean. Remove from pan to rack to cool.
4.
Frosting: Beat butter, shortening, sugar, milk, extract in bowl until smooth, 3 minutes.Forget-Me-Nots: Tint 2 cups frosting pink; 2 cups purple; 1 cup of remaining frosting green. Fill pastry bag fitted with coupler with pink frosting; fill second bag with coupler with purple. Fit small bag with small leaf tip (#67); fill with green frosting. Cut out 120 two-inch waxed-paper squares Attach petal tip (#101) to coupler for pink frosting. Attach waxed paper to flower nail with frosting. Hold bag with right hand at 45 degree angle, with wide end of tip toward center of square. Squeeze bag lightly; move tip toward edge of paper for first petal. Turn nail counterclockwise; relax pressure; bring tip back to starting point. Stop squeezing, lifting tip away. Repeat, forming 3 or 4 more petals. Press yellow candy in flower center. Transfer flower on paper to baking sheet. Repeat for 59 more flowers. Repeat with purple frosting to make 60 flowers. Freeze flowers. Cover cupcakes with thin layer of remaining white frosting. Place frozen flowers, removing waxed paper, on cupcakes. Use green frosting to fill openings between flowers with leaves: Hold tip at 45 degree angle, with small opening pointing up. Gently squeeze, pulling tip away from surface. Stop squeezing; release.Yellow Apple Blossoms: Tint 3-3/4 cups frosting yellow; 1/2 cup light blue to match candy centers; 3/4 cup of remaining frosting green. Fit bag with large petal tip (#104); fill with yellow frosting. Fit small bag with small round tip; fill with blue frosting. Fit second small bag with small leaf tip (#67); fill with green frosting. Follow directions for Forget-Me-Nots. Pipe dot of blue frosting in flower center; attach blue candy. Make 6 to 8 flowers per cupcake. Freeze and decorate with flowers and leaves as above for Forget-Me-Nots.Zinnias: Tint 2 cups frosting yellow; 2 cups blue; 1 cup remaining frosting green. Fit large bag with large leaf tip (#366); holding bag in one hand, scoop yellow frosting onto one side of bag. Fill other side with blue frosting. Gently squeeze until both colors are visible through tip. Fit second bag with medium leaf tip (#67); fill with green frosting. Cover cupcakes with thin layer white frosting. Using green frosting, pipe rim of leaves around top-outside edge of cupcakes. Using yellow-blue-filled bag, hold tip with open points facing to sides. Apply firm pressure for base of petal; relax pressure and pull bag toward you, drawing petal to a point at edge of cupcake. Stop squeezing, and lift away. Continue around cupcake in concentric layers. Fill flower center with sugar candies. Makes one dozen cupcakes
Add Your Review
Related Recipe
- More Recipes Like This
- Rainbow Cupcakes
- Spring Flower Brownies
- Cheesecake Cupcakes With Blueberries
Articles
Cupcakes Abloom! -- 6 Springy Easter Cupcakes
... of them appropriate for the season. From citrusy sunshine cupcakes to elegant little cakes covered... the finishing touches on the colorful butterflies. Sunshine Cupcakes Celebrate Easter with these pretty little... of Easter cupcakes for your celebration? We've gathered together some of our favorite cupcakes -- all... read more...
... of them appropriate for the season. From citrusy sunshine cupcakes to elegant little cakes covered... the finishing touches on the colorful butterflies. Sunshine Cupcakes Celebrate Easter with these pretty little... of Easter cupcakes for your celebration? We've gathered together some of our favorite cupcakes -- all... read more...
10 Cupcake Recipes Perfect for Any Occasion -- Sweet!
... cupcake later in the day makes it worthwhile. We couldn't agree more. Not many things in life are better... than a cupcake. Sweet, moist and sized for one, cupcakes make a bad day better, and they make a party... of reasons (OK, excuses) to whip up a batch of cupcakes. How about an end-of-summer celebration? Or a special... read more...
... cupcake later in the day makes it worthwhile. We couldn't agree more. Not many things in life are better... than a cupcake. Sweet, moist and sized for one, cupcakes make a bad day better, and they make a party... of reasons (OK, excuses) to whip up a batch of cupcakes. How about an end-of-summer celebration? Or a special... read more...
Is America's Appetite for Fancy $4 Cupcakes Over?
...Ok, when we first read the headline, we'll admit, we went into a sort of panic: "Gourmet-Cupcake... when the Wall Street Journal started pulling in financial analysts to parse the cupcake market. Because..., you see, cupcakes shouldn't be about "markets." Or dividends. Or something called "convertible... read more...
...Ok, when we first read the headline, we'll admit, we went into a sort of panic: "Gourmet-Cupcake... when the Wall Street Journal started pulling in financial analysts to parse the cupcake market. Because..., you see, cupcakes shouldn't be about "markets." Or dividends. Or something called "convertible... read more...
Food Blogs We Love
50 Awesome Moments Since My Book Came Out
It's adorable. Their cupcakes are pictured at the topabout Claremont: Vanilla Sunshine Cupcakery has my art on the walls. I had the cupcakes say hello to it. I alsogood my book looks next to cupcakes. I finally got to meet read more...
It's adorable. Their cupcakes are pictured at the topabout Claremont: Vanilla Sunshine Cupcakery has my art on the walls. I had the cupcakes say hello to it. I alsogood my book looks next to cupcakes. I finally got to meet read more...
Cake Byte: Cottage Bakers Market in Bellevue, WA
made-from-scratch sweets, such as brownies, cupcakes, pies, cheesecake, lollipops, breadsalso feature customized, flavorful cupcakes from Jessie's Haute Cakes, moist lavender-infused brownies by Little Sunshine Bakery and This Charming Candy read more...
made-from-scratch sweets, such as brownies, cupcakes, pies, cheesecake, lollipops, breadsalso feature customized, flavorful cupcakes from Jessie's Haute Cakes, moist lavender-infused brownies by Little Sunshine Bakery and This Charming Candy read more...
Green Juice Salad + Dole/EatingWell Giveaway!
were heard for miles. I think I'll bake you guys some cupcakes with pink or blue frosting inside for the blog revealsomething bright and healthy to give my skin a bit of a glow if the sunshine can't (er, won't!) - a Green Juice Salad. I read more...
were heard for miles. I think I'll bake you guys some cupcakes with pink or blue frosting inside for the blog revealsomething bright and healthy to give my skin a bit of a glow if the sunshine can't (er, won't!) - a Green Juice Salad. I read more...

