Garden Party Cupcakes

So, I was given the task of making cupcakes for a garden themed party this week, and here is the finished product:

I made mini cupcakes and normal sized ones. All of the pictures feature mini cupcakes. They were vanilla cupcakes with vanilla frosting. I dyed the frosting a pale green and put sugar flowers on top. I used a cupcake recipe adapted from Billy's Cupcakes which I found on the Martha Stewart website and a Martha Stewart recipe for frosting. They are really light cupcakes which have a soft texture. The frosting is really fluffy and very easy to make!

Billy's Vanilla Cupcakes (Makes approx 30)

Ingredients for cupcakes

1 3/4 cup cake flour
1 1/4 cup plain flour
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter at room temperature
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for Frosting

1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
4 cups (1 pound) confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
Green food coloring

Sugar flowers to decorate

Directions

Preheat oven to 325*F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Add butter in small pieces, mixing until coated with flour.

Add eggs one at a time.

In a measuring cup, whisk together milk and vanilla. Add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of the bowl before each addition. Beat until ingredients are just incorporated. Do not overbeat.

Divide batter evenly among linrs, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester insterted in the center comes out clean, 17-20 min.

Transfer to a wire rach to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, frost each one.

To make the frosting: With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale- about 2 min.

Reduce speed to medium and add confectioner's sugar, a little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add vanilla and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add in food coloring a little at a time until desired color is achieved. Decorate by pressing sugar flowers into frosting.

Can be refrigerated up to 10 days in an airtight container. Before using, bring to room temp and beat on low speed until smooth again-about 5 min.

I was really pleased with how these turned out. I love these recipes and use them often. I really wanted the cupcakes to go along with the garden party theme and I think I was able to achieve that with these.