Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (16 Tablespoons / 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 5 cups (600g) confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon / 0.5g), or to taste
  • Yellow gel food coloring (e.g., AmeriColor Lemon Yellow)
  • Orange gel food coloring (e.g., AmeriColor Orange)
  • Green gel food coloring (e.g., AmeriColor Leaf Green)
  • Chocolate sprinkles
  • 12-14 baked and cooled cupcakes (your favorite recipe or store-bought)

Instructions:

  1. Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add confectioners' sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy.
  2. Divide the frosting into three bowls. Tint one bowl green for the leaves. Tint the remaining frosting yellow and orange for the petals.
  3. Fit one piping bag with a leaf tip and fill with the yellow/orange frosting. If you have a second leaf tip, fill another piping bag with the green frosting.
  4. Pipe or spread a circle of yellow/orange frosting in the center of each cupcake.
  5. Dip the frosted center of each cupcake into a bowl of chocolate sprinkles.
  6. Starting on the outer edge of the cupcake, pipe a layer of yellow/orange petals all the way around, lifting the piping tip upwards as you go. Repeat, creating additional layers of petals closer to the center.
  7. Pipe a few green leaves around the base of the sunflower petals.
  8. Refrigerate the cupcakes for at least 2 hours to allow the frosting to set before serving.