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Stunning Hydrangea Cupcakes

Elegant vanilla cupcakes topped with beautifully blended pastel buttercream, piped to look like a realistic, blooming hydrangea flower. Perfect for spring parties and celebrations.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 480
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Vanilla Cupcake Base
  • 1.66 cups all-purpose flour 1 and 2/3 cups
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.25 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 0.25 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
  • 0.75 cup whole milk room temperature
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Vanilla Buttercream
  • 1.5 cups unsalted butter softened to room temperature
  • 4 cups powdered sugar sifted
  • 0.25 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 0.125 tsp salt 1/8 teaspoon
  • Gel food coloring pastel blue, yellow, and green

Equipment

  • Muffin pan
  • Cupcake liners
  • Stand mixer or hand mixer
  • Piping bags
  • Wilton 2D or 1M piping tip

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a 12-count muffin pan with liners.
  2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix melted butter and sugar. Whisk in the egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
  4. Combine wet and dry ingredients gently until just mixed. Do not overmix.
  5. Divide batter into liners and bake for 18-21 minutes. Let cool completely.
  6. Beat softened butter for the frosting until smooth. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, beating until incorporated.
  7. Add heavy cream, vanilla, and salt to the frosting, beating on high for 2 minutes until fluffy.
  8. Divide frosting into three bowls. Tint one blue, one yellow, and one green using gel coloring.
  9. Swipe lines of each color side-by-side on plastic wrap, roll into a log, snip the end, and place into a piping bag fitted with a Wilton 2D or 1M tip.
  10. Hold the bag vertically over the cooled cupcake and pipe small, clustered star shapes, building them up into a dome to resemble a hydrangea flower.

Notes

Ensure cupcakes are completely cool before frosting. If your hands make the buttercream too warm while piping, chill the bag in the fridge for 5 minutes.