Buttercream Frosting- Sunflower Cupcakes

I found the directions for making these really cute sunflower cupcakes.  I have a friend with a birthday coming up and she loves sunflowers, so it gave me the perfect excuse to try them.  You will also need yesterday's chocolate frosting for these cute little cupcakes.

Very simple frosting recipe.

Start with 2 sticks softened butter

Whip it pretty good

Add 5 cups confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time.  Mix well after each cup.

After the last cup of sugar, add 2 teaspoons vanilla.  Now if you are going to tint your frosting the dark vanilla is fine.  If you are going to leave it white you will need to use the clear vanilla. Or you can use any flavoring that you like.

Add 3 Tablespoons milk.

After the milk has been mixed well into the frosting, add the color.  I couldn't remember if I had a yellow coloring or not and forgot to look.  So I found this gold and thought it would work well for the sunflowers.  It isn't real bright but it is a pretty color.

Now to put the cupcakes together.  I got a star tip.  I ended up changing to a larger star to make it go faster.

I poured out a few chocolate sprinkles into a shallow bowl.

I filled the pastry bag with the chocolate frosting and was ready to go.

Make a circle in the middle with the chocolate frosting.

Then dip them in the chocolate sprinkles

You will need to kind of push them down.

Now you are ready for the petals.  The directions said use a 70 leave tip.  I looked and searched until I found one.  I couldn't get it to look right to I pulled out my tips and found a larger leaf tip I think it was 254 or something like that and started making petals.  You make one row around the edge of the cupcake.

Then go back around on top of that row between it and the chocolate.  Looks like a sunflower.  I found out something.  Your hands are hot and it causes the frosting to get soft after a while.  You might want to give you hand a break and put the bag in the fridge to firm up a little bit more.

Buttercream Frosting Recipe

1 cup butter softened

5 cups confectioners sugar

3 Tablespoons milk

2 teaspoon vanilla