Sunflower and Ladybug Cupcakes

Sunflower and Ladybug Cupcakes

Here's a fun cupcake to make for picnics, cookouts or just to celebrate being outside.


What you need:

Reynolds® Baking Cups (Green Party)
1 package (18.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix
1 container (16 oz.) ready-to-spread white frosting
1 container (16 oz.) ready-to-spread chocolate frosting
Yellow food coloring
Orange food coloring
Chocolate jimmies
Red fondant
Black fondant
Black edible marker or food coloring
Recommended:  decorating tip #366, leaf tip

Instructions:

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. 

PLACE Reynolds Baking Cups in muffin pans; set aside. 

PREPARE cake mix following package directions for 24 cupcakes.  Spoon batter into baking cups. 

BAKE following package directions (17 to 23 minutes).  Cool.

DIVIDE white frosting between two bowls. Reserve 2 teaspoons white frosting for ladybug eyes.

TINT one bowl of frosting orange.  Tint the other bowl of frosting yellow. 

MAKE variegated colored flower petals

  1. Attach #366 leaf tip to decorating bag.
  2. Fill one side of bag with yellow frosting.  Fill the other side of bag with orange frosting.
  3. Leaving a 1-inch open space in center of cupcake, pipe frosting petals around edge of cupcakes.
  4. Make a second ring of petals on top of first ring, overlaping petals slightly and filling in alternating spaces.

FILL in center of cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

SPRINKLE chocolate frosting with chocolate jimmies.

MAKE AND ASSEMBLE ladybugs

  1. For body:  Roll red fondant into 12 rounded rectangular shapes about 1in. long by 1/2 in. wide.  Cut in half to make 2 bodies. Use the edge of a decorating tip to lightly score the line down the back.
  2. For head:  Roll black fondant into 24 1/2-inch balls.  Slightly flatten the balls.  Moisten one flattened side with water and attach to ladybug body.  Use the tip of a small round decorating tip to cut small black dots for ladybug spots.  Brush back of ladybug bodies with water.  Attach 3 dots to each side of the backs.
  3. For eyes:  Use a toothpick to place 2 tiny dots of white frosting on ladybug heads.  Add a touch of black edible marker, food coloring or fondant to center of eyes.
  4. For mouthes:  Use the edge of a small decorating tip to lightly press in a smile.

PLACE ladybugs on sunflowers.