Rainbow Cupcakes

Rainbow Cupcakes

Pretty fun, eh? I found this recipe form Our Best Bites. I really like their blog and use of practical tips for their recipes. They're a great resource for my menu. This particular recipe is a great base for any white cupcake. It's dense and moist, just like I like them to be!

And you take a bit, and voila! Color! Fun! Magic! It feels like you're eating a rainbow even though you're really not! One of these times when I makes these I'll try to flavor each color. But that would taste interesting....


The cool swirl frosting technique!

I highly recommend that you use Wilton's gel dyes instead of food coloring because you'll get a much more vibrant color and effect. These were a great addition to our St Patrick's Day (week) desserts. I think they'd also be a great addition to a carnival birthday party!

I have to admit that I made mine way too top heavy I filled mine with tablespoons of color instead of teaspoons like they suggest below so I ran out of space for the last two colors so you can barely see the blue and green peeking at the top. So really when I ate one it was really like eating two. And sometimes, twice in one day. Oops! :)
Rainbow Cupcakes
From Our Best Bites

1 white cake mix
2 eggs
1 C yogurt or sour cream
1/2 C milk
1/3 C vegetable oil
Combine all ingredients until incorporated (about 30 seconds). Scrape sides of bowl and then beat on med-high speed for 2 minutes.
Divide batter according to how many colors you are using. I used 5 colors and it worked out to a little over 1 cup for each color, but each cake brand will be slightly different.
Use food coloring to color batter to desired intensity.
To get a layered stripe like I used, you’ll want to put a spoonful of each color in the cupcake one at a time. The batter is thick, so it won’t spread on it’s own. A great tip is to set out a little bowl of water where you’re working. Dip your finger in the water and then gently spread the batter out. The water will make it so the batter doesn’t stick to your fingers.
Another tip is to use a measuring spoon and some water to measure out how many teaspoons/tablespoons are going to fit in your cupcake. Then divide that by how many colors you have so you know how much of each color to use for each cupcake. For my 5 colors, it worked out perfectly with 2 t of each color in each cupcake. So I put in 2 t of blue in the bottom of each cupcake and spread it out with my finger. Then I put in 2 t of green on top of that, then yellow, etc.
Bake them according to the package directions, until a toothpick comes out dry. "

The Frosting recipe I used is Wilton's buttercream, my new favorite frosting recipe because it doesn't taste too buttery and it's nicely thick and creamy. I used Our Best Bites frosting suggestion found here. You essentially paint a stripe, with the food gel of every color inside your piping bag before filling with frosting. Then frost as normal but it comes out in a cool rainbow swirl! Here is a photo of their technique.

What occasion would you make these cupcakes for?