golden yellow food coloring by wiltonor similar yellow food coloring
Buttercream
2cups (452g)unsalted butter4 sticks, room temperature
1cup (236ml)vegetable shortening
6-9cups (678-1017g)powdered sugar
1tspof powdered pina pineapple kool aid mix
golden yellow gel food coloringI used Wilton brand
leaf green gel food coloringI used Wilton brand
Instructions
Cupcakes
Preheat the oven to 375º F. Place cupcakes liners to muffin pan.
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar, beat using an electric mixer until fluffy. Add in the egg whites, beat again.
6 Tbsp (86g) butter, 2/3 cup (132g) sugar, 3 large egg whites
Add in the sour cream and vanilla extract, mix by hand with spatula.
1/2 cup (114g) sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla extract
In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, gently mix with a spoon.
1 cup + 2 Tbsp (135g) all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt
Gradually add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, do not dump it in, rather take spoonfuls of the flour mixture and gently shake it over the wet ingredients, as if you were sifting in the flour. Fold in the mixture until no flour remains. Repeat with the other half of the flour, folding it in and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate everything.
Add in the yellow food coloring, mix to incorporate.
golden yellow food coloring by wilton
Divide the batter among the yellow cupcake liners, filling each 1/2 full.
Bake at 375º F for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to 350º will keeping the cupcakes in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake.
Allow the cupcakes to cool before adding the buttercream.
Buttercream
In a mixing, bowl beat the butter and vegetable shortening with an electric mixer until smooth, about 4 minutes.
2 cups (452g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (236ml) vegetable shortening
Add in 3 cups of powdered sugar, mix by hand with a spatula.
6-9 cups (678-1017g) powdered sugar
Add in more powdered sugar as you see fit, up to 6 more cups if needed (add 1 cup at a time), mixing first by hand then with an electric mixer.
Add in the pina pineapple kool aid powder, mix to combine.
1 tsp of powdered pina pineapple kool aid mix
Divide the buttercream into 2 bowls - one will by dyed yellow and one will be dyed green.
Add the appriopate food coloring to each bowl, mixing one last time with an electric mixer until the color is incorporated.
golden yellow gel food coloring, leaf green gel food coloring
How to assemble
Using a large cookie scoop, scoop up yellow buttercream. The cookie scoop should be full of frosting, but level the frosting and remove any excess the overfills the scoop.
Use the release on the scoop, release the buttercream onto a cupcake.
Use a small metal spatula to smooth the buttercream onto the cupcake, having the buttercream meet the edge of the cupcake liner.
Fill a piping bag set with a wilton #123 tip with green buttercream.
Squeeze the piping bag, adding a good sized dollop of buttercream to the center of the cupcake. This is the base of the leaves from which we will build off from.
Begin to add the leaves, starting at the base of the dollop you just made. To do so place the buttercream tip against the dollop, squeeze as you pull the piping bag away. You want to make these spiky looking leaves.
Continue adding leaves until the entire dollop is covered.
Best served the same day that you add the buttercream.