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Today I’m happy to have Amanda Wright from Amanda Cupcake guest blogging and sharing with us how she makes her gorgeous Pastel Rainbow Fantasy Cupcakes.
She’s also going to share with us how to make and get the beautiful swirly, sparkly frosting that so many of you have been asking for.
UPDATE: When I first ran this guest post by Amanda, there was little information available about disco dust, which she uses on the frosting to get the look of glitter. While disco dust is labeled as non-toxic, it is not edible and should be used for decorative purposes only.
So, welcome Amanda! I’ll turn it over to you!
Pastel Rainbow Fantasy Cupcakes:
A True Story by Amanda Cupcake
One Starry Starry Night, while everyone else was dreaming, I swirled fantasies on top of cupcakes.
Little fantasies that tasted like vanilla almond rainbows.
Or vanilla almond rainbows that tasted like little fantasies?!
I re-created my starry night on the cupcakes by lightly sprinkling hologram silver disco dust on top of each frosting swirl ♥
My edible paint colors, that I swear by, for fantasy rainbow cupcakes and their frosting is the Americolor Gel Paste in Electric Pink, Electric Yellow and Sky Blue.
(You can buy these at a local cake decorating supply store or online at Country Kitchen Sweetart).
The “Science” Behind the “Fantasy”
(the recipe for the batter):
- White Cake Mix (no generic labels, brand names only)
- 1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk (in place of the water on the box)
- 4 eggs
- 3.9-4 oz Vanilla Pudding (the pudding gives it that “from scratch” texture).
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
- Disposable Piping Bags (for layering the rainbow colors on top of each other in the cupcake liners)
- Light colored cupcake tin (a light colored tin works better than the dark so that your bright colors don’t brown when baking)
- White Cupcake Liners (this recipe makes about 12-15 cupcakes)
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Step 1: Combine all ingredients in stand mixer and whip together well using flat beater attachment.
Step 2: Using 3 separate bowls, pour about 1 1/2 Cups of batter in each bowl.
Step 3:
♥ For Sky Blue: Mix two small drops of Americolor Gel Paste.
♥ For Electric Pink: Mix three to four small drops of Americolor Gel Paste.
♥ For Electric Yellow: Mix three to four small drops of Americolor Gel Paste. Bowl.
(I use more drops of color for the yellow and the pink so that the colors are really vibrant).
Step 4: Stop and gaze at the beauty of your bright batter colors in each separate bowl.
Pour each color of batter into a separate disposable piping bag and snip off the tip.
♥ Cover the bottom of your cupcake liner with electric yellow batter.
♥ Repeat by piping electric pink on top of your electric yellow batter.
♥ Repeat again by piping Sky blue on top of your electric pink batter.
♥ Now you can add little swirly swirls of extra color, until your cupcake liner is filled 1/2 full.
♥ Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, then taste test. I did. The cupcake is…gone!
Look how pretty the cupcake liner looks alone!
The Rainbow Fantasy Swirl Frosting ♥
1 lb. of Unsalted Softened Butter in my Buttercream Recipe ♥
I swear by Marshmallow Creme as the base for my frosting.
I use 13-14 oz in my frosting recipe.
1 T. Vanilla Extract
Dash Salt (to lessen the sweetness a tad)
8 Cups Powdered Sugar
- Use a spatula to scrape the fluff and the butter out into your stand mixer.
- Mix well until fluffy and well blended.
- Gradually add a pinch of salt and vanilla extract.
- Slowly add the powdered sugar until the frosting reaches desired consistency.
- (The more powdered sugar you add, the stiffer the frosting will be for decorating).
Just like my batter, I separated my frosting into 3 bowls.
Then I mixed each gel paste color into a separate bowl (about 3-4 drops per bowl–you can always add more color if you want the color to come out more vibrant).
Electric Yellow, Electric Pink, Sky Blue and add White as a 4th color.
To pipe a multi-color rainbow swirl: Stack each color of frosting on top of one another inside of a disposable piping bag. ♥ Your piping bag will look so pretty from the outside, like this!
For a dreamy puffy fantasy swirl, I use a round Wilton 1A Piping Tip. Before you stack the frosting inside of the piping bag, cut a hole in the end of the piping bag big enough to fit the tip, and slide the piping tip down into the end of the piping bag.
♥ No cupcake will look the same. When all three-four colors blend together inside the piping bag you’ll start seeing greens, purples and turquoise colors swirl a fantasy rainbow onto your cupcake!
♥ HINT: For the brightest colors possible use a fresh piping bag when you need to refill the frosting. This prevents colors from turning muddy or brown.
The final product. My signature rainbow vanilla almond fantasy cupcakes.
Thank you Amanda for sharing with us your beautiful Rainbow Cupcakes! Can’t wait to give them a try!
Be sure to visit Amanda Cupcake for more great recipes.
Serving your cupcakes at a party? Get everything you need to throw a fun and unforgettable bash from our party shop!
Why use plain white in the frosting bag too? Wouldn’t that just come out as white stripe on the cupcakes or is the white necessary for the frosting to look that way?
Because of the intensity of the colors, they’ll bleed and dye the white, so it’ll be a lighter color of the intense colors before and after. When doing this, like she said, the colors will mix as you squeeze your bag. Also, instead of wasting all the piping bags while building your cupcakes, you can use zip-lock bags with the corner snipped. Also, disposable piping bags can be washed and used more than once when in a pinch for funds…
Did you only use disco dust for the shimmer on the frosting? The seem to have an over all summer that’s more than just what disco dust would add like they were dusted with a luster dust too?
Hi Debbie,
I’m doing a practice batch of these cupcakes for my grand daughter’s birthday.
Two issues:
When I was coloring the cake batter blue – it turned green because the batter was yellowish. (usually with white cake – you use only the whites but the recipe didn’t specify only whites so I used the whole egg). I wound up using alot more color which I really don’t like to do.
The cupcakes sunk.
Thoughts??????
Thanks!
Kerrie
Hi Kerrie, Sorry about the trouble you’re having.c
Check in with Amanda from Amanda cupcakes on the details. She was guest posting.
These are so cool
Kerrie,
Several things would make your cake sink. Too low of heat, under baked, too much oil, oven opened before minimum bake time, and over or under beating. If you have detailed info I could help narrow down the problem.
Usually with a white cake mix, it’s suggested that the yolk is removed to prevent the yellowing of the mix. I don’t know if she forgot to mention it or if she does something else.
Just curious, where does the “almond” come in to play? Is it the technique? The type of frosting? I don’t see any “almond” listed anywhere in the instructions. The cupcakes look great, though!
Thank you all for your comments on the cupcakes:) This post is a guest post by Amanda Cupcake. There’s a link at the end of the post for you to contact her with your questions. Thanks again:)
I’m thinking you can use almond instead of vanilla, as no vanilla is shown and almond would give it a really yummy taste.
I LOVE TO USE ALMOND EXTRACTIN MY FROSTING…IT’S A FLAVOR AND NO ONE KNOWS JUST WHAT IT IS…I ALWAYS GET RAVES ON MY FROSTING….ALSO I ADD VANILLA TO THE CAKE MIX….JUST GIVE IT A MORE HOME MADE TASTE. PEOPLE ALWAYS ASK ME WHY MY CAKES TASTE SO GOOD AND IT’S THE REAL BUTTER AND THE FLAVORINGS…
She uses almond extract in cupcakes instead vanilla… It’s pictures with the ingredients
Its the kind of extract used… to give it extra flavor
I think the ingredient is supposed to be almond extract instead of vanilla extract. The picture shows almond extract, yet the ingredient list states vanilla extract.
I was just reading about the Disco Dust and just wanted everyone to be aware that it should not be consumed. It is only to be used on decorations that will not be consumed.
Hi Deirdre and thanks for stopping by! This post was written by a guest, Amanda from Amanda Cupcake. I’ve seen the new conversation regarding disco dust and have put an update with the information in the post for the readers.
I scanned quickly through some of the replies and didn’t note that anyone had mentioned that Wilton has an edible glitter in place of the disco dust. They also have colored sugars.
Mine also collapsed. Just curious why.
Hi, Denise! I bet that you maybe baked with dark muffin pans? Dark pans, as I’m sure you know, heat up faster, and cook faster. So your cupcakes may have just baked quickly on the outside, and didn’t have the chance to heat up on the inside. A safe method is drop the temperature by at least 25 degrees (I.E. this recipe would have been 300 degrees), and then checked your cupcakes about 12 minutes in. I’m drying the same recipe with my own dark muffin pans right now, so hopefully my advice works for mine, too! I’m really hoping for those colors!
Disco dust is not edible. It is PLASTIC CRAFT GLITTER. It’s meant for use only on things that will not be eaten. Doesn’t matter that it’s non toxic–it’s still plastic.
To keep something edible, edible glitter made from gum arabic, sanding sugar, or gelatin should be used
Hi Rae and thank you for your comments regarding Disco Dust. I have put an update in the post for our readers. Sweetapolia also comments on it here after she used it. You might want to check it out:http://sweetopia.net/2009/12/how-to-apply-disco-dust/
What does “3.9-4 oz Vanilla Pudding ” mean? 3 boxes of 9.4oz or ???
Nooo, it’s 1 box that is sized 3.9-4 oz!
Do you make the pudding according to box directions or just put the pudding mix into the cake mix?
You just put in the mix. It doesn’t “prepared”
I AM GOING TO TRY THIS WITH MY GRANDKIDS LOOKS LIKE THEY WILL HAVE FUN MAKEING THEM
Disappointed by this. It’s all boxed. They’re beautiful, but I can’t imagine they taste that great. I wish there was a recipe for doing it all from scratch properly.
You certainly can use your favorite white cake and then divide the batter and color away.
There are many good “from scratch” cake recipes out there. Most professionals need to keep scratch recipes proprietary. The ones found online also work well with the coloring technique here. My daughter makes cakes for local events, and loves the ones on food network.com, also all recipes.com has good resources. But most of ours were passed from one generation to the next. Any you find can be adjusted to fit your personal tastes.
Love the rainbow cupcakes. Plan to make them for a July family get-together. Thanks!
Thank you for featuring this blog post Party Patisserie! And hello to all who have questions! You can also look at my blog post, a lot of the same questions were asked there and are answered by me, the link is here http://amandacupcake.blogspot.com/2013/04/fantasy-vanilla-almond-rainbow-cupcakes.html
My young son can’t eat artificial food colorings due to his kidney issues. Does there happen to be a natural food coloring brand that you would happen to recommend so that he can eat these colorful desserts? I know he would over the moon to be able to eat something so colorful and vibrant!
Is the pudding instant or regular?
They make edible glitter that you could use. Luster dust is the first thing that comes to mind, but any cake decorating supply store will have it 🙂
people keep referring to these “local cake decorating supply stores” what the heck would that be exactly? Can I get a name or something? Because I’d like to stop by
Hi Jen. In my area it is Wilton stores, you can find these supplies at Sur La Table, William Sonoma, Michaels, Joann Crafts, Target.
Hope this helps.
You can find items at any craft store they all have a cake decorating section. Also try Walmart or Target.
I have to try these, they are to fun not to. I love the swirly colors!
I loved the rainbow cupcakes Can’t wait to see more.
Hi Debbie, so happy you stopped by. Be sure to check out more here:http://partypatisserie.com/2014/07/rainbow-frosted-cupcakes/
I think using pastel coloring this would be adorable for easter. I think this is what the Easter bunny is also bringing to the family gatherings this weekend! Also in place of the butter for the frosting I use two package of cream cheese my family absolutely loves the cream cheese flavor ♡
Stacy,
My thoughts exactly. I wish I would have seen this in time to practice though. Perfect for Easter.
Everything so pretty!
I’m living in Australia so we don’t have marshmallow creme for icing…does anyone know of a great equivalent here in Sydney i can get my hands on?
I have seen a marshmellow alternative in Aussie called Fluff. I got mine on Catch of the day.
Mine came out great!! LOVE them and will be making them again! Thank you for sharing!! I wish I could post a picture!
will the icing melt if i use this for a outdoors party?
You didn’t list how much almond extract to use ….just vanilla in both cake and frosting?
Wish this was posted as a recipe that can be printed also. It took me a long time to copy and paste so I can print it for future trying. But I can’t wait to try!!
These cupcakes are super cute. Been making them like this for years. My problem is with the mixing portion and the frosting. Not everyone has a fancy Kitchenaid or other stand mixer that allows them to produce all these liquid-less mixtures. This frosting recipe followed as written broke my mixer before I could add milk to thin it down. Thanks for not thinking of those who cant afford $500 mixers when publishing your fancy ideas.
I don’t have a $500 mixer and managed to make these without any problems. I just used a $20 hand mixer.
Is it instant pudding or the cooked version
hi. Do you prepare the pudding and then add it? Or just add the pudding powder? Thank you
Wow!!! You really got my attention!! What a frosting!!! Who wouldn’t be amazed by that art work!? I’m certainly gonna try it out!!! Thanks!!!
To the lady who can’t get marshmallow cream. Just use marshmallows and melt them in the microwave or use
a double boiler. You can even melt them on the stove with a very low heat and stirring continuelessly.
Hi all, I’m really happy to see such a great conversation! You ladies are amazing with all your suggestions. Would love to have some conversations regarding some other recipes posts too! Have a great day and happy baking friends!
My cousin Danielle made these for Easter and did a fantastic job!! My Kudos to her and to your recipe Cupcake Lady!!! I plan to make them for next holiday!! 🙂
I love your ideas!
So far my cupcakes came out perfect.my colors were bright they didn’t sink they look good. Excited for the icing next. Can u add some milk to the icing if it gets too stiff
The cupcakes are looking to beautiful to eat!!!
The cupcakes are looking to beautiful to eat!!! all my four kids loved it to eat
Hi, just thought I’d throw this out there, but did you know there is something called “edible glitter?” It may not be a metallic hologram, but it comes in pretty colors and adds a pretty sparkle to frostings. If you can’t find it in your local craft store, in the edible cake & cookie decorating section, just do a search for it on line.
Thanks!
What is that sparkley glitter and is it edible? Thanks!
HI Amanda
I am living in Hermanus South Africa. Do you have any suggestions for substitute ingredients for the colour as I have never seen the gel here.
Also the marshmallow cream. Please help. Would love to make these gorgeous cup cakes. Thanks. Rrgards
Melanie
Hi! I just made the cake…AMAZING! Now, I am going to frost them, but my party is in the morning. Should I frost them now and leave on the counter or place in fridge? Or should I make them in the morning? Its hot and humid here, so I am worried they will wilt.