Ingredients
8 vanilla cupcakes
1/4 c. each blue, white, light yellow, bright pink, bright yellow, orange, and purple decorating sugars
1 bag flavored mini marshmallows (assorted pastel colors)
1 bag mini marshmallows
1 c. canned vanilla frosting
40 pastel-colored licorice pastels (Jelly Belly)
Green licorice twists (Twizzlers, Rainbow Twists)
Preparation
Step 1Place each colored sugar in a separate shallow bowl. Sort out 22 like-colored marshmallows for each cupcake. Make the petals for each cupcake by cutting the 22 mini marshmallows in half on the diagonal, allowing all of the marshmallow pieces to fall into one of the colored sugars. Shake the bowl and press the cut sides of the marshmallows into the sugar to coat. Repeat with the remaining marshmallows and colored sugars.Step 2Spread a thin layer of frosting on top of 1 cupcake. Starting along the outside edge of the cupcake, arrange like-colored marshmallow petals, sugared sides up, close together. Continue with another 2 rows of the same color marshmallows to almost completely cover the cupcake. Repeat with the remaining frosting, cupcakes, and marshmallows.Step 3For the stamens, insert 5 like-colored licorice pastels in the center of each cupcake. Arrange the flower cupcakes on a serving platter. Trim the green licorice twists to look like stems and place on the platter.
© 2010 What’s New, Cupcake? by Karen Tack and Alan Richardson. Excerpted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
