Sunflower cupcakes

Today is the day...
That I start blogging about FOOD!

Never thought I would have done this, but seeing how others blogging about foods and learning from new recipes seems so much fun.  I started baking in the beginning of this year.  Baking is fun, it's actually dangerous!  Once you start, you can't stop!  =)

The other day I stopped by a local grocery store and saw some very beautiful cupcakes in their bakery department.  "These look gorgeous!  I've got to try this!" I thought.  So I Googled it and found some recipes and put together my own version.  Here you go, my latest cupcake creation: Sunflower cupcakes!

Sunflower Cupcakes
(my recipe yielded 28 regular size cupcakes)

Ingredients:
For cupcakes
1 box Betty Crocker Super Moist French Vanilla cake mix
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup non-fat sour cream
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 egg whites

For green buttercream frosting
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1.5 cup Confectioner's sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp non-fat milk
5 drops green food coloring

For yellow flower petal buttercream frosting
3.5 tbsp unsalted butter
2.5 cup Confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp non-fat milk
7 drops yellow food coloring

For toppings
28 reduced fat Oreo cookies
28 red colored M&Ms
1-2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions:
1) Pre-heat oven at 325 F.  Line a regular size muffin pan with paper liners, set aside.
2) In a large mixing bowl, put together the cake mix, water, sour cream, applesauce, and egg whites. Mix everything together by using a electric hand mixing on slow speed for 30 seconds then switch to medium speed for 2 minutes. 
3) Pour cupcake batter evenly into lined muffin pan (I used an ice-cream scoop to make sure they have an even amount). Bake for 20-23 minutes.  Insert a toothpick in the cupcake after 20 minutes of baking time, if the toothpick comes out clean, your cupcake is done! Let them cool for 5 minutes then remove the cupcakes from the muffin pan and let cool on a cooling rack. Continue baking the rest of the cupcakes.
4) While the cupcakes are baking in the oven, prepare the ladybugs by putting the chocolate morsels inside a Ziploc bag, microwave it in a 20 second interval.  Check it to make sure they are all melted but not burnt.  Cut a little hole at the corner of the Ziploc bag and start pipping on the M&Ms. Let dry.

5) While the ladybugs are drying, prepare the frosting.  In two separate bowls, mix the buttercream frosting by using an electric hand mixer, whip the frosting until it's the right consistency so it's easy for pipping.  If the frosting is too dry, add more milk; if the frosting is too wet, add more Confectioner's sugar.

6) Let the cupcakes cool down completely before you start frosting them with green frosting.

7) Stick an Oreo cookie right on top of the green frosting

8) Pipe on the sides of the Oreo cookie with the yellow frosting to make sunflower petals, pipe a little extra at one corner for the ladybug to stick on it.

Yum!  These cupcakes can be store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for a few days.  The Oreo cookies get soften and I think they taste better that way. Each cupcake is roughly about 206 calories by using non-fat sour cream, non-fat milk and applesauce in oppose to oil and whole fat milk. 

Happy baking!