How to Make a Sunflower Cupcake Bouquet

Have you ever noticed the way that sunflowers constantly turn to follow the sun? That’s why they’ve come to symbolize adoration and loyalty. Show someone you adore them with a brilliant bouquet of sunflowers, but not just any sunflowers— sunflowers they can eat!

On Valentine’s Day we showed you how to make a romantic red rose cupcake bouquet. This time, we created an arrangement bursting with cheery yellow sunflowers. This delightful bouquet would make a stunning Mother’s Day gift that shows mom just how sweet she is, or a wonderful surprise for your best “buds”. (Get it?) Or, brighten up the table with a sunflower bouquet as your party centerpiece — that doubles as dessert!

Look closely: this bouquet is blooming with edible flowers made out of chocolate cupcakes, each one decorated with an Oreo cookie center and rays of golden buttercream frosting petals.

You don’t have to be a green thumb or a master in the art of flower arranging to pull off this feast for the eyes and the stomach. No one will be able to resist picking these sunflowers, so it may not last as long as a real bouquet — but that’s a good thing.

Sunflower Cupcake Bouquet

Makes 1 bouquet
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 – 15 cupcakes
  • 12 – 15 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos)
  • buttercream frosting (see our recipe)
  • yellow food coloring
  • pastry piping bag
  • petal piping tip (we used Wilton tip 352)
  • 5-inch styrofoam ball
  • flower pot that’s big enough to hold a 5-inch styrofoam ball
  • toothpicks
  • green tissue paper
  • clear tape

Directions

  1. Mix the yellow food coloring into the buttercream frosting, and put the yellow buttercream frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a petal tip (we used Wilton tip 352).
  2. Using a spoon or a paring knife, carve a cookie-sized hole into the top of each cupcake (set the tops aside to eat later). You want the hole to be big enough so that when a sandwich cookie is placed inside, the cookie fits into the hole and the bottom cookie is not seen. Pipe a dollop of frosting into the carved hole in each cupcake. This will help secure the chocolate sandwich cookie. Place a cookie in each hole, and press it into the frosting. (It’s fine if the hole you carved is a little big because it will get covered with frosting later.)
  3. Pipe 3 concentric circles of petals using the yellow frosting. Start with the outside edge of each cupcake and work towards the center. Stagger the second circle of petals so each one sits between the petals in the first circle. Start the third circle of petals just on the edge of the sandwich cookie, so that the edges of the cookie are nicely covered. Place the frosted cupcakes in the fridge while you prepare the styrofoam ball so that the frosting has a little time to firm up.
  4. Place the styrofoam ball into your flower pot. Place two toothpicks in each spot where you want a cupcake. Around the sides, nearest the lip of the flower pot, insert the toothpicks at a 45 degree angle pointing up (rather than straight out) to help keep the cupcakes from falling off.
  5. Remove the cupcakes from the fridge. Slide a cupcake onto each pair of toothpicks, adjusting the toothpicks as needed to place the cupcakes close together. Cover as much of the styrofoam as you can.
  6. Cut the green tissue paper into small strips. Pinch the bottom of a strip of tissue paper and twist or bunch it to make a “leaf”. Take the bunched piece of tissue paper and stuff it in between the cupcakes to cover the exposed styrofoam. (If desired, place a small piece of clear tape on the pinched part of the tissue paper “leaf” to secure it to the styrofoam ball, or use a toothpick to help keep the “leaves” attached to the styrofoam ball — this isn’t necessary, but it will ensure that the leaves don’t fall off when you move the bouquet) Fill in all gaps between the cupcakes with tissue paper.