Hydrangea Cupcakes How-To &amp; Video

I'm re-sharing this from last summer, because it is on my list of to-do's for the 4th of July weekend. These hydrangea cupcakes are still one of my all-time favorite things... maybe it is the abundance of icing?!

Hope you're week is starting off great - I'm busy planning our festive weekend. More details tomorrow!

Jenny
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I think it is so fabulous to be able to make something out of nothing. I love that with a few simple ingredients (hello, cake mix!) and tools, it is possible to make something really beautiful. These hydrangea cupcakes are a great example of making something really pretty out of nothing.

I've wanted to try these cupcakes for a long time. The hydrangea in our neighborhood are turning from bright blue to a deep blue, purple with touches of green. They are just amazing. I have a very generous neighbor that invited me to cut blooms from her bushes whenever I wanted... obviously, she didn't know what she was saying! Though tempting, I've only borrowed this one time to use as a centerpiece to go along with these cupcakes.

I used a box cake mix for the cupcakes - no shame. To set off the color of the blue "hydrangea" I used these Brown Cupcake Papers They are taller than standard cupcake papers, but still fit into a standard 2" cupcake pan. They make a bigger cupcake, which is nice when you use this much frosting.

Here is a link to the frosting recipe I use.

Fit the piping bag with a Jumbo Star Tip (I used these disposable bags to make clean up easy).

To get the variegated blue/purple look, I made the blue color first, set half of it aside...

Then mixed in a little red to make the purple color. There is only a slight difference, making them look more realistic. Can you see the streaks of purple? It just sort of naturally happens when you put both colors in together. I use a small spoon to help get it into each side of the bag. You don't have to do it perfectly, just a little bit of each color makes them look great.

I'm trying a new thing - video! Here is a little technique video to show you how I make them look as real as possible. What do you think? Do you want me to do more videos?

I served these for my sister's birthday, so I used Celebration Candles in Seaside with my Monogrammed Hemstitch Cocktail Napkins for dessert.

You can buy them as a set in my store, or purchased them individually (Celebration Candles & Cocktail Napkins). I think the set makes a great birthday gift for someone.