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–+ servings
pink and yellow cupcakes

Pink And Yellow Cupcakes

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 8 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 cupcakes

Equipment

  • 1 muffin pan (12-cup)
  • 12 paper cupcake liners
  • 2 medium mixing bowls
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 hand mixer or stand mixer
  • 3 silicone spatulas
  • 1 Whisk
  • 1 set measuring cups
  • 1 set measuring spoons
  • 1 wire cooling rack
  • 2 piping bags
  • 2 piping tips (large round or star)
  • 1 toothpick

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour sifted
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup whole milk room temperature
  • 1 2–3 drops pink gel food coloring
  • 1 2–3 drops yellow gel food coloring
  • 1 cup unsalted butter for frosting; softened
  • 3 cup powdered sugar for frosting; sifted
  • 1 2–3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk for frosting
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for frosting
  • 1 pinch fine salt for frosting

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line the muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
  • In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.
  • In a large bowl beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
  • Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract until smooth.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix just until combined.
  • Divide the batter evenly into two medium bowls.
  • Tint one bowl of batter with pink gel food coloring and the other with yellow gel food coloring, stirring each until the color is uniform.
  • Spoon small scoops of pink and yellow batter alternately into each cupcake liner, filling each about two-thirds full, and gently swirl with a toothpick if desired.
  • Bake the cupcakes for 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them cool completely on the wire rack, about 25 minutes.
  • While the cupcakes cool, beat the softened butter for frosting in a large bowl until creamy and smooth.
  • Gradually add the powdered sugar to the butter, mixing on low at first, then increasing speed until fully combined.
  • Add the vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons of cream or milk, then beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, adding more cream a little at a time if needed for a pipeable consistency.
  • Divide the frosting evenly between two bowls and tint one bowl pink and the other yellow, mixing each until the color is fully blended.
  • Fit two piping bags with tips and fill one with pink frosting and the other with yellow frosting.
  • Pipe swirls of pink and yellow frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, alternating colors or piping them side by side for a two-tone effect.

Notes

For best color and texture, use gel food coloring (which won’t thin the batter or frosting) and bring all dairy ingredients to room temperature before starting to ensure a smooth, even crumb. Avoid overmixing once the flour is added so the cupcakes stay light and tender, and rotate your pan halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots for more even rise and color. If you want ultra-neat two-tone swirls, place both colored frostings side by side in a single piping bag or double-bag them and slide into a larger bag fitted with a tip, then practice piping a few rosettes on parchment before decorating the cupcakes.
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