Name: Sunflower Cupcakes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 13 Tablespoons butter (softened and divided ); 1 ¼ cups white sugar; 4 eggs; 2 tsp teaspoon vanilla extract (divided ); 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour; ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ¼ teaspoon salt; 1 cup milk (divided ); 3 cups powdered sugar; yellow (orange, and brown food coloring)

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Delicious, homemade Sunflower Cupcakes is a fun dessert for summer. These homemade chocolate cupcakes are topped with frosting decorated to look like a sunflower. Learn how to make these easy cupcakes!

Completed Cupcakes Displayed on a White Plate

Aren’t these sunflower cupcakes just downright adorable? They’re such a fun treat to make in the spring and summertime. Your older kids can help you make them too, such a fun activity to do together!

You’ll make homemade chocolate cupcakes and top them precious sunflower, made from homemade frosting.

While you make these easy sunflower cupcakes, the younger kiddos can make this adorable paper plate sunflower craft. Such a fun way to kick off summer, or make delicious treats for your next pool party!

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love Sunflower Cupcakes

These simple sunflower cupcakes are perfect to hand out as gifts or make as a dessert for a sunflower themed party!
This recipe is very easy to follow, and the sunflower decoration is easy to make. So even if you’re a novice at baking, you can make these easy sunflower cupcakes.
It only takes an hour to make these bakery quality cupcakes from beginning to end!

Overhead Image of the Sunflower Cupcake Supplies

Ingredients needed for this Sunflower Cupcakes Recipe

Flour – A high quality all-purpose flour will produce the best results in this sunflower cupcakes recipe.
Sugar – You’ll need granulated sugar and powdered sugar in this recipe. So be sure you have them both before you start baking!
Cocoa powder – This is what will make your cupcakes perfectly chocolatey and delicious.
Salt – A little pinch of salt helps to balance the sweetness of the cupcakes and brings out the chocolate.
Baking powder – This will act as the rising agent for your cupcakes.
Eggs – Eggs help provide the structure needed for cupcakes to stay together.
Butter – You can use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe, either will work. Let all of the butter come to room temperature so that it mixes better with the other ingredients.
Vanilla extract – A little bit of vanilla extract adds a depth of flavor to this recipe.
Milk – I recommend using whole milk or 2% milk for the best results.
Powdered sugar – You’ll use a combination of powdered sugar, butter, and milk to make the homemade frosting.
Food coloring – You’ll need both yellow food coloring and brown food coloring to mimic the colors of a sunflower.

Helpful Tools

How to Make Sunflower Cupcakes

Preheat the oven and line your cupcake pan with liners, then set it aside.

Beat together granulated sugar and 10 tablespoons of softened butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy.

Add eggs and vanilla to the bowl, then beat until combined. Then, add all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and 3/4 cup of milk. Beat until the batter comes together well.

Fill each cupcake liner until each one is 3/4 full, you should get about 18 cupcakes.

Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes until the cupcakes are light and fluffy and a toothpick comes out clean.

Make the Frosting

While the cupcakes are baking, you can make the frosting.

Beat together powdered sugar, butter, and add one tablespoon of milk at a time until frosting comes together.

Separate the frosting and add brown food coloring to 1/4 of it and yellow food coloring to the other 3/4. Mix until the frosting reaches the desired color.

Once your cupcakes bake, let them completely cool before frosting. Add the frosting into two separate Ziplock bags or piping bags.

Cut the corner of the bags off and pipe a brown circle in the center of your cupcake. Then, using the yellow frosting, either pipe flower petals or pipe it in a circle around the edge. Then, run a toothpick through the frosting to make a sunflower look.

Place on your favorite serving platter and eat up!

Make Frosting. Beat Powdered Sugar, Butter and milk.

Add Yellow Food Coloring to the Frosting

How to Store Leftover Sunflower Cupcakes

Place cupcakes in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can leave these cupcakes at room temperature for a few hours, but they need to go in the fridge after that. I do not recommend freezing these cupcakes!

Can I use store-bought frosting?

Sure! Either buy cans of white frosting and add food coloring to them, or buy a can of yellow and a can of brown. You’ll still need to add the frosting to piping bags or Ziplock bags and pipe it onto the fully cooled cupcakes.

Pro Tips!

If you can’t find brown food coloring, you can use yellow or white. Place a circle of frosting in the center and then dip that frosting in brown sprinkles or chocolate flakes to make it brown. Then add the yellow frosting around the edge to finish off the flower!
Add some yellow or gold glitter sprinkles to the flower petal frosting to make these simple sunflower cupcakes extra fun.
If you don’t have time to make homemade chocolate cupcakes, feel free to use a store-bough box cake mix!

Make these fun cupcakes and then arrange them on a large platter to look like a bouquet! How cute would that be?

More Cupcake Recipes You’ll Love

These Rainbow Cupcakes are so much fun to make around St. Patrick’s Day, or for parties!
Make these fun Ghost Cupcakes for a cool Halloween treat!
Want some more Spring dessert ideas? Make these cutie Easter Basket Cupcakes for Easter.
These Turkey Cupcakes are absolutely adorable. Your guests will gobble them up!