Cherry Blossom Cupcakes

• 24 Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes (page 26)
• Swiss Meringue Buttercream (page 304)
• Chocolate-brown, peach, lemon-yellow, leaf-green, and pink gel-paste food colors

1. Using a serrated knife, trim top of each cupcake to make level.
2. Tint 1/4 cup buttercream brown with gel-paste food color.
3. Tint 2 cups buttercream peach.
4. Tint 1/4 cup each yellow and green.
5. Transfer tinted buttercreams to pastry bags fitted only with couplers.
6. Tint remaining buttercream pale pink.
7. Using an offset spatula, spread a smooth layer of pink buttercream over each cupcake.
8. Using brown buttercream and a fine plain tip (#1), pipe thin branches on cupcake.
9. With peach buttercream (shown opposite; pink is shown below) and a small petal tip (#103), pipe basic petals: Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle to the cupcake, with the tips wide end down and narrow end pointed away and slightly to the left.
10. Move the tip forward 1/8 inch and back again while you pivot the narrow end to the right.
11. Make five or six petals, turning the cupcake as you go.
12. Then, if desired, pipe a smallpetal on stem to make the bud shown at left.
13. With yellow buttercream and a small plain tip (#2), pipe three or four dots in center of flower.
14. Pipe tiny leaves with green buttercream and a small V-leaf tip (#349).
15. Repeat for remaining cupcakes.
16. Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set.
17. Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

buttermilk, swiss meringue buttercream, chocolatebrown

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cherry-blossom-cupcakes-390056 (may not work)