Rainbow Swirl Cupcakes

Name: Rainbow Swirl Cupcakes
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 box vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box; food coloring (red, yellow, green, blue); 1 c. butter, softened; 4 c. powdered sugar; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 3 tbsp. heavy cream; 1/8 tsp. kosher salt

By Candace Braun DavisonPublished: Apr 12, 2017

Approved by the Delish Test Kitchen

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Yields:

Prep Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

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Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1
box vanilla cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
food coloring (red, yellow, green, blue)

Directions

1. Step 1Make the cupcakes: Prepare cake batter according to box instructions. Divide batter into five bowls. Add a few drops of red into one bowl, yellow in the second, green in the third, blue in the fourth, and two drops blue plus two drops red into the fifth. Stir each bowl, adjusting the amount of food coloring you want until you have five colors of cake batter.
2. Step 2Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with cupcake liners. Spoon a little of each color batter into each cup of the tin, until they’re filled two-thirds of the way up. Bake according to box instructions. Set aside to cool.
3. Step 3Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat butter until fluffy. Add sugar, beating on low until combined, then whip in vanilla, heavy cream and salt. (Add more heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, if you’d like a thinner consistency.) Divide frosting into five bowls, adding food coloring to each and stirring, like you did with the cake batter. Place each color in a resealable sandwich bag and snip off one corner.
4. Step 4Lay out a piece of plastic wrap. Use each bag to pipe out a line of frosting in each color, side by side. Roll up the plastic wrap, creating a tube of frosting. Twist the ends closed, then slip a star tip on one end. Trim the plastic wrap that sticks through the star tip. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.