Tie Dye Frosting For Cupcakes

February and I am thinking about the baby question with more practical intention now. Tyler and I have been trying for several months. I am trying not to keep a calendar about it because keeping a calendar about it turns something that should be organic into something that is measured and I do not want to measure this. But I am aware of time in a new way. I am twenty-seven and healthy and the math is on my side and I am trying to trust the math.

I made caramel cake this week for the daycare staff Valentine gathering. Miss Patrice asked me to bring something sweet and I decided if I was going to bring something I was going to bring something worth eating. Caramel cake is a project. The caramel frosting requires patience and a thermometer and your full attention for twenty minutes. The result is a cake that is amber and glossy and tastes like something you are proud to have made.

Tyler got me a card. He writes in cards the way he speaks, which is directly and without extra words and with complete accuracy. The card said: you are the best thing I have ever had and I am glad every single day. I keep it in the kitchen drawer where I keep the important small things.

The caramel cake I brought to Miss Patrice and the daycare staff was the kind of thing that took over my kitchen for an afternoon, and I did not mind one bit. There is something about making frosting from scratch — standing at the stove, watching the sugar transform, paying close attention — that quiets the parts of my brain that want to measure and calculate everything else. If you love the idea of frosting that is as much a project as it is a topping, this tie dye method delivers that same satisfaction: it is hands-on, it is a little dramatic in the best way, and the finished cupcakes look like you knew exactly what you were doing the whole time.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3–4 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Gel food coloring in 3–4 colors of your choice (gel recommended over liquid for vivid color)
24 frosted or unfrosted cupcakes, cooled completely
Piping bags and a large star or round tip
Toothpick or skewer for swirling

Instructions

Make the base buttercream. Beat softened butter with an electric mixer on medium-high for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add sifted powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low between additions. Add vanilla, salt, and 3 tablespoons of cream. Beat on high for 2 minutes until light and smooth. Add the remaining tablespoon of cream if the frosting feels stiff.
Divide the frosting. Separate the buttercream evenly into as many bowls as you have colors — typically 3 to 4. Leave one bowl white if you want contrast in the swirl.
Tint each portion. Add 2–4 drops of gel food coloring to each bowl and stir thoroughly with a spatula until the color is uniform and vivid. Add more coloring a drop at a time to deepen the shade.
Load the piping bag. Lay a large piping bag flat on your counter. Using a spatula or spoon, add each colored frosting in a stripe down the length of the bag, side by side. This is the key step — the colors should sit next to each other, not be mixed together. Seal or twist the open end of the bag.
Pipe the cupcakes. Fit the bag with a large star or round tip. Hold the bag straight above the center of each cupcake and pipe in a slow circular motion, working outward from the center to the edge. The colors will naturally spiral and blend slightly as they come through the tip.
Swirl if desired. For a more blended tie dye look, drag a toothpick lightly through the top of the piped frosting in a spiral or star pattern immediately after piping. Work quickly before the frosting sets.
Finish and serve. Cupcakes can be served immediately or stored at room temperature for up to 8 hours. For longer storage, refrigerate in an airtight container and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tie Dye Frosting For Cupcakes — The Kind of Sweet That Takes Your Full Attention