"What Will Baby Bee?"
Below is my first go at the ever-popular 'gender reveal' cupcake - since I'm due with our second kiddo in about 3 months as I write this! I went with the 'What Will Baby Bee' theme for the cupcakes because you just can't go wrong decorating cupcakes with bumblebees!
Let's face it - pregnancy + busy toddler means NOT a lot of extra time. These cupcakes are SUPER simple and easy to put together! No special decorating skills required.
They feature an easy vanilla cupcake base topped with cream cheese buttercream frosting. Surprise centers and glittery Bee cupcake toppers from Amazon made for super easy and fun cupcakes! Recipe below!
Why make these 'What Will Baby Bee' cupcakes?
- First- they're so insanely easy! One bowl for the cupcakes and one bowl for the frosting, and no fancy decorations - just order some toppers! (I thought about doing cake pops but I've had the worst time getting cake pops coated thick enough to show the filling inside. In my experience they turn into a sticky mess that's not worth the time or supplies.)
- Second - they work so well! The down side of using a cake for a gender reveal is that as soon as you cut in and pull the knife up the color of the crumbs or frosting gives the secret away! With cupcakes everyone gets to find out on their own all at once.
- Finally - they're just so dang cute! 'What will baby bee' can be the theme of just the cupcakes or even the entire party, and the bumblebee theme opens up so many fun decoration options! Anyway - onto the FAQs and the recipe!
FAQs
"Short on time - like you said. Can I use a cake mix or canned frosting?"
For sure! To make the colors stand out I recommend a white cake mix, but anything not too dark will work fine. The cupcakes will be a little less rich - swapping in butter for oil and buttermilk for water will help.
Store bought frosting is usually on the thin side for piping, in my opinion. I'd recommend adding a 1/4 cup of extra powdered sugar at a time until you reach a consistency that stays in place well when it's piped. Some extra flavoring doesn't hurt either.
"How should I store any leftover cupcakes?"
Store in a sealable container or cupcake carrier. If using a lidded container, I often put a layer of plastic wrap over the top between the container and lid for a better seal.
Cupcakes will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days - as long as they're protected from drying out. Just know the color inside them - depending on how dark it is - may start to bleed into the cupcakes a bit.
Okay! I think that's everything - on to the recipe card!
Don't forget to pin this recipe for later!
Bee Gender Reveal Cupcakes
Equipment
- 2 Cupcake tins (24 cups total)
- large cookie scoop (optional; to transfer batter to pans)
- Cupcake corer (optional; or a small plastic knife)
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 cup butter (melted and cooled)
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
- ½ cup sour cream
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese (one package; softened)
- 1 cup butter (two sticks; softened)
- 5 ½ -6 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk (to desired consistency)
- 3-4 large drops gel food coloring (blue or pink for surprise filling; save and add later!)
Decorations
- 1-2 Tablespoons gold sprinkles
- 24 Bumblebee cupcake toppers
Instructions
Cupcakes
- (First – melt your unsalted butter and let it cool - this ensures it won’t cook your eggs when you add it!) Preheat your oven to 325℉, and prepare 24 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and sour cream until well combined. Add the cooled melted butter and whisk again until well combined.
- Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Don't overmix. The batter will be fairly thick; this is normal.
- Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 full. (I like to use a cookie scoop for this part!) Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
- Allow to cool completely before decorating. (This is a great time to make your frosting!)
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Beat together softened cream cheese and butter; slowly add in powdered sugar alternating with milk and vanilla until frosting reaches desired taste, color, and consistency.
- Remove about 1/2 cup frosting and color blue or pink for the cupcake centers.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled, you're ready to core them. There are a few ways you can do this....you can buy a cupcake corer, you can try using the rounded end of a large piping tip, or....you can do what I do and cut a cone-shaped core out with a plastic knife. Up to you! (I haven't the foggiest idea why cupcake crumbs don't stick to plastic knives like they do regular knives, but the plastic knife's been working too well for me for years!)
- Pipe colored frosting into your cored cupcakes with a small piping bag.
- Transfer remaining (white) frosting to a large piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe in large swirls onto your cupcakes. Decorate the top of each frosting swirl with a Bumblebee topper.
- Done and done! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make these 'What Will It Bee' Gender Reveal Cupcakes?
Let me know how it went – or make my day and find me on Pinterest or on Instagram and tag @IntensiveCakeUnit in your photo!
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