Checkered Flag Racing Cupcakes

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I have always wondered how people made dual-flavored swirled frosting, and now that I know, I've been sharing the info with everyone! You can use any two flavors of frosting for your swirls, but since we're just a few days out from the Indianapolis 500, I wanted to use the technique to make checkered flag racing cupcakes.

I started by making a basic vanilla buttercream frosting. I then took half of that frosting and made it chocolate buttercream just by adding cocoa powder and a little more heavy cream.

I then laid out a sheet of plastic wrap and used a spatula to spread the two frostings side by side. I folded one side over the other and stuck the whole thing into a pastry bag fitted with a 1M swirl piping tip. And that's it! To achieve the iconic swirl look, hold your piping bag upright and over the center of the cupcake. Apply pressure and begin circling the outside edge. Continue squeezing and add another layer of frosting working toward the center. Finish the spiral in the very center just by releasing pressure and lifting up!

You can use this frosting technique on any flavor of cupcake or with any flavors of frosting. In fact, you can even use more than two frosting flavors! I recommend piping the frosting onto a plate first though to make sure the flavors are coming out evenly before you put it on a cupcake.



Checkered Flag Racing Cupcakes
Yield: Makes about 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the vanilla cupcakes

• 1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (200 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar (198 grams)
• 1/2 cup unsalted Challenge butter, melted
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup yogurt (57 grams)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites

For the swirl frosting

• 1 cup unsalted Challenge butter, room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar (454 grams)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 Tablespoons heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (42 grams)

Directions
For the vanilla cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl and set aside.
3. Mix sugar and melted butter in large bowl. Whisk in milk, yogurt, and vanilla extract making sure the butter is not to hot beforehand otherwise the dairy will curdle.
4. Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients and mix just until no lumps remain.
5. Beat egg whites using whisk or mixer until frothy (about 1 minute of fast whisking by hand or 30 seconds with mixer).
6. Add egg whites to mixture and slowly mix in.
7. Divide batter amongst 12 cupcake liners and bake for about 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool.

For the swirl frosting

1. In large bowl, beat butter at medium speed until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and 2 Tablespoons of heavy cream. Beat at low speed until combined, and then beat at high speed for an additional minute.
3. Scrape away half of vanilla frosting and set aside.
4. Add remaining 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and cocoa powder to bowl and beat until combined.
5. Lay sheet of plastic wrap about a foot long onto work surface.
6. Use spatula to spread chocolate frosting into 3-inch strip in center of plastic wrap. Spread vanilla frosting in 3-inch strip alongside chocolate frosting being careful not to mix the two.
7. Fold chocolate frosting over vanilla frosting and place into piping bag fitted with 1M swirl piping tip.
8. Pipe onto cupcakes and serve.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction and Delish