Candy Corn Cupcakes Recipe

For the Cupcakes

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 12-count cupcake tin with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until no large lumps remain-- you don’t want to overmix or you’ll end up with dense cupcakes.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake pans, filling each one about ¾ of the way full.
6. Bake for 16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Remove the cupcakes to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.

For the Vanilla Buttercream

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
2. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
3. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary to make sure all of the sugar gets incorporated.
4. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and beat until the buttercream becomes light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Divide the frosting in thirds and place ⅓ of the icing in a piping bag fitted with a star tip (I used a Wilton 2A).
6. Place another third of the frosting in a small bowl and add 2-3 drops of bright yellow food coloring. Mix to combine and transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
7. Add 2-3 drops of bright orange food coloring to the last third of frosting and mix to combine. Again, transfer the icing to a piping bag fitted with a star tip.
8. Pipe a small ring of yellow frosting around the top of each cupcake. Then top the yellow with a slightly smaller circle of orange. Finally, top each cupcake with a peak of white frosting to create a triangle shape.