Over the Rainbow Cupcakes

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup water

For Decorating:

• 1 (12 oz) container White Frosting
• 2 (12 oz) Container Sky Blue Frosting
• 24 pieces of rainbow candy tape (we used Airhead brand)
• 2 Piping bags
• 1 Large Star piping tip, optional
• Gold Sprinkles or sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C) and prepare a cupcake pan with liners.
2. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to a large mixer bowl and combine. Set aside.
3. Add the milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs to a medium sized bowl and combine.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat until well combined.
5. Slowly add the water to the batter and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined. Please note that the batter will be very thin. Fill the cupcake liners about halfway and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
6. Remove the cupcakes from oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

To Decorate:

1. Once cupcakes are cool. Fill the piping bags. In the blue bag use the start if using.
2. Pipe a mound of blue frosting on the center of the cupcakes
3. Using the white filled piping bag, cut off only about 1/4” of the end of the bag. Pipe small poofs of white frosting on both sides of the blue frosting to create clouds.
4. Bend the Rainbow candy and insert into the cloud frosting to create the rainbow.
5. Add gold sparkles on the clouds, optional.