Rainbow cupcakes & Nutella frosting

I have been "preparing" this post since January.. so much about posting things as they get baked. But my writing of the post turns out to be quite the challenge every time I start.. and usually ends with the promise to myself- I will do it tomorrow!
Yup, a necessity while writing a post is for sure a big (Starbucks size) cup of some delicious tea.. Recipe notebook.. Photoshop.. Word.. AND than of course also - Facebook, Ebay, Youtube, ASOS.. and hundreds of blogs I "simply have to check, because if I don't do it now...) And so, one card of the text that would usually need 20min for takes about 5hr. 



These totally cheerful cupcakes in rainbow colors were made for my cousin Viktoria's birthday.. a teenager..

The process of making them will be really short and simple, because I have used the recipe of my beloved  Red Velvet cupcakes, which I had published here some time ago. So, the process of making a batch is identical.. Apart from the fact that instead of just one, we need 4-5 different colors for this one (depending on how much patience you've got).

So, before you add the (color+buttermilk) and (vinegar + baking soda), spread the batch into 4-5 smaller bowls (depending on how many colors you choose).
Measure the needed amount of Buttermilk and spread it in 4 (or 5) cups.  In each cup, add the wanted color and mix with a spoon until it is well incorporated. Add each color+buttermilk into the batches so that you will have 4 (or 5) bowls of different-colored batches for cupcakes.
The final step- over each bowl, put a bit of baking soda in the spoon and pour a bit of vinegar over it. Let it burst into bubbles and mix it in the batch. Do this for every bowl separately.




With this, the cake batches are ready.

In the muffin cases (molds), start adding a spoolful of each color, starting with the darkest (green, blue, purple) to the lightest. Still, do NOT end with the lightest one. My suggestion is this order:


















I also wondered- Why, oh why the red on the top?? How does that make a rainbow? BUT, yellow on the top during the baking process will turn into- brown. So, obviously the red had some logic.. just not logical from the first moment.

After the cupcakes have been baked, let them cool, while you prepare your frosting.


I am usually not a big fan of the classical buttercream frostings (butter+caster sugar) that US bakers use so much.. (apart from some exceptions like my Chocolate mint brownies). I always prefer lighter, fluffier frostings which use whipping cream, cream cheese and similar ingredients.
Still, I admit I am still in the search for the ideal frosting.. or a way to make it.. And I already understand that might be a lifetime search.

This is the frosting that I decided to try out along these Rainbow cupcakes:

Nutella frosting

50g butter

120g cream cheese (ABC, Philadelphia..)

300g caster sugar

1 Tbs Nutella

1-2 tsp milk (if needed)

Mix the butter until it gets the creamy texture (easily scraped down from the sides of the bowl). Add in the sugar, cheese and Nutella and continue mixing on the medium speed, until they are all well incorporated. If the frosting seems still a bit too dense, add a teaspoon of milk and continue mixing.

The recipe calls for 300g of sugar, but I usually measure that amount of sugar and that begin adding it gradually, building it up by the taste. So, I add 1/3 of the sugar, mix it in, taste.. and if needed more, I repeat the procedure.


These colorful cupcakes will surely please the little ones.. and surprise the more older ones.. So, good luck with them!