Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers Cupcakes
With taking numerous art history classes during my college years, I know quite a bit about historical art and the artists that created it. Like many others, I was drawn to impressionist paintings, as they were more free form than many other styles. I am an artist that likes to work quick, even if the results look a bit messy. That’s how impressionist painters worked; quick and messy.
Making the design my own with edible butterflies
Vincent van Gogh, born on March 30, 1853, was a renowned Dutch post-impressionist painter whose undeniable talent and unique artistic style have left an indelible mark on the world of art. Despite his troubled life, van Gogh produced an incredible body of work, with over 2,000 paintings and drawings to his name.
Sunflower Cupcake
His works, including famous pieces like "Starry Night" and "Sunflowers," are characterized by vibrant colors, expressive brushwork, and a deep emotional intensity. Van Gogh's art captured the beauty of nature, the nuances of light and shadow, and the complexities of human emotion. His artistic legacy continues to influence countless artists and art lovers and his impact on the art world remains profound.
The blue butterfly popped against the yellow flower
His Sunflowers painting captured the joy of the color yellow and the joy that fresh flowers can bring to our lives. Seeing sunflowers bring me joy, and have shown up in my cake art a lot over the years.
See my quick and easy store bought cupcake festive cupcake bar idea in the one minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
I married his love of baseball and orange and carrot cake in this design
They appeared at a coworker’s joyful country wedding I helped her with, they showed up on my husband’s birthday cake this year (to show his love of summer baseball), and in my recent sunflower cupcake project.
The sunflower cake was carrot cake with cream cheese icing
Van Gogh’s sunflowers were a bit “wilty” looking in his painting, but I feel that showed some of the sadness he felt. Being an artist and “feeling all the feels” can be very powerful and feeling the sadness can show up in an artist’s work, like Van Gogh’s, if they truly feel it. Despite that bit of sadness, sunflowers still can bring joy due to their beautiful coloring. I tried to capture the “wilty happiness” in my sunflower cupcake creations.
I like to use parchment paper cupcake liners
The use of sunflowers in art (and edible art) can have meaning to you and those you create art for. Sunflowers have long captivated my heart with their vibrant yellow petals and towering stature. Beyond their aesthetic beauty, these enchanting blooms hold a profound spiritual meaning.
Sunflower cupcakes in progress
Sunflowers are often associated with warmth, positivity, and spiritual enlightenment. Just as the sun radiates light and energy, sunflowers symbolize the divine light within ourselves.
I made the petals look a bit wilty
They remind us to stay rooted in our spiritual journey, always seeking growth and reaching for the heavens. Staring at their sun-kissed faces can bring a sense of joy, happiness, and a connection to the divine. Sunflowers also teach us the valuable lesson of resilience, as they always turn toward the sun, no matter where it may be in the sky. In their unwavering gaze, we find inspiration to face life's challenges with unwavering determination and unwavering faith.
Kids would love sunflower cupcakes at a summer birthday
Let the spiritual essence of sunflowers uplift your spirits and illuminate your path by creating some sunflower cupcakes today!
Here’s how to make Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflower cupcakes:
Bake some cupcakes. Because this sunflower cupcake project was an experiment, I used my favorite grain free chocolate cupcake mix from Simple Mills to speed up this part. You can use a mix or try this recipe for some delicious homemade chocolate cupcakes. I use parchment cupcake liners and made 12 cupcakes.
This butterfly is edible
While your cupcakes cool, make your icing. I made Liv for Cake’s chocolate buttercream (a half recipe) and Liv for Cake’s simple vanilla buttercream (a half recipe). Keep in mind that the butter will need to be room temperature to be manageable. You can use jars of store-bought icings too, but it may not hold its shape during the sunflower icing decorating part of the cupcakes. Homemade or a professionally made buttercream icing mix or professional ready-made buttercream would work best.
The blue and yellow colors pop on these sunflower cupcakes
I iced the cooled cupcakes first with the chocolate buttercream using a 9” inch angled spatula. Then I added some yellow and orange gel food coloring (a bit more yellow than orange) to the vanilla buttercream and mixed to form a “sunflower yellow” color. You can just create straight yellow, but I was trying to get the color yellow that van Gogh used in his sunflower painting. The gel icing colors will “water down” your icing a bit, which is what works best for piping his “weepy” looking flower petals.
I placed my sunflower yellow buttercream icing into a 12” inch piping bag fitted with a coupler and Wilton icing tip #352. I piped a quick row of petal into a circle around the cupcake. To do so, I placed the icing tip on the cupcake, squeezed the piping bag, and pulled outwards to form each petal, As I pulled out, I let the icing petal fall to look a bit wilted.
I piped a second circle row of petals, overlapping the first row of petals a bit, then placed some mini chocolate chips inside the row of petals. The chocolate chips form the center of the sunflower.
To make my sunflower cupcake design my own, I added edible butterflies to each cupcake. Butterflies have a great transformation and strength symbolism that I thought paired well with the overall cupcake design idea. The “happy with a touch of sadness” theme seems to be our life right now, but we know the end result, if we remain standing firm with our faces to the light side like a sunflower, will land us into the future looking like the beautiful butterfly.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.