Rainbow Cupcakes pt. 2 with Buttercream Recipe

I've been really liking the rainbow cupcakes i just made, Sri much so that i wanted to try it another way and share my results. Plus i just can't help myself with wanting to try new things. :)

I just used a basic white cake mix from the store. I just like working with box mixes right now. Following the directions on the box, i mixed up all the ingredients. I wanted to see if i could get all 6 colors in so i used my godson's toddler bowls to split up the batter equally as best as i could. I just grabbed a 1/2 cup measuring cup and tried to make sure they were even by doing one scoop at a time.

Once they were all separated i added my color. I use Wilton because i like the color results. Making sure to not over mix but getting the color throughout the batter. I once again received assistance from the godson and used his plastic baby spoons. This worked out awesome for adding the colored batter to the cupcake liners. I did one heaping scoop of each color into the cupcake tins lined with cupcake liners. I got 23 total cupcakes. Keep in mind the order you want your colors to be in. I put purple on the bottom then, blue, green, yellow, orange with red on top. Baking as directed on the box or recipe you're using. Let cool completely before frosting.

Now for the fun part. I decided i wanted to use buttercream (recipe below) and colored it sky blue. To frost i just used a large star tip in a circular motion working from the outside rim of the cupcake to the middle. To make the rainbow i found some rainbow sour gummy rope at my local store in the candy section. I cut each ribbon in half and positioned in the frosted cupcake. To make the clouds i just used about 1/2 cup of the frosting un-colored and put it into a sandwich size plastic bag. Cut the tip off the bag and squeezed a small cloud on either side of the rainbow and voila! A awesome rainbow cupcake! Enjoy! Please share your results if you try it.

Buttercream Recipe
1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
1-2 tablespoon milk

Directions:
1. Combine butter and shortening in bowl. Use mixer on medium/high speed for approximately 2 minutes. Should look light and fluffy.
2. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly.
3. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly after each added.
4. Once all sugar had been added, add 1 tablespoon of milk. If frosting is still too thick add 1/2 tablespoon at a time till desired consistency.
5. Add colors as desired.