Take a step into Wonderland with these gorgeous Pansy Cupcakes garnished with real edible flowers. This stunning cupcake recipe is perfect for springtime!

Did you know pansies are edible? Yes, this inexpensive, common flower not only provides fantastic color all winter long but also can be added to a variety of dishes, including these gorgeous cupcakes! Just swish the blooms in cold water and let dry before using.

Pansies come in all sorts of colors and sizes. I decorated some of these cupcakes with one large flower or a couple of smaller flowers. I love that every cupcake is different!

These are best served day-of because the flowers will start to wilt as soon as you cut them. If you want to bake these cupcakes ahead of time, you can bake the cupcakes and freeze them and then just thaw, frost, and pop pansies on right before you serve.

I’ve chosen to top these cupcakes with my Fiori di Sicilia (orange vanilla) frosting here but feel free to just do vanilla frosting if you prefer.

Pansy Cupcakes

2 cups sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, soft
1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
Fiori di Sicilia frosting, recipe follows
Fresh pansies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffins pans with cupcake liners and spray with nonstick spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add butter to the mixer and beat until it looks sandy.
4. Combine the milk and vanilla and add to the mixer. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Don’t forget to scrape the bowl as you go!
5. Crack eggs into a bowl. This way, you won’t accidentally get egg shells in your cake batter. With the mixer running on low, add eggs one at a time. Make sure each is incorporated before adding the next.
6. Divide batter evenly amongst twenty-four cupcake liners.  Bake for  20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.
7. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool for five minutes before removing them from the pan. Cool completely.
8. Dunk pansies into a bowl of cold water, swishing around to clean them. Remove and set on a paper towel to dry completely.
9. Frost cupcakes as desired with Fiori di Sicilia Frosting and top as desired with pansies.

Fiori di Sicilia Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp fiori di sicilia (orange vanilla) extract*
2-3 Tbsp milk