Tea Party Cupcakes (Recipe and Decorating Tutorial)

There’s something delightful about a good old-fashioned tea party. The cozy atmosphere, the beautiful teacups, and the joy of sharing sweet treats with friends – it’s pure magic! And what better way to up your tea party game than with some adorable tea party cupcakes adorned with beautiful floral buttercream frosting?

You can even make tea party cupcakes to make your little girl’s dreams come true. I have so many happy memories as a child having tea parties with my family and treats help make those moments more special. Now as an adult, I’ve brought these floral buttercream cupcakes to a baby shower recently and they were a big hit.

These cupcakes are the perfect dessert for a tea party. Whether you’re hosting a High Tea event, a refined afternoon tea with friends, or an elegant baby shower, they add the perfect touch to your dessert display. Let’s get started!

Ingredient Notes & Supplies

Lemon Cupcakes: You can either use a recipe from scratch for lemon cake or use a box of lemon flavored cake mix. 

Buttercream Frosting: I highly suggest making your own frosting if you’re going to try piping floral decorations on top of your cupcakes. Store-bought frosting is quite sticky and dense, and when I’ve used it to try and decorate with, it’s quite challenging. 

Piping Tips: I’m using a few different piping tips for these cupcakes; you can find all of them in a basic set of cupcake decorating tips or purchase them individually. For this set of cupcakes I used: #103, #69, and #21.

Piping Bags: Sturdy piping bags are an important part of making cute buttercream flowers. 

Cupcake Liners: The decorations on top are really the star of the show, but if you want to go the extra mile, you can pick up a set of cupcake liners that match the color scheme of your party. 

What Flavors Should Tea Party Cupcakes Be?

I decided to go with lemon-flavored cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting. Lemon pairs perfectly with traditional Orange Pekoe tea or my favorite, Earl Grey. You could also add a variety of standard vanilla and chocolate cupcakes to the mix. Not everyone at a tea party will actually drink tea, especially in North America where it’s common to serve coffee as well. Chocolate enthusiasts will appreciate having the extra option on the table.

How To Make Tea Party Cupcakes

Step 1: 

Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit and make a box of lemon cake mix then skip to step 6, or follow the instructions below to make your recipe from scratch. 

Step 2: 

In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream 1 cup of room temperature butter with 1 ½ cups of regular white sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract and the zest and juice of one lemon. 

Step 3:

Add ½  cup of sour cream, and one egg at a time on a low speed. 

Step 4:

In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups of flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, ½ a tsp of baking soda, ½ a tsp of salt.

Step 5:

Add ½ of your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl and add ½ of your buttermilk. Stir by hand with a large spatula until almost combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and buttermilk and stir until just combined. Do not over-mix your batter.

Step 6:

Put liners into your muffin pan then scoop your cake batter into cupcake liners until they’re each about ½ full.

Step 7:

While your cake is baking, make your buttercream frosting by beating together butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream (or milk). 

Use one cup of room temperature unsalted butter, four cups of powdered sugar, two teaspoons of vanilla and 2-4 tablespoons of cream. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer; you won’t be able to do it with muscle and a whisk. 

Step 8:

Color your frosting. Separate your white frosting into different bowls depending on how many colors you’d like. To start with, try about one cup of pink, one cup of purple and ¼ cup of green. I also used less than ¼ cup of yellow for some details.

Step 9:

Once your cupcakes are fully cooled, you can decorate them with buttercream flowers and swirls. The next section will walk you through how to make buttercream flowers.

Floral Cupcake Decorating Tips

How do you make butter cream roses?

Start with a ‘flower nail’ tool and put a square of parchment paper on top secured with a dot of frosting so it stays attached. 

Use a petal tip like Wilton’s #103. The skinny part of the tip should point up. Put a dab of frosting in the center of your flower nail. Then wrap 3 frosting petals around this dab, overlapping. Add another layer of 5 petals around the first three. 

You can keep adding layers until you’re happy with how big it is. 

Put your square of parchment paper with the flower on a tray and freeze it. Then you can use flower lifters (they look like scissors) to place your roses on your cupcakes wherever you’d like.

What piping tip do I use for the green leaves?

I used Wilton tip #69 but you can use any small leaf tip you’d like. If it’s your first time trying this tip out, practice on the side of your frosting bowl so you can make a bunch and reuse the frosting. Or practice on a sheet of parchment paper then scrape it off and reuse it. 

To start using this tip, you can squeeze harder to start with to give the base of your leaf more structure, then relax your grip as you pull away slightly. To finish the leaf, stop squeezing out frosting and gently pull away. 

If your leaves aren’t forming a point or they look very jagged, your frosting might be too cold or dense. Try warming up your piping bag with your hands and try again. You can also try pulling away slower.

What piping tip do I use for swirls?

Wilton tip #21 is great for making small swirls. I piped those straight on top of my cupcakes after placing the roses. I also used this tip to make small stars and added yellow dots to their centers for a different floral look. 

How to display Tea Party Cupcakes

Displaying your tea party cupcakes can make a big difference in how they fit into your tea party theme. If you have extra tea cups, use them and a tea pot as part of your display. Some of your cupcakes can sit individually inside of a tea cup.

Another great way to display your tea party cupcakes is to use a tiered dessert stand. Tiered dessert stands are perfect for an afternoon tea party or high tea event. You might want to try something like this Vanilla Milk Tea at your party or try out this recipe for the best chai tea.

Consider displaying your tea party cupcakes near other tea party decorations like fresh flowers. You can also put your cupcakes at your tea station next to your hot water, tea bags, cream, sugar and tea cups for your guests. 

Final Thoughts on Tea Party Cupcakes

From simple swirls to intricate floral designs, we’ve seen how a little frosting can transform plain cupcakes into edible works of art. These cupcakes were a big hit at the baby shower I took them to and your guests will love them too! You might also love my recipe for Lime Buttercream Cupcakes with Lime Fluff Filling or this recipe for Lemon Poke Cake.

I hope you have a blast when you whip up your flowery buttercream, adorn your cupcakes with love, and let the tea party magic begin. Share the sweetness, spread the smiles, and keep those creative baking juices flowing.

Tea Party Cupcakes

Stunning floral buttercream frosting sits on top of light lemon flavored cupcakes in the perfect combination for a tea party dessert. These Tea Party cupcakes are great for gatherings with friends and family and they're sure to stand out and make your party feel special.

5 from 7 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Decorating Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 24

Calories 300 kcal

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Electric mixer
• Oven
• Cooling racks
• Cup cake liners
• piping tips
• piping bags
• Muffin pans
• Measuring Spoons
• Measuring cups

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Lemon Cupcakes:

• 1 cup butter
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of one lemon
• ½ cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup buttermilk if you don’t have buttermilk mix 3 teaspoons of lemon juice with 1 cup of regular milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Frosting:

• 1 cup of room temperature unsalted butter
• 4 cups of powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 2-4 tablespoons of cream
• Food coloring

Instructions

 

Step 1:

• Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit and make a box of lemon cake mix then skip to step 6, or follow the instructions below to make your recipe from scratch.

Step 2:

• In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream 1 cup of room temperature butter with 1 ½ cups of regular white sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract and the zest and juice of one lemon.

Step 3:

• Add ½ cup of sour cream, and one egg at a time on a low speed.

Step 4:

• In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 ½ cups of flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, ½ a tsp of baking soda, ½ a tsp of salt.

Step 5:

• Add ½ of your dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl and add ½ of your buttermilk. Stir by hand with a large spatula until almost combined. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and buttermilk and stir until just combined. Do not over-mix your batter.

Step 6:

• Put liners into your muffin pan then scoop your cake batter into cupcake liners until they’re each about ½ full.

Step 7:

• While your cake is baking, make your buttercream frosting by beating together butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream (or milk).
• Use one cup of room temperature unsalted butter, four cups of powdered sugar, two teaspoons of vanilla and 2-4 tablespoons of cream. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer; you won’t be able to do it with muscle and a whisk.

Step 8:

• Color your frosting. Separate your white frosting into different bowls depending on how many colors you’d like. To start with, try about one cup of pink, one cup of purple and ¼ cup of green. I also used less than ¼ cup of yellow for some details.

Step 9:

• Once your cupcakes are fully cooled, you can decorate them with buttercream flowers and swirls.

Floral Cupcake Decorating Tips

• How do you make butter cream roses?
• Start with a ‘flower nail’ tool and put a square of parchment paper on top secured with a dot of frosting so it stays attached.
• Use a petal tip like Wilton’s #103. The skinny part of the tip should point up. Put a dab of frosting in the center of your flower nail. Then wrap 3 frosting petals around this dab, overlapping. Add another layer of 5 petals around the first three.
• You can keep adding layers until you’re happy with how big it is.
• Put your square of parchment paper with the flower on a tray and freeze it. Then you can use flower lifters (they look like scissors) to place your roses on your cupcakes wherever you’d like.

What piping tip do I use for the green leaves?

• I used Wilton tip #69 but you can use any small leaf tip you’d like. If it’s your first time trying this tip out, practice on the side of your frosting bowl so you can make a bunch and reuse the frosting. Or practice on a sheet of parchment paper then scrape it off and reuse it.
• To start using this tip, you can squeeze harder to start with to give the base of your leaf more structure, then relax your grip as you pull away slightly. To finish the leaf, stop squeezing out frosting and gently pull away.
• If your leaves aren’t forming a point or they look very jagged, your frosting might be too cold or dense. Try warming up your piping bag with your hands and try again. You can also try pulling away slower.

What piping tip do I use for swirls?

• Wilton tip #21 is great for making small swirls. I piped those straight on top of my cupcakes after placing the roses. I also used this tip to make small stars and added yellow dots to their centers for a different floral look.

Notes

Disclaimer: Although mamasbuzz.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, please note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, serving size and in other unforeseeable ways. Mamasbuzz.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal

Keyword cupcakes, tea party