Dainty Dogwood Cupcakes

One of my favorite trees is the Dogwood tree.  They have the most beautiful delicate blossoms and I love seeing them in bloom.  Even though the gorgeous blossoms will only last for so long, you can enjoy these dainty Dogwood cupcakes year round!  These little chocolate Dogwood blossoms are the perfect size for topping a cupcake, and floral decorations work for so many different occasions.  I think these would be lovely with white frosting for a rustic wedding cupcake tower.  As always I am a big fan of making chocolate decorations because they are tasty and can be made in advance, so on the days leading up to to your event all you have to worry about is perfecting your cupcake recipe and frosting.

Here are the supplies I used to make the Dogwood chocolates. The candy coatings shown are Wilton Vibrant Green candy melts, and Clasen Brite White confectionery coating.

I used a small squeeze bottle to fill in the centers of the blossoms.  Squeezit mold painter bottles are small squeeze bottles with very tiny tips.  I love these bottles for painting small details on a mold.  They are also great for writing with candy coating or chocolate.

Give the centers about 10 minutes to dry at room temperature before filling in the rest of the mold with white candy coating.  Depending on the temperature, the drying time may vary, but if you are in a hurry, you can always pop the molds in the refrigerator for a few minutes until the centers are set to the touch.

I use a regular squeeze bottle to fill the molds.  I also find that it really reduces bubbles if you keep your squeeze bottle upside down while you are working.  To do this, you need a small cup, like the baby cup I am using, to keep the squeeze bottle resting upside down.

Try not to overfill the molds.  In this case it is better to underfill the mold.  If you’re not sure how much chocolate to use, fill just one cavity of the mold and then tap out the bubbles to see where you’re at.

Tap the molds until air bubbles stop rising to the surface.  You can also take a look at the mold from the bottom to see if most of the visible air bubbles and pockets have been eliminated.

Here are the chocolates just out of the mold.

I had a few different shades of luster dust to try out.  This Orchid Pink is pretty, but wasn’t quite the right color.

This Wilton Ruby Red Pearl Dust was just right! I simple brushed it on with a dry coarse brush to accent the edges of the blossoms.

These little flowers remind me of Spring! I had some green luster and color dusts, but didn’t end up using them because the green was vibrant enough on its own.

Just a hint of peachy pink really makes these blossoms pop.