Greta's Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

These feel like a fairy visit! Sugared flowers and herbs rest atop creamy orange cream cheese icing and my shortcut cupcakes. Use bits and pieces of this recipe to make your own creation or make these little show stoppers! Either way you’ll be singing and making music like Greta!

Ingredients:

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 stick softened butter

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups confectioners sugar

zest of 1 orange

Cream the cream cheese and butter together with a mixer until combined. Add a pinch of salt and vanilla and combine. Slowly add in (1/2 cup at a time) the confectioners sugar and mix into cream cheese mixture until all of the sugar is incorporated. Place in the refrigerator for an hour to firm up. When cooled, place into a piping bag or zip lock bag to pipe icing onto the cupcakes!

From the garden Sugared flowers and herbs:

Make a simple syrup by placing 1 cup water into a saucepan and bringing to a boil. Add 1 cup sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved in the hot water. Carefully clean edible homegrown flowers and herbs and pat dry. Dip into simple syrup and then into a small bowl of sugar. Place on a plate to harden. Arrange sugared flowers and herbs on cupcakes. These are gorgeous and, of course, could be used for cakes too!

Wildflowers and fresh food~ Short cut cupcakes:

1 box cake mix (I like all natural food stirs @foodstirs)

Zest and juice of 1 orange, clementine or tangerine

1/2 cup organic coconut

Make cake according to mix directions substituting the orange juice for some of the liquid, add in the coconut and bake as directions indicate.