# What You'll Need:
→ Cupcakes
01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
07 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 cup whole milk
→ Buttercream Frosting
09 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
10 - 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
11 - 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
13 - Blue gel food coloring
→ Fondant Fish Toppers
14 - 8 ounces white fondant
15 - Gel food coloring in blue, green, orange, and yellow
16 - Edible black marker or black food coloring
17 - Cornstarch for dusting
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
02 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, beat softened butter and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract until fully integrated.
05 - Alternately add dry ingredient mixture and milk to the wet ingredients in three additions, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix just until combined to avoid overmixing.
06 - Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners, filling each approximately two-thirds full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
07 - Beat softened butter until creamy. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beating until fluffy. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until reaching desired spreading consistency. Tint with blue gel food coloring.
08 - Divide white fondant into portions and knead gel food coloring into each section separately until evenly tinted with desired colors: blue, green, orange, and yellow.
09 - Roll small fondant portions into oval shapes and flatten slightly to create fish bodies. Shape tiny triangles for tails and fins, attaching them with water as adhesive.
10 - Using an edible black marker or a small brush with black food coloring, carefully dot eyes onto each fondant fish. Allow fish toppers to air-dry on parchment paper.
11 - Apply blue buttercream frosting to cooled cupcakes with a swirling motion to resemble water waves. Crown each cupcake with a finished fondant fish topper.
