Valentine's Day is coming up and I've been stumped on what kind of cupcakes to make. I am definitely making my favorite red velvet cupcakes but that seemed a little too obvious.
Something with strawberries seemed like a good choice...but I'm completely repulsed by strawberries, I hate the smell and the taste, and since I wanted to eat a cupcake I had to re-think my idea.
I came to the conclusion to toss some Valentine's Day sprinkles into some vanilla cupcake batter and bake, top with a classic vanilla buttercream, and garnish with more heart sprinkles. You can read a little more about them and see more photos by clicking here or just skip below for the recipe.
Valentine's Funfetti Cupcakes
Adapted from Cakespy
Makes about 12 cupcakes
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoon butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 whole egg plus 1 egg white, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean)
1/2 cup milk, room temperature
Heaping 2 tablespoons valentine's sprinkles
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer, cream the sugar and butter until well combined, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and egg white, one at a time, beating on low until just incorporated.
Add vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture in three additions, alternating with milk in two additions, ending with the flour mixture. Fold in sprinkles.
Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream
Adapted from My Baking Addiction
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Slowly add confectioners' sugar and continue creaming until well blended.
Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Homemade Valentine's Day Funfetti Cupcakes
