Mini Cupcakes - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published April 6, 2024

Homemade Mini Cupcakes – A bite size decadent dessert that includes a fluffy, tender, sweet vanilla cake with a rich buttercream swirled atop. They’re one of the cutest treats you can make!

Mini Vanilla Cupcakes

These sweet mini cupcakes are sure to put a smile on anyones face. And not only are the fun to serve and eat but they are also enjoyable to make as well, it’s fun to prepare little foods for a change.

You’ll find these are a dessert that fitting for so many occasions including birthday celebrations, holiday parties, weekend get togethers, or even just a simple weekend baking project with the kids.

They have a satisfying, light, buttery crumb, a welcomed sweet vanilla flavor, and the silky buttercream polishes them off perfectly.

If you need more you can easily double the recipe. Which I may recommend anyway and then you can freeze half the batch for a later time because anytime is a great time for mini cupcakes!

Mini Cupcake Recipe Ingredients

• All-purpose flour: If you want an even more delicate crumb you can use cake flour.
• Baking powder: This is used to help the cupcake rise. I recommend using aluminum free baking powder for a non-metallic taste.
• Salt: Salt really helps balance out the sweetness of the cupcake and keeps it from tasting flat.
• Unsalted butter: Fat add richness to the cupcake and moisture. It also softens the crumb texture.
• Granulated sugar: Sugar is a key ingredient in sweetening the cupcake.
• Milk: I like to use whole or 2% milk for the recipe.
• Egg: The egg helps to bind ingredients together and assists in rising.
• Vanilla extract: A traditional ingredient in cupcakes and other baked goods that adds notes of sweet and welcomed natural flavor.
• Milk: This is used for the moisture for the cupcake.
• Powdered sugar: A very fine sugar also known as confectioners sugar that builds the foundation of the frosting and sweetens it.
• Heavy cream: This adds a richness to the frosting while thinning and adding whipped volume once it’s blended in and aerated.

Mini Cupcake Baking Equipment Used

• Mini cupcake pan
• Mini cupcake liners
• Electric hand mixer
• Piping bags
• Wilton 1M piping tip

How to Make Mini Cupcake Batter

Down below you will find the full recipe with a complete explanation of instructions. Here is a brief overview of the steps.

• Heat oven and prepare a mini muffin pan with paper liners.
• Whisk dry ingredients together.
• Separately whip butter with sugar until pale.
• Mix in egg and vanilla extract to sugar mixture.
• Blend in half of the flour mixture, then milk, then remaining half of the flour mixture.
• Fill prepared cupcake liners 2/3 full with batter.
• Bake until set.

How Long to Bake Mini Cupcakes

• Mini cupcakes generally take about 9 to 13 minutes to bake in a preheated 350 degree oven.
• For this recipe they will likely only need about 9 to 10 minutes.

How to Make the Frosting

• This buttercream frosting is very simple and it can be made in a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer to whip.
• To make it you’ll simple blend all of the the frosting ingredients together on low speed until they are combined.
• Then increase to a high speed and whip for about 4 to 5 minutes until it’s very light and fluffy to give it that melt in your mouth consistency.

Other Frosting Flavors to Try

If you want to change things up you could also try one of these three flavors atop these cupcakes in place of vanilla frosting:

• Chocolate buttercream frosting
• Cream cheese frosting
• Strawberry buttercream frosting

Helpful Tips

• Why room temp. ingredients: Room temperature ingredients such as eggs, milk and butter are recommended so the cupcake batter ingredients to combine together better.
• Measuring tip: Use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients if possible for the most accuracy.
• Creaming tip: Be sure to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy as this is what will incorporate tiny air bubbles into the cupcakes and help them rise higher.
• Reduce sugar: For a less sweet frosting consider a Swiss meringue, Ermine frosting or even a whipped cream topping.

Storage

• Cupcakes should be stored in an airtight container.
• They’ll keep at room temperature for 2 days, in the fridge for 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

More Delicious Cupcake Recipes to Try

• Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Chocolate Cupcakes
• Coconut Cupcakes
• Lemon Cupcakes
• Strawberry Cupcakes
• Vanilla Cupcakes (similar recipe to these but standard size)