There are times when you want a treat that tasty and cute but won’t give you a sugar crash/ immediate sense of regret, afterward. Or is that just me? Under these circumstances, SMALLER is definitely BETTER. Let’s make some mini-cupcakes. Who’s in?
Start off by getting all your ingredients together. Don’t forget to lighten the flour before measuring it. If you pack the flour in the cupcakes will be dense and bready.
If you want to see how to make my ultra moist (regular-sized) vanilla cupcakes check out this post with full how to video! It’s my most popular recipe!
Steps to Make chocolate Vanilla Mini Cupcakes
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy in texture. Doing this mixes air into your batter for a fluffier cupcake.
- Add the eggs in one at a time, then mix in that vanilla extract. You can add a bit extra if desired!
- Mix in the sifted and whisked dry ingredients. Fill your cupcake lines about 2/3 the way full. Bake at 350F for about 12-15 minutes or until the centers are just set. Line your mini cupcake tin with paper liners. I love using a variety of colors and patterns for extra festiveness.
- Cream the butter and add in the cocoa powder, confectioners sugar, salt, and milk. The milk should be added a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Allow to cool before frosting! You don’t want a total chocolate mess on your hands 🙂
Ice the cupcakes! I went for a very loose buttercream with a thin consistency so there was no worrying about piping the perfect pattern, just smooth some on and add a few sprinkles on for a pop of color if desired.
If you love cupcakes check out these recipes!
Pro Tips for making these Mini Cupcakes
- Want an even moister cupcake? Add a 1/4 cup of sour cream or yogurt to the recipe here and enjoy!
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Watch the baking time carefully. These mini cupcakes can go from perfectly moist to dry and burnt quickly as they are quite small.
If you’ve tried these mini cupcakes then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Mini Cupcakes Recipe
Mini Cupcakes are fluffy, moist, and the perfect size when you want something smaller than regular cupcakes! They are perfect for parties, dessert buffets, or any special occasion.
Print Recipe
Servings 24 cupcakes
Calories 127kcal
Equipment
- Handheld electric mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- 24 cup mini muffin pan
- Mini muffin liners
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- ¾ cup cake flour (90g)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled (56g)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup whole milk room temperature (60ml)
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature (56g)
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar (240g)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cooled butter, egg and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute until the mixture thickens slightly and lightens in color. (You can also use a handheld electric mixer on medium speed). Whisk in the milk until completely combined.
- Add the flour mixture and whisk until all the flour is moistened and the batter is smooth.
- Line a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners. Use a leveled, 1 tablespoon-sized measuring spoon (or triggered cookie scoop) to fill the liners about two-thirds of the way full.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, until the tops of the muffins are set and spring back when pressed.
- Let cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Buttercream:
- Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the butter and salt for 2 minutes or until creamy.
- Sift in the confectioner’s sugar and add 1 tablespoon of cream and the vanilla. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, just until combined. If the frosting feels dry, mix in additional heavy cream, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes until fluffy and creamy.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip—pipe about 1½ tablespoons of icing on top of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if you like.
Notes
- Weigh the flour. To avoid using too much flour, weigh it with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour in its container, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level off the top with a knife.
- Use room temperature ingredients. Set the egg, milk, and butter (for the frosting) out in advance. They are easier to incorporate with other ingredients if they are not straight out of the refrigerator.
- You can use all-purpose flour in place of the cake flour if that is what you have. Cake flour makes perfectly fluffy cupcakes, with a delicate crumb, so it’s preferred, but they will still be delicious when made with AP flour.
- For extra moist cupcakes, use 2 tablespoons of sour cream and 2 tablespoons of whole milk instead of ¼ cup whole milk.
- If you don’t have a 24-cup mini cupcake pan, cover any remaining batter and refrigerate it while the first batch bakes.
- Frost the cupcakes once they are completely cool. If the cupcakes are still warm, the frosting may melt and slide right off!
Nutrition
Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 14mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 202IU | Vitamin C: 0.004mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.1mg
*Nutrition Disclaimer
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