Description
Festive vanilla cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles and creamy buttercream frosting, perfect for celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Additional rainbow sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes on medium speed).
- Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the egg whites. Make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Then, stir in the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix! A few streaks of flour are okay.
- Gently fold in the rainbow sprinkles. Be careful not to overmix.
- Fill each cupcake liner about ? full.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer), cream the softened butter until smooth and fluffy (2-3 minutes on medium speed).
- Gradually add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating on low speed until combined.
- Add the milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Adjust milk/powdered sugar for desired consistency.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with the buttercream frosting.
- Sprinkle the frosted cupcakes with additional rainbow sprinkles.
- Enjoy your delicious and festive confetti cupcakes!
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Using room temperature ingredients, especially butter and eggs, is crucial for creating a smooth and emulsified batter.
- Don’t Overmix: Overmixing the batter develops the gluten in the flour, which can result in tough cupcakes.
- Accurate Oven Temperature: Make sure your oven is properly calibrated.
- Cool Completely: Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Storage: Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Variations:
- Chocolate Confetti Cupcakes: Add ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients.
- Lemon Confetti Cupcakes: Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to the batter.
- Different Sprinkles: Experiment with different types of sprinkles.
- Colored Frosting: Add a few drops of food coloring to the frosting.
- Troubleshooting:
- Cupcakes are Dry: Overbaking is the most common cause.
- Cupcakes are Dense: Overmixing the batter can result in dense cupcakes.
- Frosting is Too Thin: Add more powdered sugar.
- Frosting is Too Thick: Add more milk.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes