Best Homemade Birthday Cupcakes Recipe

Birthday Cupcakes: piled high with creamy vanilla frosting and a shower of rainbow sprinkles.

What could be better than that?

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Birthday Cupcakes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 18

Servings cupcakes

Calories 298kcal

Author Dana DeVolk

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs room temp
2 large egg yolks room temp
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups buttermilk room temp

For the frosting:

1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
6 cups powdered sugar sifted
3 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract or extract flavor of your choice
¼ teaspoon salt
Gel food coloring of your choice
Sprinkles if desired

Instructions

Preheat the oven 350°F—line tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter, oil, and sugar for 3 minutes.
3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
Add the eggs one at a time until thoroughly mixed in.
3 large eggs
Add the egg yolks and mix them in with the vanilla.
2 large egg yolks, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Add half of the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Next, add half of the buttermilk and stir until combined. Repeat with the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, scraping down the sides as needed.
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Add 3 tablespoons of the batter to each cupcake liner.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
Allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, and then place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
1 ½ cups unsalted butter
Mix at low speed until smooth and fluffy, for about a minute.
Add the sifted powdered sugar a spoonful at a time over medium-low speed. Keep doing this until all of the sugar is added, scraping down the sides as necessary.
6 cups powdered sugar
Add the milk, vanilla, and salt and slowly stir to combine. Once mixed well, whip the frosting at medium to high speed for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy.
3 tablespoons milk, 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
If you want to tint the frosting, do so now; start with a little and add more as needed.
Gel food coloring of your choice
Frost the cupcakes once cool and immediately add sprinkles if using.
Sprinkles if desired

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients—makes the cupcake batter smooth.
Mix with a stand mixer or electric mixer, whatever you have on hand.
Check the center of the cupcake with a toothpick—clean means done!
Frost with a piping bag—looks fancy without the fuss.
Add sprinkles right away—sticks on before the buttercream frosting sets.

Nutrition