Valentine Cupcakes

These Valentine Cupcakes hide a red velvet heart inside every french vanilla cupcake, topped with a cloud of homemade vanilla bean buttercream, the cutest surprise you can bake into a cupcake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Valentine Cupcakes

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 25

Servings each

Calories 356kcal

Author Jason Decker

Ingredients

Hearts

Cupcakes

1 box french vanilla cake mix
1 cup water divided
3 large eggs divided
1/3 cup vegetable oil divided

Vanilla Bean Buttercream

1 Cup unsalted butter softened
3 Cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons milk

Instructions

Hearts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place red velvet cake mix, water, eggs, and oil into a large bowl. With a hand mixer on low speed mix until moistened 30 seconds. Place on medium speed and mix for 2 minutes.
1 box red velvet cake mix, 1 cup water, 3 large eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Pour batter onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper, spread out evenly. Bake 20-24 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Place on a wired rack to cool. When cooled completely, take a small heart shaped cookie cutter and carefully cut out 24 mini hearts and set aside.

Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place french vanilla cake mix, water, eggs and oil into a large bowl. With a hand mixer on low speed mix until moistened 30 seconds. Place on medium speed and mix for 2 minutes.
1 box french vanilla cake mix, 1 cup water, 3 large eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Place 1 Tablespoon of batter into lined cupcake tin. VERY GENTLY place a red velvet heart in the center, do not press down or you will have a circle, not a heart. Cover with about 1 Tablespoon of batter.
Bake for 14-16 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and they look done on top.

Buttercream

Place butter and half of the sugar in a large bowl. Whip on high speed until sugar is incorporated. Add the remaining sugar and whip on high speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes.
1 Cup unsalted butter, 3 Cups powdered sugar
Add in the vanilla and salt, mix to combine. Add in half of the milk and whip until combined, add remaining milk if mixture is too thick.
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, pinch of salt, 2 Tablespoons milk
Top cupcakes with frosting (I used a large open star tip), decorate with sprinkles if desired, serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use Quality Cupcake Liners: Good cupcake liners prevent sticking and make your cupcakes look professional.
Heart Placement: When placing the red hearts into the cupcake batter, make sure they’re aligned so the heart shape shows when you cut or bite into the cupcake.
Don’t Overfill: Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full to prevent overflow and ensure even baking.
Proper Cooling: Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack before frosting to prevent the frosting from melting.
Piping Techniques: Use a piping bag with a decorative tip to create beautiful frosting swirls on the top of the cupcake.
Storage: Keep cupcakes in an airtight container to maintain their freshness and ensure moist cupcakes.

Nutrition