Valentine's Cupcakes

Ingredients

The base of this recipe is my fluffy vanilla cupcake recipe. You'll only need one extra ingredient on top of that to make the buttercream.

• Milk - This will help to make the cupcakes extra soft and fluffy.  I use whole milk, but you can use any kind of milk you have on hand.  

• Vegetable Oil - The oil helps to keep the cupcakes moist, I used vegetable oil, but any kind of flavorless oil will do. 

• Eggs - Use large eggs and always free-range if you can.  

• Cake Flour - The recipe calls for cake flour which helps to make a more delicate crumb.  If you don't have cake flour you can use all-purpose flour instead. 

• Butter - It's best to use unsalted butter so you can control the level of salt in the cupcakes and frosting.

• Sugar - Use white superfine sugar (also known as caster sugar). 

• Vanilla - You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. 
  
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - For the easy buttercream frosting.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Valentine's Cupcakes

For these Valentine cupcakes, I used my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe as the base recipe. It uses the reverse creaming method for a super soft and fluffy texture.

Make the Vanilla Cupcakes

1. Make sure your butter, eggs, and milk are all at room temperature before beginning.  Preheat your oven to 335°F / 170°C and line two muffin pans with cupcake liners.  (If you only have one muffin pan you can bake the cupcakes in batches). 
2. Split the milk into two containers, one with ½ cup of milk (118g) and one with ¾ cup of milk (177g).
3. Mix the ½ cup of milk with the vegetable oil and set aside.  Mix the ¾ cup of milk with the eggs and vanilla. Whisk together lightly and set aside.

4. Sift the dry ingredients, including flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer and turn on low with a paddle attachment. You can use a handheld electric mixer and a large bowl for this if you prefer. 
5. Slowly add the butter, one small chunk at a time, letting it mix for a few seconds in between additions. Once it's all in it should look kind of like chunky breadcrumbs.

6. Add the milk/oil mixture and turn your mixer up to medium speed. Beat for exactly two minutes. It's best to turn your mixer speed up slowly so the liquids don't splash everywhere. 

7. Scrape the sides of your bowl to make sure there are no lumps, then turn the mixer back on low.  Pour the milk/egg mixture in slowly and mix on low speed until just combined.

8. Divide the cupcake batter into 24 cupcake liners. I like to use a large cookie scoop to make sure I have an even amount in each cupcake.  
9. Bake cupcakes for 18 minutes or until the tops are springy and a skewer comes out clean.  Let the cupcakes sit in the muffin pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. 

Make The Easy Buttercream Frosting

Russian Buttercream is a super easy, 2-ingredient frosting that creates a luxurious, glossy texture and takes on color and flavor very well.  You can mix it with things like raspberry reduction or espresso powder to make a flavored frosting, like in my Raspberry Cupcakes and my Coffee Cupcakes, or you can just leave it plain. 

It's super simple to make, but it is vital that the butter is at the right temperature.  I have detailed information on how to make it, along with a troubleshooting guide in my Russian Buttercream Recipe post.

1. Put the room temperature butter in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on high for 5 full minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
2. Turn the mixer down to medium speed and slowly drizzle in ⅓ of the condensed milk while it's going - whip until totally incorporated. Repeat until all the condensed milk is added.
3. Add vanilla and salt and then beat on high speed for 1 minute. The buttercream should look thick and glossy.  If it doesn't, check the troubleshooting guide in this post. 
4. If you are adding food coloring or flavoring, add it now and whip until incorporated.

How to Decorate Valentine's Cupcakes

This is the part where you can really tailor the cupcakes to your valentine. Here are some tips and ideas for decorating.

How To Color Buttercream Frosting

• Use a gel food coloring to make sure the color is vibrant without adding too much liquid.
  
• Add the color after the frosting is fully whipped, then mix just until evenly distributed.
  
• Use a toothpick or the end of a teaspoon to add the gel color gradually, as it is very strong - add a little at a time until it reaches the shade you want.

How To Frost Cupcakes

If you want that classic cupcake swirl as I have in the pictures, you can use a piping bag and an open star tip. Alternatively, you can just spread the frosting on with a palette knife. 

Decoration Ideas

To finish off, add some heart sprinkles, fresh berries, or edible glitter for a cute Valentine's touch.  

If you'd like to go an extra step, why not add some chocolate-covered strawberries on top of your Valentine's cupcakes?  Or you could temper some chocolate and pipe some chocolate in the shape of a heart to place on top of the frosting. 

Flavor Variations

There are so many variations you can make of these Valentine's cupcakes.

• Alternative Flavors - I used a classic vanilla cupcake for my Valentine's cupcakes, some ideas to try are Red Velvet Cupcakes, Strawberry Cupcakes, or even fluffy Chocolate cupcakes.

• Alternative Frostings - There are so many types of frosting to choose from - try a marshmallow frosting or chocolate buttercream instead.  If you want to keep the pink color, you could do a white chocolate ganache with a little food coloring in it. 

• Add a Filling - For a fun surprise center, add a filling to your cupcakes.  You could try a berry coulis, as I have in my Raspberry Cupcakes, or a delicious Pistachio Cream. You could even fill them with Nutella or caramel sauce - whatever makes the perfect treat for your Valentine!

Storage

Store your cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature.  For best results, line the base of the container with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture.  

The cupcakes will be good like this for 3 to 5 days.  Don't put them in the fridge as this will dry them out. 

More Valentine's Dessert Recipes

If you're in the baking mood this February 14th, check out some of these other Valentine's Day desserts!