Happy Joe Cain Day to everyone around here! Happy Valentine’s Day to the rest of you!
I know a lot of people hate Valentine’s Day but I actually kind of love it. Not because it’s a day of love blah blah blah but because it’s an excuse to put hearts on everything and I heart hearts. I really didn’t want to do too much for V-Day (Hello lazy!) but I did want to use these cupcake wrappers and the sprinkles that I snatched up as soon as Target put their Valentine’s stuff out. So I decided on plain vanilla cupcakes and some cinnamon buttercream for a little spice.
The cupcakes were amazing. The cake was so soft and delicious, and the cinnamon buttercream is my favorite. I wish someone had told me how life changing cinnamon buttercream is. I’m already thinking about the next cake I’ll pair with it.
Vanilla Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream
For the cupcakes:
- 1 ¾ cups cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the buttercream:
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 4 cups powdered sugar (sifted)
- 3 – 4 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
- In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
- Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about ⅔ full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter.
To make the buttercream:
- Beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar a ½ cup at a time until completely incorporated, adding up to 4 tablespoons of milk when the icing gets to thick. Add vanilla and cinnamon and beat until just combined.
PR says
beautiful decorated! what frosting tip did you use to decorate with?
amanda says
Oh man, I wish I remembered. It’s one of the smaller flower tips (I wanna say a 2 from Wilton) and I moved the bag very slowly to get that almost-lacy look. Thanks for commenting! :)
Jess says
You’re cupcakes are so perfectly round! Mine never turn out that way; I’d love to know what you do to help them bake up like that!
amanda says
I always “overfill” my baking cups just a bit and I think that helps them get that nice round shape. Like, if it says 3/4 of the way full, I do just under all the way full. Sometimes it makes a mess but when it works out, you get those big, beautiful cupcakes.
Thanks for commenting! :)
Violet HG says
What’s the temperature that you need to preheat the oven at in degrees celsius?
amanda says
I would be 162 degrees Celsius. Thanks for commenting!
jill says
how many does it make, one dozen or 2?
amanda says
The original recipe says 30. I halved it with great results, just in case you don’t want 30 cupcakes sitting around. ;)
Katie says
Will this icing recipe cover all 30 cupcakes (piped)?
amanda says
I want to say yes but if you’re like me and like a lot of buttercream, you might want to double it. At least. ;)
Eliana says
The cinnamon buttercream sounds super delish alongside the vanilla cupcakes (which btw look super cute with the hearts)
.-= Eliana´s last blog ..Coconut Cake with Chocolate Chunks and Coconut Drizzle =-.
megan says
these look delicious!! I LOVE icing. lots of times i eat the icing without the cake. These look so festive and professional too. can’t wait for a reason to try these :)
.-= megan´s last blog ..Giant Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies =-.
Liz says
I am the same way about Valentine’s Day – I love it! Not for the greeting card side of it, but more for the kitschy, I can decorate everything in pink and red hearts side of it :)
These cupcakes sound amazing and look beautiful. Vanilla + cinnamon is a heavenly combination. Yum!
.-= Liz´s last blog ..Love is in the Air =-.
Memoria says
These cupcakes are perfect! Wow. You need to teach me how to pipe frosting haha.
Joy says
They are gorgeous!!! I have been looking for a great cupcake recipe FOREVER so will have to give these ones a try – I love you have frosted them… so pretty!! :)
.-= Joy´s last blog ..The Lighthouse Victoria Point – Fantastic Fish and Chips =-.
Katie says
They sound so good I could cry! Cinnamon makes everything better <3
Katie xox
.-= Katie´s last blog ..Double Melissa =-.