Vanilla Cupcakes With Chocolate Frosting
These Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting are soft, fluffy, and perfectly sweet—a classic combination that never goes out of style. Made with simple pantry staples, the cupcakes are light and tender with a rich, buttery vanilla flavor. They're topped with a creamy, smooth chocolate frosting that’s rich and indulgent without being overly sweet. Whether you're baking for a birthday, holiday, or just because, these cupcakes are always a hit!
Equipment
- Stand or Hand Mixer
- 12-cup Muffin Tin
Ingredients
For the vanilla cupcakes:
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ⅔ cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ⅛ cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup buttermilk at room temperature
For the Frosting:
- ½ cup cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioner's or powdered sugar sifted
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder sifted
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream slightly warmed
- ½ cup dark chocolate melted
Instructions
For the Frosting:
- In a large bowl using a hand whisk or an electric mixer at high beat the cream cheese and butter until softened.
- With the mixer on low speed add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat well.
- Add the slightly warmed heavy cream and melted chocolate and beat for 3-4 minutes until well combined or until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- Refrigerate the frosting for 30-40 minutes until thick enough to pipe.
For The Vanilla Cupcakes:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cavity cupcake tins with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl stir together the cake flour, salt and baking powder.
- In a large mixing bowl beat the softened butter and granulated sugar on high until the mixture is light and fluffy and turns a very pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs in one at time, scraping down the bowl in between each addition. Add the vanilla bean paste.
- Alternate mixing in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk in 2 batches, starting with the buttermilk and ending with the dry ingredients. Do not Overmix the batter.
- Use a large cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly into the prepared cupcake tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the cupcakes are lightly golden brown and spring back when pressed.
- Take out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Assemble The Cupcakes:
- Transfer the prepared chocolate frosting to a piping bag and pipe a big dollop on top of each cupcake. Optionally top the cupcakes with sprinkles and enjoy!
Notes
- If the frosting feels too thick you can add a little bit of heavy cream to thin it out.
- If you prefer your frosting to be on the sweeter side you can add an additional ¼ cup of icing sugar.
- Ensure the cupcakes are cooled completely before frosting.
- Be careful not to over-mix the cupcake batter. Only mix until you see no specs of flour in the batter.
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