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These Mini Cupcakes are my favorite traditional cupcake recipe but bite size! The classic vanilla cupcakes with any frosting (especially chocolate) are great for parties of any kind – little 2-bite cupcakes that taste amazing.
Who doesn’t love a mini version of something great? This Mini Cupcake Recipe turns my favorite cupcakes mini by using a mini muffin pan and mini cupcake liners. These soft cupcakes are traditional and delicious, but tiny! Made from my vanilla cupcakes, I love serving these are large gatherings because they make more and people feel like they can eat a few since they’re small. They’re so good with the perfect tender crumb and sweet flavor.
Ingredients Needed
- Sugar: This recipe calls for granulated sugar. If you are making frosting, you may need powdered sugar (also known as confectioners’ sugar).
- Buttermilk: Check the recipe card to learn how to make buttermilk at home! But you can also use any kind of milk (or nondairy milk).
- Butter: I always start my yellow cake batter with melted unsalted butter – it keeps the cupcakes nice and moist.
How to make Mini Cupcakes
- Make your cake batter in a large mixing bowl following the instructions.
- Divide batter among mini cupcake liners, filling 2/3 full. I like using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to divide the batter.
- Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.
Variations
- You can make mini cupcakes out of my chocolate cake or chocolate cupcakes recipe – just figure you’ll get about 2-3 times the amount of mini cupcakes, and the baking time will be shorter.
- Make an easy chocolate frosting with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and heavy whipping cream. These are also delicious with vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting.
Expert Tips
- If you do not want to use buttermilk, you can substitute for any other kind of milk, even nondairy.
- You can even make these into funfetti cupcakes by adding some sprinkles.
- To get good mini piping on the cupcakes, I used Wilton 1M open star tip for the piping bags.
Storing Cupcakes
- Store Mini Cupcakes at room temperature in an airtight container – however once frosted I usually refrigerate them (especially if using cream cheese frosting).
- You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container, and frosting in a separate container, for several months and thaw and frost as desired.
- If you want to freeze frosted cupcakes, place on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Freeze, then place in an airtight container with enough room for the frosting.
Mini Cupcakes Recipe
These are a classic cupcake recipe, but MINI! You can make double the cupcakes and they are so fun. Add any frosting of choice on top!
Recipe Video
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter , melted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ¾ cup (178ml) buttermilk (or combine 3/4 cup milk + 1 teaspoon white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)
Frosting Options:
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Peanut Butter Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line mini cupcake pans with cupcake liners.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Add melted butter to a large bowl and mix in sugar with a hand mixer for 30 seconds until thick and yellow. Add eggs one at at time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
- Add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Don’t over mix!
- Divide batter among liners, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 9-14 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.
- Frost cupcakes as desired (chocolate frosting shown piped using a Wilton 1M open star tip).
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute any kind of milk (or nondairy milk) for the buttermilk.
- You can substitute gluten-free 1:1 AP flour
- You can substitute oil or melted vegan butter sticks for a dairy-free cupcake.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature (if it’s very warm, refrigerate but serve at room temp).
- Cupcakes can be frozen with or without frosting
Recipe Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 26mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 83IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
