Almond Cupcakes
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Introducing the epitome of wedding bliss: White Almond Cupcakes! These fluffy cupcakes are adorned with the timeless flavors of almond and slathered in a delectable almond buttercream frosting.
These white almond cupcakes have the ease of cupcakes, one of my favorite desserts, but the sophistication of a Parisian pastry. They are a perfect and festive alternative to a traditional wedding cake. These white almond cupcakes are also great for baby showers, wedding showers, or a regular Tuesday.
I love a good cupcake. It’s the perfect size – just enough of a treat but not too much, with the ideal ratio of cake to frosting. I’ve made cupcakes with all sorts of flavor variations. Red velvet, carrot cake cupcakes, strawberry cupcakes and even banana cupcakes. I have yet to meet a cupcake I don’t like.
These almond cupcakes are light and fluffy and filled with almond flavor. They are easy to make, but look like they were created by someone wearing a chef’s coat. I love to decorate these with white sprinkles and silver balls for an extra elegant flair.
When my parents would go to a wedding, I would stay up late waiting for them to come home and bring me the wedding favor. I loved the little bags of Jordan almonds – the candy coated vanilla flavored almonds seemed so sophisticated.
These cupcakes are my attempt to capture that special, subtle elegance of the almonds that came in little organza bags with satin bows. I think I succeeded!
This recipe uses my standard vanilla cupcake recipe, modified to include almond flavor. My buttercream frosting has also been modified to have a hint of almond. Pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes, and decorate them with white sprinkles and silver balls. Voila! Wedding cupcakes.
They don’t have to be just for parties. Cover these in rainbow sprinkles or skip the sprinkles altogether and these make the perfect after-school treat.
However you decorate them – you’ll be thrilled with the result. Making these divine treats is a breeze, ensuring a harmonious blend of simplicity and sophistication.
Recipe Snapshot
- TASTE: Vanilla and almond flavor
- TEXTURE: Light and fluffy
- EASE: Easy!
- TIME: 30 minutes
What You’ll Need
These cupcakes are a version of my moist vanilla cake. They contain oil and buttermilk so they are even more tender than the cake, and contain a bit of almond flavoring for a subtly sophisticated spin.
Ingredients
- Oil: Use a flavorless oil like canola or vegetable oil for the best results.
- Butter: Unsalted sweet cream butter is what I tested the recipe with and it’s fantastic.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar for sweetness in the cake batter, powdered sugar adds smooth sweetness to the frosting.
- Eggs: The eggs help hold the cupcakes together as well as add richness.
- Vanilla: I used homemade vanilla extract but any high-quality pure vanilla will work. Vanilla bean paste is also a great option if you want more flavor.
- Almond: Use a high-quality almond extract or marzipan paste for almond flavor.
- Flour: Cake flour will be your best friend with this recipe. Its low protein content keeps gluten development to a minimum. This ensures a soft, supple cake texture.
- Leavening: Baking powder and baking soda are both used in the recipe so the cupcakes rise tall and fluffy.
- Salt: Just a little salt is added to balance the flavors.
- Buttermilk: This is key! Use full-fat buttermilk. The low-fat kind or regular milk simply won’t provide the best results.
- Heavy Cream: Just a little, to smooth out the buttercream frosting.
Recommended Tools
- Muffin Pan: This recipe yields 30 cupcakes so you’ll need three regular muffin pans lined with cupcake liners.
- Mixing bowl: Pyrex glass bowls are my favorite.
- Mixer: A stand mixer is what I use most but a handheld electric mixer will also work just fine.
How to Make Almond Cupcakes
These cupcakes are very easy to make. Before you begin, make sure to let the eggs, buttermilk, and butter come to room temperature. Set them out about 1 hour before you plan to make the cupcakes. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line three 12-cup cupcake pans with paper liners.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
Make the Cupcakes
- Cream the oil, butter, sugar, and eggs. In a large bowl, beat these ingredients on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts last.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir with a whisk and add half to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until the flour is almost fully incorporated. Add the buttermilk followed by the remaining flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Don’t overmix or it will become tough.
- Bake the cupcakes. Fill each muffin cup ¾ of the way full and bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool. Cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
Make the Frosting
- Cream the butter. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and pale in color, about 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar. Add half the powdered sugar and beat on low speed just until the sugar has fully moistened, then turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until well incorporated, about 3-5 minutes. Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and do the same.
- Add the vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Then turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until the cream is well incorporated, about 3-5 minutes. Add more cream, ½ tablespoon at a time, if needed. The frosting should be soft and spreadable but not so loose that it doesn’t hold its shape.
Handy tip:
This frosting can be made ahead, believe it or not! It will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Just bring the buttercream to room temperature by setting it out on the counter for a couple of hours, then beat it with an electric mixer if needed. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months! When ready to use, place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw then follow previous instructions.
Tips For Success
- I have an entire post dedicated to making American buttercream. Head over to see my best tips and tricks before whipping up your own.
- Use quality ingredients! It’s important to choose the best ingredients possible. High-quality flour, butter, vanilla, etc. will make all the difference in the end results.
- Properly measure the flour. Don’t scoop the flour directly out of the bag with the measuring cup. Since flour compacts, this method will add too much flour to the recipe.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Over-mixing will cause gluten to develop and this is why cupcakes come out dense.
Storage & Freezing
- The cupcakes can be made 1 day in advance before frosting. Cover and refrigerate each overnight. Frost the cupcakes the next day.
- Or the cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and frost as desired.
- Keep frosted cupcakes covered and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Bring it to room temperature just before serving.
Almond Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- ½ cup (120 ml) canola oil, or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- 2 ¾ cups (330 g) cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk, room temperature
For the frosting
- 1 ½ cups (339 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 cups (480 g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°Line three 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, beat the oil, butter, and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for 20 seconds after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir with a whisk and add half to the butter mixture. Beat on low speed until the flour is almost fully incorporated. Add the buttermilk followed by the remaining flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Take care not to over mix.
- Fill each muffin cup ¾ of the way full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with few moist crumbs attached. Take care to not over-bake.
- Cool for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy and pale in color, about 5 minutes.
- Add half the confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed just until the sugar has fully moistened, then turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until well incorporated, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the remaining confectioners’ sugar and beat on low speed just until the sugar has fully moistened, then turn the speed up to medium-high and beat until well incorporated, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Turn the mixer on low speed and slowly add 3 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until the cream is well incorporated, about 3-5 minutes. (After 2 minutes stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl then continue mixing.)
- Check the consistency of the frosting and add more cream, ½ tablespoon at a time, if needed. The frosting should be soft and spreadable but not so loose that it doesn’t hold its shape.
Notes
- The cupcakes can be made 1 day in advance before frosting. Cover and refrigerate each overnight. Frost the cupcakes the next day.
- Or the cupcakes can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and frost as desired.
- Keep frosted cupcakes covered and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Bring it to room temperature just before serving.
- Frosting will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You must let the buttercream come to room temperature by setting it out on the counter for a couple of hours, then beat it with an electric mixer if needed.
- Or the frosting can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to use, place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Let stand at room temperature to soften before use.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
They look amazing! Can’t wait to make them. Thanks for sharing.