Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting are lush and positively addicting. Just the right balance of sweetness with the slight tang that the cream cheese adds as well as creaminess in both the cupcakes and frosting. These are perfect for special occasions (change the sprinkles as desired) or for an after-school treat. You can’t go wrong with indulgent cupcakes.
Cupcakes are such a great dessert or sweet treat, just the right size for any time of the day. And they are endlessly variable, mixing and matching the frostings and cake flavors. Plus they bake in no time and cool quickly. You can easily have these ready by the time your kids get home from school!
Today’s cupcakes have cream cheese in them helping to keep them extra moist and tender. The slight tanginess of the cream cheese helps offset the sweetness, giving you a beautiful bite.
I love vanilla, almost more than chocolate, and this is a recipe where the vanilla is front and center. This is the time to pull out the vanilla bean paste if you have it. It is a thicker version of vanilla extract with the vanilla seeds suspended in a gel medium. It gives a blast of vanilla flavor in every bite. I use vanilla paste almost exclusively these days, I love the bold flavor it gives my baked goods.
The cupcakes smell amazing when they are baking, filling your home with the most delicious aromas! Be prepared for drooling, LOL.
They may be small but they are bold in flavor and beautifully balanced. These cupcakes are dangerous!
The White Chocolate Frosting is totally addicting. It is the perfect counterpoint to the cupcakes and the balance with the cupcakes makes these irresistible. If you like cream cheese frosting on things like red velvet cake, you’re going to love these cupcakes.
To melt the white chocolate for the frosting, I microwaved white chocolate chips in three 30-second bursts. The pieces will look like nothing has happened, but give it a stir and they will be beautifully melted and smooth. Scrape it into the bowl with the butter and cream cheese to beat them together.
I chose bright rainbow colored paper cupcake liners and colorful sprinkles on top to celebrate a birthday or any summer event. These would be great served at barbecues, picnics, potlucks, and of course parties. The kids will LOVE them!
If you are looking for a new dessert, give these Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting a try. They will bring a smile to everyone’s face the minute they see them. Dive in and enjoy every bite!
If you try this recipe, let me know! Please leave a star rating in the recipe card, comment below, and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it @theheritagecook on Instagram! Seeing your creations makes my day and I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting:
- Cupcakes: flour*, cake flour (see pro tip below), baking powder, salt, xanthan gum, unsalted butter, cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla, whole milk, water
- Frosting: cream cheese, unsalted butter, white chocolate, confectioners’ sugar, salt, vanilla
PRO Tip: Make Your Own Cake Flour
You can easily make your own cake flour, no need to buy a special ingredient! For every cup of flour, remove 2 tbsp of the flour and add 2 tbsp of cornstarch (corn flour). Whisk together very well to be sure the cornstarch is evenly distributed. For this recipe which calls for 1/2-cup cake flour, measure out the 1/2 cup of your all-purpose flour or GF all-purpose flour, remove 1 tbsp and replace it with 1 tbsp cornstarch. Whisk well and add to the other dry ingredients.
How to make Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting:
- Make the Cupcakes: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if you are using a hand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, and sugar together for about 4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then half the dry ingredients, mixing just to combine. Add the milk and beat in, then the rest of the dry ingredients. Add the water and mix until combined.
- Use a scoop to portion the batter into 12 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 15 to 22 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from the oven, let sit in the pan for a minute then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Prepare the Frosting: Using an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese, butter, and melted white chocolate until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt and mix in. Add the sugar, half at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition. When it is all incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high until light and fluffy.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, such as a 1M, and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle the tops with decorations if desired.
PRO Tip:
Creating the beautifully piped cupcakes that are so popular and seen all over the Internet isn’t as impossible as it may seem. The biggest trick is to use the right piping tips – get large or jumbo tips for the best, easiest fancy piping of cupcakes.
PRO Tip: How to Fill a Piping Bag
The easiest way to fill a piping bag is to get a heavy-bottomed tall glass and set it on the counter. Place your piping tip in the bag and secure it in the point of the bag. Set the bag in the glass. Fold over the top of the bag to create a large cuff and fold the cuff over the edges of the glass. Scoop the frosting into the bag using the edge of the glass to scrape the frosting into the bag. Press or shake the frosting down into the tip, twist the top closed and you’re ready for piping!
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- Mixing bowls
- Muffin pan
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Cookie scoop
- Piping bags
- Large piping tips
Gluten-Free Tips:
* You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of flour or regular flour, whisk it, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial gluten-free blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.
You will get the best and most consistent results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.
Be sure the sprinkles you use are gluten free. And only add xanthan gum if your gluten-free flour blend doesn’t contain it already.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting (GF)
Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting are lush and positively addicting. Just the right balance of sweetness with the slight tang that the cream cheese adds as well as creaminess in both the cupcakes and frosting. These are perfect for special occasions (change the sprinkles as desired) or for an after-school treat. You can’t go wrong with succulent cupcakes.
Ingredients
Vanilla Cupcakes
- 1 cup (120g*) gluten-free all-purpose flour* or regular all-purpose flour, like Gold Medal
- 1/2 cup (60g*) cake flour or more gluten-free flour*
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal preferred)
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (only if your GF blend doesn’t contain it); do not use with regular all-purpose flour
- 6 tbsp (3/4 stick; 85g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 oz (57g; 1/4 of an 8 oz brick) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup (113g) whole milk
- 50 ml (about 3-1/2 tbsp) water
White Chocolate Frosting
- 8 oz (1 brick; 227g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 8 tbsp (1 stick; 113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (85g) chopped white chocolate, melted in the microwave
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
- Pinch kosher salt (Diamond Crystal preferred)
- 3-1/4 cups (367g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
2. Whisk together the all-purpose and cake flours, baking powder, salt, and xanthan (if using) in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined, then add the milk and mix until just combined. Finish with the remaining flour mixture. Add the water and mix until fully incorporated, do not overmix.
4. Using a medium cookie scoop, portion cupcake batter into lined cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 22 minutes, until golden brown and a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs on it. Remove cupcakes from the oven and let sit in the pan for a minute. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
5. Make the Frosting: While the cupcakes are cooling, beat the cream cheese, butter, and melted white chocolate together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt, beating until combined. Add half the confectioners’ sugar, thoroughly mixing. Add remaining sugar and mix in, then whip for a minute to make it light and fluffy. You want it thick enough that it will not easily shake off a spoon when held upside down. Add more sugar if needed to get the right consistency.
6. Scoop frosting into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (such as a 1M) and pipe frosting onto the cupcakes (see PRO Tip above for guidance in filling the piping bag). Decorate the tops with sprinkles, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
7. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before serving.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
* You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good gluten-free choices.
You will get the best results by using a digital kitchen scale and weighing your ingredients, especially when you are baking. And use grams, they are much more accurate than pounds and ounces.
The frosting can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Adapted from a recipe by Cheryl of Pook's Pantry
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 455Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 384mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 12g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
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