Valentine’s Day is coming up and these White Chocolate Valentine Cupcakes are a delightful way to celebrate with your family and friends! And with a change of decorations and food coloring, they can be enjoyed all year long.
The white chocolate Valentine cupcakes are light and lovely and filled with a decadent white chocolate ganache – a surprise in every bite! Then the whole thing is topped with a beautiful lemon kissed buttercream frosting. This is a dessert that will have people reaching for seconds and thirds!
This recipe is a long one because there are three components, the cupcakes, filling, and frosting. Take each one and get done what you can ahead. You will need to cool both the cupcakes and white chocolate ganache which will give you some breathing room before you finish frosting and decorating the cupcakes.
Feel free to bake the cupcakes a day ahead and store in an airtight container. The frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance and held in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Return to room temperature before frosting the cupcakes.
After you bake the white chocolate Valentine cupcakes, be sure to fully cool them before trying to take a core out of the top. You don’t want to risk having them collapse. When they are ready using a cupcake corer makes the task simple and fun. You can use a knife or a watermelon baller, but for the money, I think the corer is worth keeping in your drawer.
To use a cupcake corer, center it on the top of the cupcake and press straight down. Then twist it a few times and carefully lift it straight up. Remove the core from the tool and set aside. These are a great way to test your cupcakes ahead of serving them. I love nibbling on the cores!
When you are using a piping bag and tip to decorate your cupcakes, there is a trick to filling the bag. Cut the tip of the bag off just deep enough that the tip will slide through but fit snuggly in the bag. Set the bag and tip into a tall glass to help support the bag as you fill it. Fold the top of the piping bag back to create a deep cuff. Slide your hand under the cuff and use a spatula to scoop the frosting into the bag.
Then twist the top of the bag until tightly closed and use your non dominant hand to hold the bag closed and press the frosting down and into the tip. Use your dominant hand to guide the bag and tip as you pipe the frosting. Keep twisting the top, forcing the frosting down and keeping the bag tightly closed.
If you are new to piping frosting, you can practice on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper, then scrape the frosting back into the bowl and try again. You can practice as much as you want and still have frosting to decorate your cake or cupcakes!
These White Chocolate Valentine Cupcakes are extremely flexible and with a change of colors and decorations you can serve these all year long. Enjoy every bite and have a lovely Valentine’s Day! Happy Chocolate Monday!
If you try this recipe, let me know! 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 White Chocolate Valentine Cupcakes:
- Cupcakes: flour, baking powder, xanthan gum (if gluten free), salt
- Baking soda, butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla
- White Chocolate Filling: white chocolate, butter, heavy cream
- Buttercream Frosting: butter, powdered sugar, lemon juice & zest
PRO Tip:
When piping cupcakes my favorite piping tips to use are the 1M and 2D. Both will give you beautiful ruffle-style decorations.
PRO Tip:
If your buttercream has a yellow hue from the butter, you can offset this by using a tiny amount of violet coloring. If you are using gel, dip a toothpick in the coloring just a touch and stir that into your buttercream and it will become white! You can repeat if needed until you are happy with the color.
How to make White Chocolate Valentine Cupcakes:
- Prepare the Cupcakes: Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and set aside. Beat the butter and sugar together with your mixer, then beat on high until light and fluffy, 6 to 8 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Reduce speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl and beater(s).
- Alternating, add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Mix in the vanilla, scrape the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds. Scoop the batter into about 15 lined cupcake tins, each about 2/3 full. Bake at 350°F (177°C) for 18 to 20 minutes, spinning the pans halfway through, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
- Make the Filling: In a bowl set over a saucepan with 2 inches of boiling water in the bottom, place the chopped white chocolate, butter, and cream. Melt together stirring often. When smooth, set aside to cool to room temperature.
- When cool, beat with your mixer on medium-high speed until white and thicker. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with your favorite piping tip. Take the core out of the top of each cupcake and fill with the white chocolate whipped ganache. Set aside while you make the frosting.
- For the Frosting: Beat the butter until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and beater(s). Add 3/4 of the sugar, 1/2 cup at a time for 3 additions, beating well after each addition. Then mix in the lemon juice and zest. Beat on medium for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add final 1/2 cup of the sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
- To Decorate: If you are using sprinkles or other decorations, spread the frosting with the back of a knife over the top of each cupcake. If you want to pipe the frosting, fill a piping bag fitted with your favorite piping tip and cover each cupcake. Decorate as desired and store in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two; refrigerate for longer storage.
PRO Tip:
When piping you want your buttercream very thick. To test if it is the right consistency, scoop a spoonful and turn it upside down. If you have to shake the spoon vigorously before it releases the frosting, it is perfect for piping.
PRO Tip:
If you are new to piping frosting, you can practice on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper, then scrape the frosting back into the bowl and try again. You can practice as much as you want and still have frosting to decorate your cake or cupcakes!
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Kitchen scale
- Citrus reamer
- Grater/zester
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Cookie scoop
- Cupcake corer or watermelon baller
- Large piping tips and piping bags
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 gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup 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 All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
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.
White Chocolate Valentine Cupcakes (Gluten Free)
These vanilla cupcakes are light and lovely and filled with a decadent white chocolate ganache - a surprise in every bite! Then the whole thing is topped with a beautiful lemon kissed buttercream frosting. This is a dessert that will have people reaching for seconds and thirds!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1-1/2 cups (180g) gluten-free flour blend* or cake flour (see Note below**)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher or fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp cardamom, optional
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (only if using a gluten-free flour blend that doesn't already contain it)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 4 oz; 113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (100g)
- 1/2 cup (113g) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
White Chocolate Ganache Filling
- 4 oz (113 g) high quality white chocolate bar, chopped (such as Lindt or Ghirardelli bar)
- 2 tbsp (28 g) unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) heavy cream
Lemon Buttercream Frosting
- 1 cup (2 sticks; 220 g) lightly salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (227g) sifted powdered sugar
- 2 tsp fresh lemon zest, from about 1 lemon
- 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, from about 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Cupcakes: Line about 15 cupcake pans with paper liners and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom (if using). Add xanthan if needed for your gluten-free flour. Whisk until well blended. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until combined, then increase the speed to high and beat until very light and fluffy, about 6 to 8 minutes, scraping the bowl and beater(s) occasionally. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl and beater(s).
- Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the bowl and beat until fully incorporated. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk, again mixing until incorporated before adding half of the remaining flour, the remaining buttermilk, and the final portion of flour mixing after each addition. Always begin and end with the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla and beat it in. Scrape the bowl and beater(s) and mix for another 30 seconds.
- Use a cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly between all the muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Depending on how full you fill your cupcake liners, you should wind up with about 15 cupcakes.
- Transfer to the hot oven and bake for 12 minutes, then spin the pans front to back and move the pan on the top rack to the bottom and the pan on the bottom rack to the top. Bake for another 8 minutes or until the tops are golden and the center springs back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool thoroughly.
- For the White Chocolate Ganache: Set a bowl over a saucepan with an inch or two of boiling water in the bottom. Add the chopped white chocolate, butter, and heavy cream to the bowl. Melt everything together, stirring often to avoid scorching. Remove the ganache from the heat and set aside on a kitchen towel.
- Let the ganache cool to room temperature, then beat with your mixer on medium-high speed until paler in color and fluffy, at least 4 minutes – just let the machine run until white and glossy, no longer translucent. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip or tip of your choice.
- Use a cupcake corer or watermelon baller to cut the center out of the top of each cupcake. Pipe the white chocolate ganache into the hole. Set the cupcakes aside while you make the frosting.
- Prepare the Frosting: In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beater paddle.
- Add 1-1/2 cups of the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, beating 2 minutes between each addition. Then add the lemon juice and zest. Beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. If it starts to get too dry, add a little milk (about 1 tsp), beating until creamy. Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy.
- Tip: If you are piping the frosting, you want it thick enough to hold the design. To tell if it is at the right consistency, take a spoonful and hold it upside down. It should stay on the spoon. Try to shake it off, and if it needs a vigorous shaking to get it to fall, it is perfect for piping!
- To Decorate the Cupcakes: If you are using sprinkles or other decorations, you can spread the frosting smoothly on the cupcakes with the back of a knife. Or you can use a piping bag and tip for a fancier design. Varying the tips you use will create beautiful decorations with a variety of designs. if you want to learn how to make frosting roses, I like the videos from Cakes by Lynz and you can check out her YouTube video here. She will walk you through all the steps to create four different styles of simple rosebud decorations for your cupcakes. If you want to see what four other tips will create, here is another of her videos for you. With a little practice, you’ll soon be piping like a pro!
- Store the cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or two; refrigerate for longer storage.
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 choices.
** How to Make your own cake flour: Pre-sift your flour. Measure out the amount of cake flour you will need and place it in a bowl. For every 1-cup of flour you use, take out 2 tbsp of the flour. Replace the 2 tbsp of flour you removed with 2 tbsp of cornstarch. Sift the cornstarch and flour together at least 5 times. The cornstarch needs to be completely integrated. The more completely you sift it together, the more light and fluffy the cake flour will be, perfect for making that marvelous melt-in-your-mouth cake. Note that this step isn't required when you use gluten-free flour blends. There is no risk of gluten toughening the cake.
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.
Ganache from In Bloom Bakery
Cake adapted from Nancie McDermott’s Southern Cake Cookbook
Frosting adapted from Elise of My Cupcake Addiction
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 263mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 5g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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