Description
Celebrate Mardi Gras with these festive King Cake Cupcakes featuring a tender vanilla cupcake base swirled with cinnamon sugar, topped with rich cream cheese icing and colorful purple, green, and gold sanding sugars. Perfect for bringing the vibrant spirit of New Orleans to your dessert table.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Cinnamon Swirl:
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1-2 tablespoons milk (optional, for consistency)
For Decoration:
- Purple, green, and gold sanding sugars
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners to prepare for baking.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract together until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold with a rubber spatula until just combined, being careful not to overmix to maintain cupcake tenderness.
- Create Cinnamon Swirl: In a small bowl, mix the light brown sugar and ground cinnamon together to create the cinnamon sugar mixture. Melted butter is prepared but not explicitly used here; it can be optionally brushed onto batter if desired.
- Assemble Cupcakes: Spoon approximately 2 tablespoons of batter into each cupcake liner. Sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over this batter layer. Then top with more batter to fill each liner about two-thirds full, creating a swirl effect during baking.
- Bake: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake the cupcakes for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for five minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Make Icing: In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and softened butter together until smooth. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar, beating well between additions until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. If needed, add milk one tablespoon at a time to reach the desired light and fluffy consistency.
- Decorate: Once the cupcakes are completely cooled, liberally frost each with the cream cheese icing. Immediately sprinkle the frosted cupcakes with purple, green, and gold sanding sugars to evoke Mardi Gras colors and festive flair.
Notes
- Ensure eggs are at room temperature for best batter consistency.
- Do not overmix the batter to keep cupcakes tender and light.
- Use sifted powdered sugar to avoid lumps in the icing.
- For extra cinnamon flavor, you may swirl the cinnamon sugar mixture gently into the cupcake batter with a toothpick before baking.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
