Mini Funfetti Cupcakes

December 2, 2020

What’s better than funfetti cupcakes? TINY funfetti cupcakes! These little one-bite cuties are just the right amount of sweetness and are just the right size to share with all of your friends (but you don't have to if you don’t want to). I made these for a friend’s son’s third birthday party and the funfetti was a big hit with the toddler crowd (shocker, right? lol). 

This funfetti recipe is great for last minute celebrations because it comes together very quickly with ingredients that you likely have on hand already. You’ll be ready to party before you know it. These mini cupcakes will bring back memories of the funfetti cake mix we all grew up, but they taste way better, I promise. The cake is moist and fluffy, and the vanilla really shines through in the frosting.  

If you prefer regular sized cupcakes, this recipe will make a dozen. It’s also easy to scale down if you want a half-batch (6 regular sized cupcakes or 24 minis).  

recipe

Recipe from Sugar Spun Run’s Pinata Cupcakes and Vanilla Frosting

Time: ~1.5 hours

Quantity: ~48 mini cupcakes (or 12 regular size cupcakes)

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

• 56 g (1/4 cup) butter, softened

• 60 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)

• 150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar 

• 2 eggs 

• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla 

• 188 g (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 151 ml (2/3 cup) buttermilk (see tips below)

• 1/4 cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles 

Frosting

• 226 g (1 cup) butter, softened 

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 375 g (3 cups) powdered sugar 

• 1 teaspoon vanilla 

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream, if necessary

• Heart sprinkles for decoration (optional)

Process:

Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a mini cupcake tin with mini cupcake liners. 

2. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine the butter, oil and sugar until well-combined. 

3. Add salt, vanilla, baking powder and eggs and mix until light and fluffy. 

4. Add flour and buttermilk in alternating additions, beginning and ending with flour, incorporating well after each addition. 

5. Before fully incorporating the last addition of flour, add the sprinkles to the batter and finish mixing. 

6. Use a 2 tablespoon scoop to fill each cupcake cavity about 3/4 full, being careful not to overfill. 

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Frosting

1. While the cupcakes cool, make the frosting. 

2. In a large bowl, mix butter with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. 

3. Add the confectioners’ sugar in two or three batches, mixing until well combined. You may need to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. 

4. Add the vanilla and salt and mix until combined. 

5. If the frosting is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk, repeating until you’ve reached your desired consistency. I try to avoid adding the milk, because it’s easy to go too far in the other direction and end up with thin frosting. I prefer to err on the side of thick frosting. 

Assemble

1. Place frosting in a piping bag or large ziploc bag. Cut a hole about 1/2 in thick (or you can use a large round tip). 

2. Squeeze a small dollop of frosting onto each cupcake and top with a heart sprinkle. 

Tips:

• If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use regular milk with a squeeze of lemon. Just let the milk and lemon mixture sit for a bit before adding it in. If you don’t have a lemon, regular milk will work just fine too. 

• If you want to make regular sized cupcakes, bake for 17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

• I don’t recommend using nonpareils - they don’t hold their color and will bleed through the batter. 

• You may have extra frosting

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