Cranberry Cupcakes
These cupcakes are the ultimate fall and holiday treat, and both easy to make and pretty to look at. The white chocolate frosting perfectly balances the tart cranberry muffin, for a perfect bite of sweet & tart.
Servings 12 cupcakes
Calories 409kcal
Equipment
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
- Wilton 2A decorating tip* or other decorating tip
- Tooth pick or cake tester
Ingredients
White Chocolate Whipped Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups white chocolate
Cranberry Muffins
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature, cut in pieces
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup milk room temperature
- 1.5 cups cranberries fresh or thawed from frozen; see note for frozen
To Decorate (optional)
- fresh cranberries
- sugar
- sprinkles*
Instructions
Prep White Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Heat heavy cream in a pot over medium heat. Be careful so that it doesn't boil at any point. If it does, you will need to start over.2 cups heavy cream
- When the cream is so hot there is steam coming from it, add in the white chocolate in pieces. Allow it to melt and mix continuously.2 cups white chocolate
- When the chocolate is completely melted, remove from the heat and set aside to cool. When cooled, place in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
- When you want to use the frosting, bring it out from the fridge and whip like a regular whipped cream. You do not need to add any sugar. Spoon into icing bags prepared with the tip of your choice.
Cranberry Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400 °Fand place muffin liners in a muffin tin or on a baking sheet.
- Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.½ cup salted butter, ½ cup sugar
- Add eggs and mix well.1 egg
- In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients: flour, vanilla powder and baking powder.1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just enough for it to be well blended.
- Add milk and mix just until smooth. Then fold in the cranberies.½ cup milk, 1.5 cups cranberries
- Bring out the lined muffin tin, and scoop your batter into the muffin liners. Don't fill them more than ⅔ of the way as they will rise.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 16-18 minutes. Test with a cake tester or tooth pick – it should come out with no or very little cake batter when they are done.
- When done, set aside to cool completely before decorating.
Decorating
- Roll cranberries in sugar.fresh cranberries, sugar
- Pipe frosting on top each cupcake, then decorate with cranberries rolled in sugar. You can also add sprinkles or other decorations you prefer.sprinkles*
Notes
If you use frozen cranberries: Make sure to thaw them first, and drain the liquid.
The cream absolutely needs to rest and cool down. This step does take a bit of time, so you need to plan accordingly. 4 hours is enough, but you can leave it in the fridge over night as well if you prefer.
Do not let the cream boil. If the cream starts boiling, it's likely you won't be able to get it to whip up as it should. I've been fine when it's just started to simmer slightly, but anything beyond that and you will need to start over. Just take it slow from the start to avoid that.
Let the cupcake base cool down first. If you attempt to frost hot or even slightly warm cupcakes the frosting will melt and make a mess. Just let them cool down completely and this won't happen!
If you know you're going to have leftovers, you can either frost all the cupcakes straight away and store them already frosted, or you can store the frosting separate and just frost them when you want to serve them. Both ways work equally well.
Storing frosted cupcakes: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Storing cranberry cupcake base: Store in a muffin tin or plastic bags for up to 1 week. They are best if eaten within 3 days.
Storing white chocolate frosting: Store in icing bag or a covered bowl in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing the frosted cupcakes or the frosting, but you can freeze the cranberry cupcake base. Freeze in air tight containers or plastic bags for up to 6 months.
Prep ahead: You can make both the frosting and the cupcake base up to 3 days in advance, and even store the cupcakes frosted for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 101mg | Potassium: 178mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 870IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 1mg