Mini Cupcakes Recipe

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Hot take: cupcakes will never go out of style! These bite-size cupcakes are perfect for when you just want a little sweet treat, or are maybe saving room for more!

Cupcakes have been around for centuries, but their popularity grew tremendously in the 2000s due to baking reality tv shows! I love competition shows and I love baking–the perfect combination, just like cupcakes and frosting. Did you watch Cupcake Wars? Every time I watched that show, it made me want to bake a thousand cupcakes! Other baking television shows brought attention to cupcakes, too–DC Cupcakes on TLC and who could forget Cake Boss? TV shows may come and go, but cupcakes are always in style. You don’t have to be a star of a television show to bake amazing cupcakes. Just keep reading!

Cupcakes are easy and fun to bake. Even those who don’t have much baking experience can create an absolutely phenomenal cupcake. With these mini cupcakes, I think they are actually easier than regular-sized cupcakes because there’s less cake to frost! I always struggle with frosting. I want to make sure it’s perfect, but it can be a very time-consuming task. I like that my frosting time is literally cut in half with these adorable little bites.

Even though I have a sweet tooth, sometimes one huge cupcake is too sweet, especially if there’s as much frosting as cake. With these mini cupcakes, my sweet tooth is satisfied and not annihilated. You’ll love just how fluffy these cupcakes are! Another great thing about cupcakes is the versatility of frosting choices! You could even decorate half of your mini cupcakes with whipped cream frosting, and the other half with a strawberry buttercream.

Decorating Ideas

Below you’ll find the steps for incredibly delicious, moist cupcakes. However, I can’t talk about cupcakes without talking about frosting and decorating. When I’m short on time, I use a regular butter knife and smooth my choice of frosting over the tops of the cupcakes. However, sometimes I really want to impress my guests! Use a piping bag and piping tip to bring your cupcake decoration to the next level (If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a plastic bag by cutting the corner tip off). For the tip, I recommend a large or jumbo size. The tips come in different shapes that create unique designs. A star tip is the most common and often how you will see cupcakes decorated in a store or bakery. French tips and rounds are other options as well.

Don’t worry if frosting with a bag and piping tip takes some getting used to! It’s all about practice and experimenting. It’s also completely optional. You should decorate your cupcakes the way you want to. Whatever is easier for you, I support!

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened natural cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup hot water

How to Make Mini Cupcakes

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F and prep your mini cupcake pans with liners and a light coating of non-stick spray.

Step 2: Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugars in a large bowl until well mixed.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk the oil, vanilla extract, milk, and eggs until they’re fully combined.

Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer on medium speed just until blended.

Step 5: Carefully add the hot water and mix until the batter is smooth and uniform.

Step 6: Fill each cupcake liner slightly more than halfway with batter and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Step 7: Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

FAQs & Tips

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Unfrosted cupcakes can be kept in the fridge for 1 week, but can last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Frosted cupcakes can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. I recommend allowing them to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving if they’ve been in the fridge for a while.

Flour Substitute

For an even lighter, fluffier texture, replace the 1 cup of all-purpose flour with 1 cup of cake flour! This is not necessary, but a fun way to transform the recipe, if desired.

How can I make these cupcakes healthier?

You can replace the 1/3 cup of vegetable oil with 1/3 cup of unsweetened apple sauce. Apple sauce is lower in cholesterol than oil and butter. You won’t even be able to taste the difference!

Room temperature eggs

When baking, it’s usually best to allow the eggs to sit at room temperature (about 30 minutes) before mixing them in to the rest of the ingredients. Room temperature eggs will combine with the batter better.

Serving Suggestions

Mini cupcakes are the perfect treat for a birthday party, graduation party, baby shower, and more! Why not try decorating them with multi-colored or holiday-specific sprinkles? I love dousing cupcakes with green sprinkles for St Patrick’s Day! If you’re not a fan of sprinkles, try dying the frosting color the same color as the cupcake liner. Who doesn’t love color matching desserts? I also like using mini white chocolate chips as decoration, especially with chocolate frosting. The color contrast is very eye-catching!

The great thing about cupcakes is that you can customize the frosting any way you want. Are you vegan? Try this super simple vegan cream cheese frosting. Even your non-vegan friends will love it! They will probably even ask you for the recipe, assuming that it’s “regular” frosting!

Personally, I love a peanut butter and chocolate combination, so I opt for chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. Satisfies my sweet and salty tooth! But maybe you’re a double-chocolate kind of person–in that case I recommend these mini cupcakes with a chocolate fudge frosting. Sweet, rich, and delicious!