Mini Cherry Blossom Cupcakes
Mini white almond cupcakes topped with a swirl of floral cherry blossom buttercream.
Servings 31 mini cupcakes
Calories 124kcal
Ingredients
Mini White Almond Cupcakes
- 2 oz all- purpose flour
- 2 oz cake flour
- 1 Tbsp dried buttermilk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 4 oz sugar
- 2.5 oz unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tsps cake enhancer optional
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 fl oz pasteurized egg whites room temperature
- 2.5 fl oz water room temperature
- 1 Tbsp canola oil
Cherry Blossom Hybrid Buttercream
- 1 oz pasteurized egg whites
- 12 oz powdered sugar sifted
- 8 oz unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 tsp cherry blossom powder
- 2 drops rose pink gel color
Instructions
Mini White Almond Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare two mini cupcake pans with paper cases. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, buttermilk, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Beat the sugar, butter, and cake enhancer (if using) on a medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5- 8 minutes. Remember to scrape the bowl down once or twice during this step.
- Add the almond and vanilla extracts to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Then add the egg whites in 2- 3 additions, mixing until combined after each. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- In a measuring glass with a spout, combine the water and oil. Set aside.
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixer and beat until just combined. Add half of the liquids and beat on a low speed until just combined. Repeat with another third of the dry ingredients, the remainder of the liquids, and finally the remainder of the dry. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Place a level tablespoon of the batter into each paper case in the prepared pans. You will be able to get 30- 32 mini cupcakes. Bake for 12 minutes or until the cupcakes spring back when touched.
- Cool in the pans for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.
Cherry Blossom Hybrid Buttercream
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the pasteurized egg whites, and 6- 8 ounces of the sifted powdered sugar and whip for 4- 5 minutes. If powdered sugar gets stuck above the egg whites, scrape it back down.
- With the mixer on a medium speed, whip in the butter one tablespoon at a time. It will look a bit curdled. Once all of the butter has been combined, whip on a medium- high speed for 2- 4 minutes.
- Switch to a paddle attachment and scrape the bowl down. Beat the mixture on a medium speed for another 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down and add half of the remaining powdered sugar. Beat on low to combine, then on a medium- low speed for a minute.
- Scrape the bowl down and add the remaining powdered sugar. Beat on low to combine, then on a medium- low speed for 1- 2 minutes. If you'll be piping buttercream blossoms, remove a scoop of the buttercream, then add your gel color to the rest of the batch and combine. Taste and adjust flavors as necessary.
Assembly
- Pipe buttercream blossoms onto small squares of parchment paper. Freeze for 30 minutes or overnight before using.
- Use a 1M piping tip to pipe a swirl of buttercream onto each mini cupcake. Place a frozen blossom on each.
- With the remaining buttercream, add an additional drop of color and mix to combine. Use this buttercream to pipe 5 small dots on the center of each blossom.
Notes
- This recipe makes more than enough buttercream to frost all of the cupcakes and pipe over 30 simple blossoms.