These birthday cake cupcakes are a cute and delicious way to celebrate. Moist vanilla bean cupcakes with a classic buttercream and colorful sprinkles is something that simply can’t be topped.
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Birthday Cake Cupcakes, The Best Way to Celebrate
These cupcakes have always been the classic birthday dessert. They are fun, colorful, and sweet making them the perfect crowd pleaser. They don’t require any exotic ingredients and every ingredient used is a pantry staple.
Sprinkles have always been one of my favorite things to add to a dessert because they are so fun and can add so much color. I recommend using rainbow jimmies (the long sprinkles that you see in the pictures) for these cupcakes. Non pariel sprinkles (the little balls) will bleed into the batter.
One of my favorite aspects of these cupcakes is that you only need one bowl for the batter. There isn’t a need to get tons and tons of dishes dirty. All you need is a few measuring cups, a bowl, and a spatula. That’s it!
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
These birthday cake cupcakes are frosted with a classic American vanilla bean buttercream. American buttercream is one of the easiest buttercreams to make and is used for the majority of American cakes and cupcakes.
When making American buttercream it is really important to incorporate as much air as possible. This gives the buttercream a silky and creamy texture because it allows all of the ingredients to dissolve together. If your buttercream is not mixed enough, it will be a little granular and dense.
Looking for a different cupcake recipe? Try my Light Angel Food Cupcakes, Chocolate Salted Peanut Cupcakes, or my Browned Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes.
When you make these birthday cake cupcakes, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! I love seeing what you are baking! You can also save this recipe on Pinterest.
Birthday Cake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Birthday Cake Cupcakes
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1¼ cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 Egg
- 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- ½ cup Milk
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Sprinkles (rainbow jimmies)
Vanilla Bean Buttercream
- ½ cup Salted Butter
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- ¼ cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 3 cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ cup Sprinkles (to garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325° degrees. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
- Combine the sugar, flour, and baking powder in a medium sized bowl.
- Add the milk, egg, oil, vanilla bean paste, and water to the dry ingredients. Mix until it is fully combined and smooth.
- Mix the sprinkles into the cupcake batter. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake the cupcakes for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool to room temperature.
- In a bowl combine the butter, powdered sugar, and cream. Beat them together at high speed until light and fluffy. (3-5 minutes) Add the vanilla bean paste and the salt. Mix until they are fully combined into the buttercream.
- Frost the cupcakes using your favorite piping tip. Decorate with sprinkles and enjoy.
- The cupcakes will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
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