White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes combine the refreshing taste of peppermint with creamy white chocolate and a fluffy cupcake base. Finished with a rich peppermint buttercream and candy cane accents, these festive treats are perfect for holiday celebrations.
Servings 12
Ingredients
Peppermint Cupcakes
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or maybe canola
- 1 large egg white at room temperature
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ¼ cup yogurt plain or vanilla, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
White Chocolate Filling:
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Peppermint Frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (2 sticks)
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp peppermint extract
- 12 mini candy canes
- ½ cup crushed candy canes optional
Instructions
- Before you start baking, heat your oven to 350 degrees and get a muffin pan ready with 12 cupcake liners.
Peppermint Cupcakes
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, egg, egg white, yogurt, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract until everything is well combined.
- Alternate adding the flour mixture and the Lifeway Kefir milk to the wet ingredients, whisking just until everything is combined (be careful not to overmix).
- Fill each cupcake liner about ¾ full (using just under 3 tablespoons of batter) and bake for 15-18 minutes. Check the centers with a toothpick for doneness.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
White Chocolate Ganache
- In a small bowl, put the white chocolate chips aside.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the heavy whipping cream until it starts bubbling (usually 25-40 seconds).
- Pour the heated cream over the white chocolate chips and let it sit for 3 minutes.
- Afterward, whisk the mixture together until it becomes smooth.
- Allow it to cool to room temperature.
Peppermint Frosting
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until it becomes creamy, which usually takes about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and peppermint extract to the mixer. Mix on low speed until everything is combined, which usually takes about 30 seconds.
- Then, increase the speed to high and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes. The frosting should become light and creamy at this point.
- Assemble
- After the cupcakes have cooled, use a piping tip or a small sharp knife to gently cut out the centers. Be cautious not to cut through the bottom of the cupcake.
- Fill each cupcake with the ganache filling.
- Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag and the Wilton 1M piping tip.
- Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces on top and place one mini candy cane on each cupcake.
- For leftovers, store the cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they'll stay fresh for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Baking Pan: Prepare a 12-count muffin tin by placing cupcake liners in each cup.
- Measuring Flour: To make sure you don't add too much flour, follow these three easy steps: 1) Fluff up the flour with a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Level off the excess flour by scraping a knife across the top of the measuring cup.
- Assembling: Use a piping tip to carefully remove the centers of each cupcake. Then, either pipe or spoon in the ganache.
- Frosting: Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost them using a piping bag with the Wilton 1M tip.