These soft and fluffy almond cupcakes are classic beauties, topped with a sunshiny almond buttercream frosting and Sprinkle Pop’s “Bell of the Ball” princess mix. How adorable would they be for a princess-themed birthday party??
The cupcakes are super simple to make. Just make sure all of the cold ingredients reach room temperature before beginning. (I usually set everything on the counter about an hour before I plan to start baking.)
Sift the flour, and then whisk it together with the baking powder and salt. If you don’t have a sifter, run the flour through a fine-meshed colander.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then cream in the sour cream until smooth.
Beat in the egg whites until fully incorporated, and then mix in the almond extract.
Stir in half of the flour mixture until just combined, followed by the buttermilk and the remaining flour. Use a whisk to remove any remaining lumps, and gently fold the batter with a spatula a few times to remove air bubbles. Fill lined cupcake tins 2/3 full. (This recipe yields 14 to 15 cupcakes.)
Bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes. They’re done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Let the cupcakes rest in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Then make the frosting while the cupcakes are cooling.
It’s time to decorate! I used one drop of orange food dye and about 20 drops of yellow to achieve this bright and happy color. But a vibrant red would also be pretty, especially underneath a plastic display dome. (Buy those here.)
Note: This post includes affiliate links. There is no extra cost when you make a purchase through an affiliate link, although I do receive a small commission which helps make recipes like this possible. Thank you for supporting Roses & Whiskers! I also received compensation from Sprinkle Pop for this recipe.
Use Wilton tip 1M to pipe rosettes and/or larger swirls. (Only rosettes will fit underneath the display dome lid.) Top with Sprinkle Pop’s “Bell of the Ball” princess sprinkle mix.
Store these almond cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but be sure to serve them at room temperature! Tag me @rosesandwhiskers on Instagram if you try this recipe and use the hashtag #rosesandwhiskers. Happy baking! 🙂
Almond Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour sifted (or substitute all-purpose flour for gluten-full cupcakes)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature
- 3 large egg whites room temperature
- 2 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk room temperature
Almond Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup Crisco
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 2 tbsp whole milk
- 2 tsp almond extract
- yellow and orange food coloring optional
- Sprinkle Pop "Bell of the Ball" princess sprinkle mix
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C) and line muffin pans with cupcake wrappers. This recipe yields 14 to 15 cupcakes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder and salt. (Only the flour should be sifted). If you don't have a sifter, run the flour through a fine-meshed colander.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the sour cream, creaming until smooth. Beat in the egg whites until fully incorporated before mixing in the almond extract.
- Stir in half of the flour mixture on low speed until just combined, followed by the buttermilk and then the remaining flour. Use a whisk to remove any remaining lumps in the batter, which should be thick and smooth. Gently fold the batter with a spatula a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Fill the lined cups 2/3 full with batter, and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Let the cupcakes rest in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorating the Cupcakes
- Make the frosting while the cupcakes cool. Cream the butter and Crisco until smooth. Next, mix in the powdered sugar, heavy cream, whole milk and almond extract on low speed until combined. Increase to high speed and until creamy and fluffy. Mix in food dye if desired. For this color, I used one drop of orange and about 20 drops of yellow.
- Decorate the cupcakes as desired. I used Wilton tip 1M to pipe rosettes on some of the cupcakes and swirls on the others. (I prefer unwrapping the cupcakes before decorating). Top with sprinkles. These are the plastic domes I used to display the rosette cupcakes.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator but serve at room temperature. Enjoy!
