Cakes and other baked goods are always welcome for celebrations such as birthdays or anniversaries. Mostly by guests, of course, and less so by those celebrating, who have to organize and serve the cakes and other treats at their party. If you are one of those people who have to bake something yourself for your birthday (or like to give baked goods as gifts), these Mini Funfetti Cupcakes might be just perfect for you. They are suitable for any occasion and are simple and quick to prepare. After all, you don’t necessarily want to spend a long time in the kitchen on your special day. You’d rather celebrate, right?! ;P
It is often said that a birthday without cake is just a meeting. So if you don’t want to just sit around and chat about anything and everything like you would do in an office meeting, you need something to snack on on your special day. Or if it’s someone else’s birthday or anniversary, then that person needs cake or, even better, cupcakes… it’s that simple and clear. Those are the rules. We didn’t make them. ;P
Since only a few people like to spend a lot of time in their kitchen, simple recipes are perfect for such occasions. The batter for these little cupcakes is done in no time and baked even quicker. The same goes for the decoration. Thanks to the American buttercream used, you’ll be done in no time. The step that takes the longest is letting the cupcakes cool so you can decorate them with buttercream and some colorful sprinkles.
What are the differences between the various types of buttercream?
American Buttercream
American buttercream is the simplest and quickest to make. It consists mainly of butter and confectioners’ sugar, often supplemented with a little milk or cream and vanilla extract. Due to its high sugar content, the buttercream is quite sweet and relatively firm, which makes it particularly stable. So if your cupcakes have to stand around unrefrigerated for a little longer, this buttercream is just perfect!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Swiss meringue buttercream is based on egg whites and sugar, which are heated together in a double boiler until the sugar has completely dissolved. The mixture is then beaten until stiff and whipped with soft butter after that. The result is a very smooth, silky, and significantly less sweet buttercream. It is ideal for decorating cakes and cupcakes.
Italian Meringue Buttercream
For Italian meringue buttercream, hot sugar syrup (heated to 115–120°C/230–240°F) is poured into stiffly beaten egg whites and then whipped with butter. This method produces a particularly stable, creamy, and airy buttercream with a very fine texture – quite similar to Swiss meringue buttercream. It is also less sweet than the American version and extremely temperature-stable. The preparation is somewhat more technically demanding and requires a sugar thermometer*.
German Buttercream
German buttercream differs fundamentally from the American version and the meringue variants, as it is based on a vanilla custard whipped with butter. The result is very creamy, mild, and not overly sweet. An example of this can be found in the recipe for our simple Blueberry Cupcakes. The taste is reminiscent of classic pastry creams and is particularly suitable for filled cakes but also for decorating cupcakes. However, it is less heat-stable and should be stored refrigerated, which limits its use somewhat.
As you can see from the comparison of buttercream varieties, American buttercream is simply perfect when you need something quick. However, the result is quite sweet, thanks to the large amount of confectioners’ sugar. If you want to use less sugar or make a buttercream without sugar, you should take a look at the German buttercream. You can easily make it without white sugar and use a sugar substitute such as xylitol* instead. This type of buttercream generally works with less sugar, which you can easily substitute as you wish.
Of course, we have many more cupcake recipes here on the blog. If you like chocolate, you might want to check out our Oreo Chocolate Cupcakes – they’re really delicious! If you like vegan baked goods, you could also try our Salted Caramel Chocolate Cupcakes, for example. They’re excellent too!
For those who prefer something a little fruitier, we also got Apple Crumble Cupcakes for you. Moist little cupcakes with apple compote filling and a cream topping. These little treats are an absolute highlight on your sweet table. All year round. ;P
You can find a small overview of all our cupcake recipes via the menu on top or simply click/tap here to see a list of everything we have. We pretty much have something for every occasion and every taste…
INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a mini muffin tin* with mini paper liners*. For a better result, you might want to leave every second mold empty so the cupcakes can rise undisturbed. Put it aside.
2. Add sugar, butter, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk to the large bowl and mix until just combined. If you want to add sprinkles to the dough, you can add them now and fold them in (optional). Fill the mini cupcake liners max. 3/4 full and bake the first batch of cupcakes for about 11-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Take out of the oven, remove from the muffin tin, and let cool down completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough until everything has been used.
3. For the buttercream, add the butter to the bowl of a kitchen machine and mix on high for about 4-5 minutes until the butter is very light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and mix in. Continue mixing for about 4-5 minutesthen add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and mix a few minutes longer to get a nice and fluffy buttercream.
4. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a star tip and pipe a small swirl onto each cupcake and sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles and confetti. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) top/bottom heat. Line a mini muffin tin* with mini paper cases*. To help the little cupcakes rise better, we only put a paper case in every other cavity. This gives the dough the heat it needs.
2. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and stir in well. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and then add to the bowl alternately with the buttermilk and stir in just briefly. If you like, you can now add colorful sugar sprinkles to the dough (optional). Fill the mini muffin cups to a maximum of 3/4 full and then Bake the first batch for about 11-12 minutes. Use a toothpick to test whether the dough is still sticking and only remove the small cupcakes when it comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack. Repeat the whole process with remaining dough until all is used up.
3. Place the butter for the buttercream in the bowl of a food processor and Beat on high for about 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and stir in. then beat everything again for about 4-5 minutes. Next add the cream and vanilla extract and Beat again for a few more minutesuntil you have an airy and creamy buttercream.
4. Pour the finished buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star tip and then pipe a good portion onto each cupcake. Decorate with colorful sugar sprinkles and confetti as desired. Place the mini cupcakes in the refrigerator until serving.
Craving more? Keep in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for new post updates and more. You can also contact me with any questions or inquiries!
Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
These little fellas are perfect for any kind of celebration. We love these small Funfetti Cupcakes a lot. So do the whole family and friends. 😉
For the mini cupcakes:
1 cup (200g) sugar
3.5 oz. (100g) butter, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract*
2 medium eggs
1 1/3 cups (170g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk
2–3 tbsp. rainbow sprinkles* (optional)
For the vanilla buttercream:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
3 cups (380g) confectioners’ sugar
1.8 oz. (50g) heavy cream
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract* or regular vanilla extract*
2–3 tbsp. rainbow sprinkles* and/or confetti*
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a mini muffin tin* with mini paper liners*. For a better result, you might want to leave every second mold empty so the cupcakes can rise undisturbed. Put it aside.
2. Add sugar, butter, and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one after another and mix well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients alternating with the buttermilk to the large bowl and mix until just combined. If you want to add sprinkles to the dough, you can add them now and fold them in (optional). Fill the mini cupcake liners max. 3/4 full and bake the first batch of cupcakes for about 11-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean. Take out of the oven, remove from the muffin tin, and let cool down completely on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough until everything has been used.
3. For the buttercream, add the butter to the bowl of a kitchen machine and mix on high for about 4-5 minutes until the butter is very light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and mix in. Continue mixing for about 4-5 minutesthen add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and mix a few minutes longer to get a nice and fluffy buttercream.
4. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a star tip and pipe a small swirl onto each cupcake and sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles and confetti. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.
Links marked with an asterisk
