Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, soft
- 1 1/2 cups Dixie Crystals Extra Fine Granulated Sugar
- 8 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
Butter Cream Frosting
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature
- 3 cups sifted Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Green food coloring
Decoration
- 16 sugar cones
- 1 cup mini M&Ms
- 1/4 cup for dusting Dixie Crystals Confectioners Powdered Sugar
*Spoon & Sweep method: Use a spoon to fill measuring cup with flour until required amount is obtained. Scooping measuring cup directly into flour bag will firmly pack flour resulting in too much flour required for recipe.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Sift together flour and baking powder and set aside. Place 16 cupcake baking cups in a muffin tin and set aside.
- Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and mix until very creamy. Add one egg yolk at a time waiting for previous added yolk to be fully incorporated. Scrape bowl often and mix until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and salt
- Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Scrape well and mix briefly. Add 1/2 of room temperature buttermilk and mix until combined, scrape well and mix briefly.
- Repeat with another 1/3 of flour and remaining buttermilk scraping well in between. Add remaining flour and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Fill paper cups 3/4 full, do not overfill as this may cause poor rising.
- Place in oven and bake until center of cupcakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, about 22-25 minutes. Some pans are smaller and others are larger so time may vary.
- While cupcakes cool, prepare icing. Add butter to bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until butter is pale and smooth. Add sugar one cup at a time.
- When all sugar has been added, scrape the bowl. Add vanilla and salt, beat on low speed for 15 seconds. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about three minutes.
- Remove 1/2 of butter cream and place in a large piping bag with a large round tip. Color remaining 1/2 of butter cream with green food coloring. Transfer to a piping bag with a small star tip.
- Pipe a flat round of white butter cream on top of cupcake. Place sugar cone on top of white buttercream and press down lightly.
- Pipe green buttercream in little stars all around outside of sugar cone. Decorate with mini M&Ms and lightly dust with powdered sugar.
Dixie Crystals Insight
NOTE: In a time crunch, boxed cake mix can be substituted in place of the homemade cupcakes.
Recipe developed for Dixie Crystals by Jessica Segarra @TheNoviceChef.