Description
Delight in these festive Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes featuring rich Dutch cocoa and a luscious peppermint buttercream frosting. Perfectly moist cupcakes with a refreshing peppermint twist, topped with colorful candy canes and peppermint chunks, ideal for holiday celebrations or any special occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cupcake Batter
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons unbleached cake flour
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 tablespoons cubed unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup room temperature coffee or hot water
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Peppermint Buttercream Frosting
- 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract
- Red gel food coloring
- Peppermint baking chunks and candy canes for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pans: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cake flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, brown sugar, espresso powder (if using), baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix in the cubed butter on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse sand, about 3 minutes.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, whole milk, vegetable oil, room temperature coffee or hot water, egg, egg yolk, and peppermint extract until fully combined.
- Mix batter: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl and mix on low speed briefly until just combined with no streaks of flour remaining. The batter will appear slightly lumpy, which is normal.
- Fill cupcake liners: Spoon the batter evenly into cupcake liners, filling each about three-quarters full. You should have enough batter for 12 cupcakes.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool cupcakes: Remove cupcakes from oven and allow them to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes from the pan and let them cool completely on the wire rack.
- Prepare frosting: In a clean bowl of a stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar while mixing until light and fluffy.
- Flavor and color frosting: Add heavy cream and peppermint extract to the butter-sugar mixture and blend until fully combined and creamy. Divide the frosting into two portions. Leave half plain and add red gel food coloring to the other half, beating until vibrant red.
- Prepare piping bags: Place each portion of frosting into separate piping bags. Then insert both bags into a larger piping bag fitted with a star tip, cut the tips off the internal bags, and pull them through the tip. Pipe a test swirl in a bowl to blend the colors before decorating.
- Decorate cupcakes: Pipe swirled frosting onto each cooled cupcake. Finish by topping with peppermint baking chunks and mini candy canes for a festive look.
Notes
- Measure dry ingredients accurately using the spoon-level method or a kitchen scale for best results.
- Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days to maintain freshness.
- If you don't have a triple piping bag setup, alternate spoonfuls of red and white frosting in one bag for a combined swirl effect.
- Use gel food coloring to achieve vivid red without thinning the frosting.
- You can bake cupcakes a day in advance and store unfrosted; frost just before serving for optimal freshness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 38 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
