Fluffy White Chocolate Cupcakes

It's no secret that I am a die-hard chocoholic and dark chocolate is where my heart lives, but there is a place for white chocolate and these simple White Chocolate Cupcakes are so incredibly soft and fluffy with milky sweet vanilla flavor. The cake alone has a wonderful fine crumb texture and the cupcakes rise with the most perfect domes, then they are topped with ultra creamy white chocolate buttercream frosting. The frosting is so creamy because you make a quick ganache first with white chocolate and cream, then beat this into soft butter and icing sugar. These beautiful cupcakes can be dressed up for the holidays and are also perfect to serve at special occasions, such as weddings, wedding showers and baby showers. If you're also looking for the best chocolate cake recipes, check out my most popular Moist Chocolate Cake and The Best Chocolate Cupcakes.

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

• Fluffy vanilla cake - these cupcakes are so bouncy and fluffy. They are moist without being dense so they have such a nice delicate texture.
• Perfect crumb texture - the crumb structure on these cupcake is so even that it looks like a store-bought cake that is full of emulsifiers, except this is homemade with real, simple ingredients!
• Easy to make - the steps for this recipe are very straight-forward and you don't need any special ingredients - you just need white chocolate (of course).
• Milky vanilla flavor - you will love the smooth and sweet milky vanilla flavor that shines through these cakes thanks to white chocolate right in the batter.
• Creamy white chocolate frosting - I use a white chocolate ganache and mix that into vanilla buttercream for the frosting. It is so easy to make and you don't need a big stand mixer to make it.

INGREDIENTS FOR WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• All purpose flour - you do not need specialty cake flour to make a wonderful chocolate cake. Just be sure to measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour is the most common mistake and leads to tough and dry cake. The most accurate way to measure flour is using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, spoon it into your measuring cup and use a knife to level it off. This batter is meant to be quite runny so refrain from adding more flour to make it thicker.
• Granulated sugar - simple white sugar will keep this cake sweet and moist.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is essential to enhance the flavor of the chocolate. Do not leave it out!
• White chocolate - make sure you use pure white chocolate for the best taste and texture. Pure chocolate contains only cocoa butter white compound white chocolate is made with vegetable oils, such as palm oil.

• Eggs - two whole eggs will set the structure of this cake and help emulsify the batter.
• Butter - butter brings the flavor! You can use salted or unsalted in this recipe. If you use salted butter, just reduce the added salt by a bit.
• Oil - a blend of butter and oil makes for a softer crumb since oil is liquid at room temperature. I prefer sunflower oil for baking, but any neutral-tasting oil will work.
• Milk - whole milk or 2% milk is best for baking.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Beat butter and sugar. Combine soft butter with oil, sugar and vanilla and beat until pale and fluffy for about 2 minutes using a hand mixer.
• STEP 2). Beat in eggs. Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition. The batter should look thick, pale and creamy once the last egg is incorporated.
• STEP 3). Combine dry ingredients. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 4). Mix wet and dry ingredients. Add half of the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix on low until mostly combined. Gradually pour in half of the milk and continue mixing for a few seconds, then mix in the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk. Do not over-mix, however you do want to mix on high speed for just 5 seconds at the end to emulsify the batter. This is what will give you that nice fine crumb.
• STEP 5). Bake. Divide batter evenly between the lined muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes until cakes spring back when pressed gently and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring individually onto the rack to cool completely.
• STEP 6). Make the frosting. First prepare the ganache by melting together white chocolate and cream until smooth and silky, then let it cool completely. Beat soft butter with sifted icing sugar for 2 minutes until very smooth, pale and fluffy. Mix in vanilla and salt, and then gradually beat in the ganache until very smooth and creamy.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

• Use a neutral tasting oil like pure sunflower oil for the cleanest flavor to let the buttery vanilla taste stand out.
• Do not reduce the sugar - the right amount of sugar will make cake moist because it binds water so that it stays tightly in the batter and doesn't evaporate excessively during baking. If you lower the sugar, the cupcakes will be dry.
• Have all ingredients at room temperature. The fat and liquids will emulsify best when they are at the same temperature, and at room temperature. That means the milk, eggs and butter should all be at room temperature.
• Keep an eye on the baking time. Set a timer for the first time stated in the recipe and check with a skewer. These cupcakes are ready when they are just lightly golden and if you over-bake them then they will be more dry.
• Mix on high to emulsify the batter. Although you don't want to over-mix any cake batter (which means mixing for an excessively long time), it is beneficial for fine-textured cakes to mix in high for just a few seconds. This forces the water and fat to emulsify together so that you have a smooth batter and a very tight crumb.
• Do not overfill the pan. This batter rises a lot and then falls slightly as it cools. Do not fill the muffin cups more than ¾ full or they will spill over.

RECIPE FAQ

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CHOCOLATE FROSTING

If you prefer to top these cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting to make a Tuxedo cupcake, try my easy and extra fudgy frosting that I use for my most popular Moist Chocolate Cake. Here's my recipe for the BEST Chocolate Frosting. 

Happy Baking!

If you love cake, check out these recipes!

Ultimate Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Sticky Toffee Date Cake Moist Lemon Blueberry Bread Olive Oil Chocolate Bundt Cake Best Vanilla Cupcake Recipe with Chocolate Fudge Frosting Chocolate Chip Banana Cake with Creamy Milk Chocolate Frosting Blueberry Peach Upside Down Cake