Who’s ready for the holidays? I’m nearly there. The dinner menu is set, and for dessert I’ll be serving these Vanilla Almond Cupcakes. They’re festive, elegant, and just the right size for a holiday treat.
The gold wrappers instantly dress up any cupcake, and the glittered antlers add a playful holiday touch. Visually they’re restrained—simple, refined decorations—but the flavor is where these cupcakes shine. I folded almond paste into the vanilla batter, a small tweak that transforms a classic cupcake into something memorable. After tasting them, I may never go back to plain vanilla cupcakes.
For this batch I tested KitchenAid’s new Artisan Mini Stand Mixer. The 3.5-quart bowl handled this 18–20 cupcake recipe with ease and is also roomy enough for several dozen cookies. The Artisan Mini is 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the full-size Artisan, yet retains the power and compatibility with Artisan attachments—making it a great option for kitchens with limited counter space.
I’m also hosting a giveaway for this mixer on my Instagram—if you’re interested, check my profile for details.
This post is in collaboration with KitchenAid. They provided a product for this recipe; all opinions are my own.
Holiday Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes
Ingredients
- For the cupcakes
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3.5 oz almond paste
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole milk
- For the buttercream
- 6 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with foil or paper liners.
To make the cupcakes: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Add the sugar and almond paste to a food processor or blender and process until the mixture resembles wet sand.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and the sugar–almond paste mixture. Beat on low until the ingredients come together, then increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Starting and ending with the flour mixture, alternately add the flour and the milk, mixing just until combined.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Beat on low until the ingredients are incorporated, then increase the speed to high and beat until light and fluffy. If the frosting is too dry, add milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
To assemble: Transfer the buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip and pipe swirls on top of each cooled cupcake. Decorate as desired.